Yoga is a very good thing for your mind and body.
Many people find that yoga has helped them to lower blood pressure, lose weight, and get rid of anxiety.
These are certainly some tremendous benefits, but they do come at a cost.
Sticking to a regular schedule of yoga classes can be quite costly.
Let’s take a look at why yoga is so expensive.
Why Is Yoga So Expensive?
1. Popularity/Health Benefits
Yoga is expensive because it is popular and good for you.
Things that are healthy are always more expensive than things that are unhealthy.
People who commit to getting themselves in great shape are going to have to spend a bit of money to do so.
Yoga has been proven to help you get into better shape, increase your mental clarity, and decrease stress as well.
Since yoga is so popular and good for you, many are interested in doing it.
Since the demand is high, the studios can charge more to get people in the door.
Would a yoga instructor rather give a quality class for $40 to six people or a quick class to 30 people for $5 each?
Most will choose the quality class where they can keep a better eye on the students and make sure that everyone is getting the benefit they need.
These are the studios that are more successful and have people continually showing up for more classes.
2. Location of the Studio
In order for a yoga studio to make it, it needs to be located in an area that is easy for people to get to.
To help offset marketing and advertising costs, people also need to be able to see that there is a yoga studio nearby.
The location of the studio is very important to the success of the business, but the better locations are going to be more expensive.
A yoga studio does not need to be extremely large, but it does need open spaces for people to have room to work.
Usually, the walls will have mirrors as well for people to be able to see the positions they are working on.
The overhead at a yoga studio is partly why the pricing is so expensive.
When you think about what you pay for a class and how many expenses there are, the price of your class can make more sense.
Yoga studios are also limited in how often they can offer classes.
Chances are people are going to be busy most of the day.
Therefore, early morning and late afternoon classes may be the only time that these can be offered.
This eliminates a significant amount of income a studio could potentially have.
Your yoga studio is also probably located within a few minutes from your home, which will increase the cost as well.
Overall, the location is going to make the price of yoga a bit more expensive.
3. Cost of Education for Yoga Instructor
A yoga instructor has to do quite a bit of research and study to become qualified to teach yoga.
Not only do yoga instructors need to understand the body, but they also need to understand the mind.
This is not something many instructors will be able to master.
It takes many years of study and practice to become a yoga master.
You will have to spend time working on your own body and methods as well as learning how to teach others.
Yoga instructors need to be able to know how to read people and understand what their students are capable of.
They will need to make sure they understand the safety involved in yoga and how to get people to achieve the maximum results.
Most yoga instructors are also going to work in a small studio.
Chances are this instructor also has some business and marketing knowledge as well.
They will need this to make sure the yoga studio is successful and well run.
If you have the chance to take a more expensive class from a yoga instructor who is highly qualified, chances are you are going to want to pay the difference.
Part of why yoga is so expensive is that the instructor is highly qualified.
Yoga is not something everyone can do.
You need to have an understanding and a physical ability to even start down the road of becoming a yoga instructor.
If you find yourself on this path, there is quite a bit of work to be done, and it will eventually allow you to charge quite a lot for a class.
Most yoga instructors are not all that well paid, considering the amount of time they put in.
Yoga instructors do not show up for a class and just start teaching.
They have to plan the way any teacher would so that they are ready for the students and so that they can keep classes new and exciting.
If you go to a weekly yoga class, you will not want it to be the same exact moves and routine every time.
This would not be enjoyable, and it would likely cause you to quit the class.
If yoga instructors want to keep students engaged, they need to change up the way the classes are from week to week.
All of these things make yoga more expensive.
4. Safety
Yoga can get very difficult.
If you are working at home on your own to do yoga, you should start at a very basic level.
Many people who are new to yoga do not realize how difficult things can get.
They start increasing in difficulty much too soon, and it can cause injury or just a lack of enjoyment as well.
One of the greatest benefits of going to a yoga class is that you know you will be safe.
If an instructor teaches or announces a certain move, they are likely going to give a few variations.
The variations will allow people in the class to find a perfect position that they can safely obtain.
If you are having trouble with the difficulty of a yoga move, the instructor can help you come up with an alternative position that is safer.
When you do yoga in your own home, you will not have this same kind of supervision.
The supervision could allow you to get the proper start in yoga that you need.
Starting properly with a few classes will allow you to grow in your abilities and eventually be able to complete those more difficult moves.
People can get discouraged with yoga very quickly.
When you go to your first class, there will be people in there who are much more advanced than you are.
The important thing to remember is that they once were in the same exact position that you are in.
If you give yourself time and learn from a qualified instructor, you too can get to that level.
However, in the meantime, safety is definitely worth paying for.
The safest way to learn and master yoga is to do it with an instructor watching your every move.
This will absolutely be money well spent, but it is another reason for yoga being so expensive.
5. Knowledge That Lasts
When you take a series of yoga classes, you are learning quite a bit.
Taking a yoga class is going to teach you how to become better at yoga.
You can then take that information and do yoga in your own home or at another studio.
In other words, you are learning a skill you will have for the rest of your life.
You won’t need to become a yoga master yourself, necessarily, but you will still have the base of an excellent and healthy skill in your life.
Therefore, the knowledge you are paying for should be expensive.
This knowledge does not expire, and you can take it with you for the rest of your life.
When you take a class at a college or a university, you must pay for the knowledge.
This is no different when you are taking a yoga class.
Some of the classes that have a smaller teacher-to-student ratio will be priced higher than others.
This is usually because the students are going to get much more attention in a class like this.
If you happen to need extra help or time, you will easily get that with the smaller classes that are available.
Instead of looking at a yoga class like it is expensive, try to think of it as something you can use to grow yourself as a human.
You will collect knowledge each time you take a class, and you can use this knowledge for your entire life.
Some people will take yoga classes for a year or so and then choose to practice on their own at home.
You won’t necessarily need to go to class forever unless you find that it is something that helps you to succeed.
How to Save Money on Yoga
Knowing how good yoga is for you, there is no reason to let the price scare you away.
Instead, you should look for ways to save money on yoga.
The best ways to do this are to look for a bulk discount on classes.
See if a local studio does a deal where you get one free class if you take ten.
Also, look for coupons on yoga classes.
Most of the time, you can find something for 15% off a group of classes or something similar.
Another great way to save money on yoga is to take some classes and then purchase a yoga DVD.
You will have a great base of information from the classes you took, and then you can take that and work on developing your skills at home.
Of course, if you like the social aspect of a yoga class, then this is not the best solution.
Another option is to see if there are times during the day when certain yoga classes are priced lower.
There may be a lunchtime class that is a little slow, and therefore the price drops a bit.
If you truly love yoga but have a hard time affording it, talk to the yoga instructor, and you will probably find some ways around the pricing.
Conclusion
The price of yoga is not cheap, but it has quite a bit of value to offer its participants.
If you take yoga classes, you will probably find that the price you pay is very well worth the benefits you get.
Many people feel as though they spend less on yoga than they would on other health measures if they didn’t take care of themselves.
The practice of yoga helps people stay in great shape and keep their mind clear as well.
It is hard to put a price on this.
NEXT: Why Is Bowling So Expensive? (Top 5 Reasons)
Davey says
$110 for a private session is a bit ridiculous but the way the world is. Disturbing in this climate but I’ll stick to the rowing machine. A bit much for a bunch of stretches.