As a yogi and a firm believer in taking personal responsibility, living with integrity, and karma, I want to trust the other yogis, yoginis, and yoga teachers that I work with. At the end of the day though, yoga, like anything, is business. And for this very reason, you should never teacher for a “maybe”.

What exactly does this mean?

This means that when you enter into a verbal agreement to teach for someone or at someone’s studio, you know exactly what you’re teaching for. You are teaching for x amount of dollars, x gift, x number of classes in return, etc. You are not teaching for anything with the word “maybe” in it.

I’m thinking that maybe I’ll just give you a few classes for free.

Sorry, how many classes am I receiving?

Maybe I’ll give a gift card.

Oh great! I love gift cards. What will this gift card be for, and how much will be on it?

Maybe I’ll pay you $25 for the class, but we’ll see how it goes.

$25 sounds great. Can we confirm the amount before I teach?

Please never agree to teach for an unknown compensation, because this is how you get screwed over. And yes, yogis, just like the rest of the world, are capable of screwing us over.

To prevent getting screwed over, taken advantage of, or cheated out of what you deserve, you will figure out what you are receiving in return for your services as a teacher before you ever step onto the mat as a teacher (and this could include confirming that you are teaching for free, which is fine, as long as you’ve agreed to it).

Oh, and you are definitely not teaching for a “we’ll figure it out later, don’t worry.” If someone says this to you, please be worried.

I know, you want to trust this person based on their word because they are a yogi, and they are like you. The unfortunate reality of the world is that yogi or not, people lie, cheat and deceive. People are also forgetful, so one person’s “we’ll figure it out later” may be 6 months or a year from now.

THAT’S NOT OKAY!

You are trying to make a career out of this, and you will never have a successful career if you don’t treat it like it’s the business that it is.

Servers don’t agree to show up at a restaurant to serve with the assertion that they may get paid at the end of it all. No! They know exactly what they are receiving for each hour they are there, and what their tip out will be at the end of the night.

You don’t agree to take a corporate office job before negotiating the salary. You would never show up for your first day of work without any idea of what you were receiving to be there.

So why is teaching yoga any different?

Here’s the thing – it’s not.

Just like working in customer service or a corporate office job, teaching yoga is a job. Teaching yoga is a career. So treat it like you did your last job or career. The next time someone offers you a teaching gig without a definite form of compensation, kindly make it clear to them that you will not teach unless you know what you will be receiving in return.

Namaste.