Full-Time Yoga Teacher

What does it really mean to build a sustainable career as a yoga teacher?

In this episode, I’m joined by Tere Lopez, a Cuban-born yoga educator, mentor, and founder of Collective Care, a 200-hour yoga teacher training program in Ontario, Canada.

We talk honestly about Tere’s journey from teaching yoga full-time to choosing a career that allows her to teach yoga part-time. We discuss money, sustainability, and the different ways yoga teachers can build a career beyond teaching endless studio classes.

We also talk about accessibility, social justice, diversity in yoga leadership, and Tere’s vision for Collective Care.

Finally, we have a bigger conversation about the changing yoga industry, including the decline of independent studios, the rise of yoga-fusion and fitness classes, and what this might mean for the future of yoga teachers and the practice itself.

Connect with Tere:

• Website: https://terelopezyoga.com/
• Instagram: @terelopezyoga
• Collective Care 200YTT

Connect with Reika:

• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@reikayoga⁠⁠⁠
• Website: ⁠⁠⁠www.reikayoga.com

What happens when you remove almost every distraction from your life for 10 days? In this episode, I share my experience returning to a 10-day Vipassana meditation course 12 years after my first one. I talk about what it was like to spend 10 days in silence with no phone, social media, music, books, or conversation; the boredom, physical discomfort, hunger, and surprisingly slow passage of time; and what I discovered when there was nowhere else for my mind to go. I also share what I learned about impermanence, non-attachment, silence, digital distraction, and simply being present with whatever is happening instead of immediately trying to change it. More than anything, this experience made me question how often we fill every quiet moment with stimulation, and what might happen if we gave ourselves a little more space to just be.

Connect with Reika:

• Instagram: ⁠⁠@reikayoga⁠⁠
• Website: ⁠⁠www.reikayoga.com

In this episode of the Full-Time Yoga Teacher Podcast, I’m bringing Sarah Garcia back for her third appearance on the show! Sarah and I have worked together as co-leaders of a yoga teacher training in Peru, and this time I invited her back to talk about a major new chapter in her career: opening her own yoga studio, Shiva & Shakti Studio, in Lima, Peru. What makes her story especially interesting is that opening a studio wasn’t even part of her original plan.

In our conversation, Sarah takes us behind the scenes of what it actually looks like to start and run a yoga studio. We talk about finding and hiring teachers, creating a schedule, managing finances, building systems, marketing, growing a student community, and figuring out how to make the numbers work. But even more importantly, we talk about what it means to build a yoga business according to your values, including paying teachers fairly, creating free community offerings like kirtan, making space for students to connect after class, and designing a studio where teachers can be well compensated. Sarah shares the lessons, risks, challenges, and unexpected rewards of her first months as a studio owner in Lima. 

Connect with Sarah:

• Website
• Shiva & Shakti Instagram:@shivaandshaktistudio
• Sarah's Instagram: @sarahgarciayoga

Connect with Reika:

• ⁠Zion Women's Yoga & Adventure Retreat (May, 2027)⁠
• ⁠Apply for the Mentorship Program for Yoga Teachers⁠
• Instagram: ⁠@reikayoga⁠
• Website: ⁠www.reikayoga.com

In this episode of the Full-Time Yoga Teacher Podcast, I’m joined by Reba Gray, a yoga teacher whose journey into teaching has taken her from Maine to Boston, the Bay Area, Mexico, and now a small town outside of Reno, Nevada. Reba shares how she first discovered yoga after returning from the Peace Corps in Mali, how community became such an important part of her practice, and how she slowly transitioned from working in the nonprofit world to building a career as a yoga teacher. We talk about the realities of building a sustainable yoga career, including working a part-time university job for stability while teaching, finding opportunities through relationships and community, and learning to be resourceful when making a living from yoga.

We also talk honestly about the moments when being a yoga teacher can start to feel like a hamster wheel. Reba opens up about navigating the pandemic, experiencing major personal changes, questioning whether she wanted to continue teaching, and eventually selling her belongings and moving to Mexico for nine months. What she found there helped reconnect her with the part of teaching she truly loves, and ultimately brought her back to her dharma. We talk about taking risks, moving and rebuilding community, finding teaching opportunities outside of traditional studios, knowing when to step away, and having faith that things will work out even when the path looks completely different than you expected.

