Easing the Pain in 2020

The yoga industry is experiencing a diseconomy of scale. Those clinging to conventional ways of doing business are scratching their heads as the bottom appears to be finally dropping out of what has been a cushy ride up until now. Corporate players, wielding a late-stage capitalist playbook, are doing their darndest to line their pockets while they stave off the inevitable by sticking it to teachers and students. Now that the momentum is no longer enough to lift all boats, independent operators need to be nimble and smart if they are going to survive.

I have spent the last two years on the international yoga touring circuit and, with the exception of a few behind-the-curve markets, professional yogis everywhere are scrambling as to what to do as attendance numbers have dwindled. The impact of the internet on in-person yoga teaching has come fully to roost and ought not be underestimated. Teachers and center owners are feeling utterly demoralized by the few choices they have as economic forces seem to have profoundly shaped what is now possible in yoga education. To the extent that we might create a fairer exchange of value, and base relationships more on yoga than bottom-line economics, the decline we are experiencing also holds the possibility to transform more than just an industry.

The long-held adage of: “It’s the job of the center to bring people in and the job of the teacher to keep them coming back,” no longer applies.

I owned a yoga center in Brooklyn for ten years. It was located in a storefront on a main street, right next to a subway stop. Simply putting an a-frame sign out front brought in 100+ new students every month. All I had to do was staff up with quality teachers that were connecting with the people who came and both the center and teachers thrived seamlessly. I sold only class cards, no memberships, so the per class amount paid was clear and the teacher got their fare share of the cut. In the last few years, as the a-frame sign lost all its power and the center was no longer bringing in the same number of people, it became about me as an individual teacher using my online presence and reputation to try and bolster the center. 

Similarly, centers have increasingly become dependent on teachers to bring students in. Hiring decisions are often based on social media following more than competency. This has also become more true for traveling teachers offering workshops and trainings worldwide. The marketing plan, if there is one, usually involves asking the teacher to make one-minute selfie-videos for Instagram or sending dedicated emails to the teachers own mailing list. The usual 60/40 or 70/30 split, that is the standard for hosted events, is fair when the center brings people in but now that the burden has been placed more on the teacher to generate attendance, the center is actually feeding on the teachers hard-earned reach rather than supporting it.

What’s more important, the yoga or the decor?

Now that centers are no longer the draw they once were, spending large sums of money to build out mulit-plex spa environments no longer makes any sense. One can look to the recent closing of Jivamukti NYC to see that even the most famous of brands can’t withstand the steady encroachment of gentrified real-estate rates. In order to stay in the a-markets, even the larger chains like Yogaworks are having to downsize back to single rooms with minimal reception areas. Students who are hungry for deeper learning are inclined to spend their dollars on meaningful experiences and don’t care so much if the wall treatments or lighting fixtures are sufficiently zen. Not to mention, the technology has advanced to a point where it is often preferable to learn online from the comfort of home. 

Where analog yoga still seems to be working is in smaller spaces with super low over-head that allow for greater freedom. Here, offerings can be centered around yoga, and the teachers who foster it, more than mere profits. Ironically, these humble groups of 10-15 are actually more financially sustainable over time than fickle short-term gains from 200-hour teacher trainings. The primary obstacle to shifting the balance in favor of yoga is the perception that yoga classes should be free while “teacher training” is worth exorbitant sums. By emphasizing the relationships between teachers and students instead of selling people on titles and descriptions with promotional discounts, the money exchanged better expresses the value received.

If we believe in the power of yoga then it’s time to start putting our money where our mouth is.

This year, I am managing almost all of my traveling gigs myself. In some instances, I am renting community halls. Otherwise, independent studio owners have decided to either let me rent their space or use it in exchange for free attendance. The groups will be smaller but I will still earn the same or more money. The people who choose to come will not have any admin in between me and them. The monetary relationship coincides directly with the yoga learning relationship. And I have the flexibility to let the interest and attendance determine the space needed rather than the other way around. With this new format, the dynamics between me and the centers, and me and the students, is much clearer and more fair.

It’s not just about yoga teachers making more money. Or the death of the studio model. The real question is whether or not we can “be the change we want to see.” First, we have to envision what we want to be. In so doing, we make this vision possible. I choose to see a renaissance of yoga wisdom brewing in the apparent collapse of hierarchical lineage and industry. I choose to not give into the pressure of selling people on something to get them in the door so I can then try and give them what I think is needed. I choose to trust in the yoga I teach and the relationships that form around it. Spending time with the yoga teachers who enrich our lives ought to be worth more to us than the yoga mats and apparel we buy.

To learn more about J’s self-managed tour and register, go to: jbrownyoga.com/tour