Not very yogic... when it comes to money

I just discovered that Google allows patrons to post reviews of businesses and services. I “googled” the yoga studio I teach at and found a handful of reviews. Mostly positive. Some complaints of it being too hot or too incense smelling, ironically.

Then there were a few who used the phrase “not very yogic” to describe the managements business ethics regarding payments or as one said “when it comes to money.”

We have strict but clearly presented policies about not refunding for package purchases, adhering to expiration dates on packages, and insisting that every student pay before taking class. This, apparently, is “not very yogic.”

Do these same students go into their health club and ask for their money back on that year long contract they bought in January when, come April, they’ve only gone four times? Maybe. But does the health club comply? Highly improbable.

Do we ask for our money back if our doctor fails to heal that nagging ache in our lower back? Never.

So why do these individuals expect yoga studios to be “above” these standards?

Before we had a front desk staff, I was responsible for checking in students and handling payments. Admittedly, I would allow students who forgot their wallet to return and pay later. They rarely did. I allowed latecomers to enter class, and pay after class. They rarely did. Not very yogic of them.

I calculated that, on average, I was losing about $3 per class on these students. Big deal. A latte. But it adds. In fact, it adds up to over $1,000 per year. That is a non-deductible donation I was making every year to the greater yoga community. Over the five years I was lax on these rules, I lost $5,000. My IRA could certainly use that boost!

Now we have a front desk staff. More than ever I love teaching at this studio because I am completely removed from the business of charging for yoga. This studio allows me to simply arrive and teach.

Students have a separate set of business standards for a yoga studio, than for their health club. And in some domains, they should. But not when it comes to paying your bills. I teach solely for this studio mostly because of the “not very yogic” management. A number of previous employers were regularly late with wages, and often paid me the wrong amount. My mortgage company doesn’t understand that working for a yoga studio may mean being “yogic” about waiting for pay day.

Yoga Bling

Last month, the New York Times featured a yoga teacher answering questions in a series called “Ask a Yoga Instructor.” On the very first day, the following question was offered by a reader.

“You majored in economics and business, so tell me why yoga classes are so [expletive] expensive. In terms of physical assets, instructors provide only the empty studio, some mood music, and maybe some extra for the heating bill, if you’re into hot/power yoga. What’s your margin? How much of each person’s membership fees do you get to keep at the end of the day? I’m not saying that there isn’t a value added that you bring to the classroom as an instructor, even beyond what an instructor of any other activity (aerobics, spin, kickboxing, etc.) may bring. But I want to know how much of it is because of the elitist aura that yoga practitioners want to maintain.”

How much of the price of yoga is because of the “elitist aura” is what this reader wants to know. This reader exemplifies the other roadblock to yoga teachers making money. The first, I explored, is the pervasive sense that yoga teachers are missionaries, offering their services as karma not in need of worldly payments. The second, exemplified here, is that students feel they are paying so much for yoga, their teachers must be rolling in the dough! How else could we afford $80 pants just to sit around cross legged?

This reader’s comment shows the tug of war between the price of yoga, the expense of maintaining a studio, and the challenge of making a living as a yoga teacher.

It is true that classes in a yoga studio carry a price tag that is often a deterrent to participation for lower income individuals. But, on the flip side, teachers are struggling to be able to piece together a schedule that supports a healthy lifestyle and pays the bills. How about a government sponsored yoga subsidy? We’ll get to that right after health care is worked out.