Connect with Reba:

• Website: https://www.rebagray.com/
• Instagram: @yogawithreba

Connect with Reika:

• Zion Women's Yoga & Adventure Retreat (May, 2027)
• Apply for the Mentorship Program for Yoga Teachers
• Instagram: @reikayoga
• Website: www.reikayoga.com

What does it actually take to build a sustainable, full-time career as a yoga teacher?

In this episode, I’m joined by Jaffer, a Toronto-based yoga teacher who has been teaching since 2015. We talk about his journey from teaching free classes in a local park to building a career through studio classes, retreats, private and corporate clients, and an online platform.

We dive into what it means to build a yoga career beyond simply teaching more classes, why yoga teachers need to think like business owners, and how Jaffer has intentionally built his online presence and multiple income streams.

We also have an honest conversation about hands-on assists, consent, student agency, and the complicated role of touch in yoga today, including Jaffer’s personal experience that inspired him to speak publicly about the topic.

This is a wide-ranging conversation about teaching, business, touch, authenticity, and building a yoga career that can sustain you for the long term.

Connect with Jaffer:

• Website: https://www.jafferyoga.com/
• Youtube
• Instagram: @jafferyoga

Connect with Reika:

• Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.reikayoga.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@reikayoga⁠⁠⁠
• Join the Mentorship Program for Yoga Teachers

Can you build a sustainable career as a yoga teacher without compromising your values?

In the final episode of this three-part series, Sunny and I dive into one of the most challenging conversations in the yoga industry: the business of teaching yoga.

We explore questions that many teachers think about but rarely talk about openly:

• Why are yoga teachers often expected to work beyond the hours they're paid for?
• Are teacher trainings creating sustainable careers, or unrealistic expectations?
• What role do community and belonging play in keeping teachers at a studio?
• How do we navigate pay, loyalty, and opportunities without losing our autonomy?
• What can newer teachers do to advocate for themselves while continuing to grow?

Throughout this conversation, we share our personal experiences, reflect on the systems that shape the yoga industry, and acknowledge that there are no easy answers. Our goal isn't to criticize individual studio owners or teachers, but to encourage thoughtful conversations about the structures we all participate in.

We hope this conversation gives you new perspectives, practical ideas, and thoughtful questions to reflect on as you navigate your own path.

If you've enjoyed this series, we'd love to hear your thoughts. What has your experience been in the yoga industry? What conversations do you think we should be having more often?

Connect with Sunny:

• YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠ @sunnysideyogalates ⁠⁠⁠
• Website: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.healingwithsunny.org/⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@sunnysideyogalates⁠⁠

Connect with Reika:

• Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.reikayoga.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@reikayoga⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Workshop: Yoga Meets Physical Therapy with AJ (August 8th, Saturday, 3-5 pm PST)

In Part 2 of our Navigating the Politics of the Yoga Industry series, Sunny and I continue our candid conversation by exploring what happens when yoga becomes a business.

We talk about studio culture, teacher autonomy, non-compete agreements, restrictive contracts, social media expectations, teacher pay, retreats, and the often complicated power dynamics between studio owners and yoga teachers.

This episode isn't about criticizing individual studios or claiming there is one "right" way to run a yoga business. We recognize that owning a studio is incredibly challenging, especially while trying to balance financial sustainability with yogic ethics. Instead, we're asking questions that we believe deserve more open discussion within our industry.

Some of the questions we explore include:

• What happens when business decisions conflict with yogic values?
• Why do some studios limit what teachers can say, teach, or even do outside the studio?
• How do power dynamics influence the choices yoga teachers make?
• Why is it often so difficult for teachers to advocate for themselves?
• What might it look like to create healthier, more ethical studio cultures?

Most importantly, we invite you to reflect on your own experiences. Whether you're a yoga teacher, studio owner, or longtime practitioner, we hope this conversation encourages thoughtful dialogue rather than easy answers.

As always, we'd love to hear your perspective. If you've experienced a studio that truly supports teachers, or if you're a studio owner navigating these same challenges, we'd love to continue the conversation.

