Debunking the Myths of Being a Full-Time Yoga Teacher

Becoming a full-time yoga teacher is often romanticized on social media. From the outside, it can look like endless savasana, a perfectly flexible schedule, and a stress-free lifestyle. But if you’ve walked this path, even for a short while, you know that’s far from reality.

In my recent 4-part podcast mini-series, I unpacked the most common myths I’ve encountered in my decade of teaching yoga full-time. These aren’t just misconceptions from the general public, sometimes we, as teachers, internalize them too. Let’s set the record straight.

Myth #1: Being a Full-Time Yoga Teacher Is Stress-Free

Yoga is known for reducing stress, but teaching yoga as a career comes with its own unique pressures. Multiple jobs, inconsistent pay, long commutes, and the emotional labor of holding space for others, it all adds up.

When I first started, I was teaching 30+ classes per week. To someone outside the industry, that might sound like 30 hours of work. But in reality, it looked more like 50+ hours, once you count all the preparation, admin, and commuting.

• Arriving early to open the studio, check in students, and set up.

• Staying late to clean up, answer questions, and close the space.

• Driving/commuting across town to teach at multiple studios, gyms, or private homes in one day.

• Creating playlists, building sequences, studying, and continuing education.

• Running the business side: workshops, retreats, social media, newsletters, emails, marketing, collaborations…the list goes on.

And beyond the hours, there’s the emotional weight of the work. Most of us are deeply invested in what we do, we want to help people, to offer yoga as a tool for improving lives. And we LOVE what we do. But that kind of service requires a huge emotional output, and it can be draining even if we love it.

Teaching yoga is deeply meaningful, but it’s also real work. Recognizing that helps us create healthier boundaries and sustainable careers.

Listen to the podcast episode on myth #1

Myth #2: Teaching Yoga Isn’t a “Real” Job

If you’ve ever had a confused family member, well-meaning friend or your partner ask when you’re getting a “real job,” you’re not alone. This myth is one of the most frustrating and very personal to me. Because my ex-partner used to ask me this exact question. 

The truth? Teaching yoga professionally requires serious commitment. We invest in education, manage admin, market ourselves, negotiate contracts and put our selves out in the world as any other career.

I’ve supported myself fully through yoga teaching for years. That means:

• Running my own trainings and writing curriculum.

• Managing my own website and business finances.

• Filing my own taxes.

• Paying into retirement accounts.

• Investing in continuing education so I can evolve as a teacher.

I put just as much time, energy, and money into my career as anyone in a “traditional” profession. And just as importantly, I treat it with the same level of professionalism: showing up on time, prepared, and ready to offer the highest quality service to my students/clients/partners.

For many yoga teachers, yoga teaching is not a hobby, it’s a career.

Listen to the podcast episode on myth #2.

Myth #3: You Must Be Thin, Flexible, Young, and Fit to Teach

This is one of the most harmful myths out there. Yoga teachers don’t need to fit a mold, and they don’t need to look like the “Instagram yogi” or cover of Yoga Journal stereotype to be impactful.

I used to feel out of place in trainings because I wasn’t the most flexible. I was not from this country, I came from another culture, I am mixed-race, English was my second language and I spoke with an accents. In fact, I was often one of the tightest students in the room. At times, I questioned whether I belonged, whether I was “qualified” to teach if my body couldn’t express certain poses.

But over time, I came to see this differently. Working with my own limitations made me a better teacher, it gave me empathy and tools to support students who also felt like they didn’t belong.

Representation matters. Students and teachers of all sizes, skin colors, ages, cultural backgrounds, accents, and physical abilities belong in yoga world. The more we show up authentically, the more we reshape what the yoga world looks like.

Listen to the podcast episode on myth #3.

Myth #4: Yoga Teachers Should Wear All the Hats

It’s easy to feel like we should be everything to our students: therapist, healer, spiritual guru, cheerleader, best friend, etc. But that’s not our role, and it’s not sustainable if we try to fulfill multiple roles. We are not therapists. We are not doctors. We are not gurus, life coaches, entertainers, or personal trainers. And we shouldn’t be expected to be.

Of course, yoga teachers often provide emotional support and inspiration, but our true role is to guide students in practice, not to be everything to everyone. It’s okay to say, “I don’t know.” It’s okay to refer a student to another professional.

Your strength as a yoga teacher lies in your authenticity, not in your ability to wear every hat.

The yogic principal of Yamas remind us to stay grounded in ethics:

• Ahimsa (Non-harming): Don't be mean. Be kind.

• Satya (Truthfulness): Be honest, even if that means saying, “I don’t know.”

• Asteya (Non-stealing): Don’t carry students’ emotional burdens.

• Brahmacharya (Right relationship): Stay in your appropriate role as teacher, not parent or partner.

• Aparigraha (Non-grasping): Teach without people-pleasing or needing to be liked.

Students may project roles onto us such as the healer, priest, parent, or even lover. Our responsibility is to be their mirror, to gently shine the light back on them, reminding them that they are their own best teacher.

Healthy boundaries don’t mean we don’t care. They mean we care without carrying, we observe without absorbing, so our teaching can stay authentic and sustainable.

Listen to the podcast episode on myth #4

Final Thoughts

Being a full-time yoga teacher is an evolving practice in itself. The more we can name and dismantle these myths, the more we create careers that are sustainable, professional, and rooted in authenticity.

If you’d like to hear how other teachers are navigating this path, tune into my podcast, Full-Time Yoga Teacher. In each interview, you’ll hear real stories of teachers carving out unique careers, offering insight, encouragement, and inspiration for your own journey.