Jobs for Yoga Teachers

Yoga is a form of exercise and meditation from India not totally dissimilar from many forms of martial arts. It first saw mainstream popularity in the West during the 1960s and 70s, then later found widespread acceptance with the group fitness boom in the 1990s. Teaching yoga can be a rewarding job where you help people meet their personal goals while maintaining your own health.

Certifications

There is no centralized authority that grants certification to teach yoga. Some teachers have enrolled in a formal teacher training program, while others have received informal permission to teach after years of study with a private instructor. However, large employers of group fitness instructors -- notably chain health clubs and community centers -- often require a group fitness certification from anyone who wants to teach yoga or a group fitness class. A group fitness certificate will also allow a yoga teacher to instruct other kinds of exercise classes, which can help with finding jobs and getting more hours.

Earnings

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics classifies yoga teachers among "Fitness Trainers and Aerobics Instructors." According to bureau statistics, the mean hourly wage for yoga teachers in 2009 was $16.99. The middle 50 percent of workers in this category made between $9.55 and $21.98 per hour. It's worth noting that full-time employment is rare for yoga teachers. To make a living wage, yoga teachers must often teach at multiple locations, teach multiple fitness types, or both.

Employers

Typical employers for yoga instructors include health clubs, gyms and community centers. Martial arts schools and colleges will sometimes hire a yoga teacher to add options to their schedule of open classes. Since the mid 2000s, dedicated yoga studios have become part of the fitness landscape in many U.S. cities, but those are often run by an individual teacher. They rarely hire outside talent, but can be a business model for a teacher who wants to transition to full time.

Prospects

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that fitness jobs, including yoga instruction, will increase by up to 29 percent from 2009 through 2018. This is more than twice as fast as the estimated growth for U.S. jobs as a whole. The bureau attributes the rapid growth to an increased awareness and importance of health and fitness among Americans, and especially to the needs of the aging baby boomer generation.