Connect with Sunny:

• YouTube: ⁠⁠ @sunnysideyogalates ⁠⁠
• Website: ⁠⁠https://www.healingwithsunny.org/⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠@sunnysideyogalates⁠

Connect with Reika:

• Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.reikayoga.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@reikayoga⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ethical Yoga Retreat in Nicaragua⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Use code: ALIGN300 for $300 off)

In this first episode of our three-part series, Navigating the Politics of the Yoga Industry, Sunny and I dive into a question that has become increasingly relevant in today's yoga world:

What's the difference between teaching yoga and teaching fitness?

As yoga continues to blend with strength training, sculpt, Pilates, and other movement modalities, the lines can become blurry. We share our own journeys, one of us intentionally separating yoga from fitness, the other trying to integrate the two, and discuss how those experiences shaped our teaching.

This isn't about deciding who's right or wrong. It's an honest conversation about how the changing landscape of the yoga industry influences teacher identity, student expectations, studio culture, and even our careers.

Together we explore:

• Where yoga ends and fitness begins, or if that line even exists.

• Why student expectations can shape the classes we teach.

• How studio culture, capitalism, and class attendance influence teaching opportunities.

• The challenge of staying authentic while making a living as a yoga teacher.

• Questions every teacher can ask themselves about their own teaching path.

We hope this conversation offers new perspectives and sparks thoughtful reflection.

We'd love to hear your thoughts after listening. What resonated with you? Where do you stand on the conversation? Share your reflections with us, we're excited to continue the discussion.

Connect with Sunny:

• YouTube: ⁠ @sunnysideyogalates ⁠
• Website: ⁠https://www.healingwithsunny.org/⁠
• Instagram: ⁠@sunnysideyogalates

Connect with Reika:

• Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.reikayoga.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@reikayoga⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ethical Yoga Retreat in Nicaragua⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Use code: ALIGN300 for $300 off)

In this episode, I sit down with yoga teacher, mentor, and educator Tara Alperin to explore what it really looks like to build a long-term career in yoga. From her beginnings as a competitive figure skater and dancer to teaching over 20 yoga classes a week in New York City, Tara shares how each chapter of her journey shaped the teacher and mentor she is today. We also talk about the realities of making a living as a yoga teacher, how the industry has changed since the pandemic, moving to a new city and rebuilding your teaching career, and why she believes teaching group classes isn't the only path to a sustainable yoga career.

Tara's perspective on helping teachers discover their unique gifts. We dive into confidence, imposter syndrome, mentorship, and how yoga teachers can build careers that are both impactful and financially sustainable.

Connect with Tara:

Website: https://www.tesniyogateachertraining.com/

Instagram: @tesniyoga

Connect with Reika:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ethical Yoga Retreat in Nicaragua⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Use code: ALIGN300 for $300 off)

• Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.reikayoga.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@reikayoga⁠

In this episode, I sit down with yoga therapist, yin yoga teacher, and teacher trainer Nyk Danu, who has been teaching since 2004. Nyk shares her unlikely path from hairstylist to full-time yoga teacher and how injuries and a growing interest in Buddhism led her to yoga. We also talk about her studies with Paul Grilley, the value of mentorship and apprenticeship, and how yoga teachers can flourish in this career path.

Nyk also opens up about the realities of building a sustainable yoga career. She shares how she transitioned away from gyms and studios to running her own registered series, the business lessons that helped her move beyond burnout, and what it was like rebuilding her career after moving across the country and navigating the challenges of the pandemic. We discuss specialization, marketing with integrity, multiple income streams, and why she is passionate about helping yoga teachers create businesses that allow them to truly flourish.

Connect with Nyk:

• Website: https://nykdanu.com/teachers/
• Instagram: @nykdanuyoga
• Podcast: Yin Yoga Podcast

• Weekly Free Yoga teachers co-working sessions 
• Monthly Q&A session where teachers can ask me anything about their business 

Connect with Reika:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠Ethical Yoga Retreat in Nicaragua⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Use code: ALIGN300 for $300 off)

• Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.reikayoga.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@reikayoga
• Join her newsletter