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Before you landed your current teaching position, you probably had to survive auditions in front of a studio owner or summon the courage to suggest private sessions to that student who always stayed after class to ask questions or maybe even start your own class in a rental space and spend months building up a community of regulars.
Opportunities to teach yoga don’t exactly fall into your lap. And that’s exactly why it can be so difficult to give up a class. It means deliberately walking away from an opportunity you had to struggle to attain, not to mention distancing yourself from the studio or students you care about and figuring out how to manage your finances when you need each earning opportunity you can find.
But the way you feel about—and show up to—a class or client tends to change over time in much the same way your feelings change throughout any long-term relationship. The initial excitement settles into something more stable and the things that originally inspired you become routine. In some cases, the class you wanted so desperately can even become a burden or annoyance, something you “have to do” versus the thing you “get to do.”
So how do you know when you’re temporarily running low on inspiration or motivation versus when it’s time to “break up” with a class or client for good?
How to Know When It’s Time to Break Up With a Yoga Class
Deciding to move on doesn’t always come down to a simple and seemingly cold equation of time in and money out. Maybe a teaching opportunity no longer sparks your creativity or compassion. Or it fails to motivate ongoing training and development. Maybe it takes more of you than it to your finances or your connection to a community or simply isn’t sustainable in the long-term. Whatever the reason, if a class or client is consistently taking more from you than it gives back, it could be time for you to move on.
In most instances, you’ll know it when you feel it. Here are some common situations that typically lead up to the decision to resign from teaching a classt.
1. When There Is a Breach of Contract or Ethics
People who practice yoga tend to be ethical and well intentioned, for the most part, so this scenario is uncommon although worth mentioning. Perhaps you were asked to do something illegal, unethical, or unsafe. Perhaps the studio is not meeting the requirements of your contract or is not operating in accordance with the law. Or you observe the staff being less than welcoming to all students. Or your high-paying private client makes inappropriate comments or physical contact.
When there has been a clear breach of law or ethics, your best course of action is to move on to other opportunities. Immediately.
2. When You Need a Saner Teaching Schedule
If you take on enough teaching opportunities, chances are at some point you’ll need to navigate awkwardness or inefficiency in your schedule. Maybe you end up regularly teaching a 6 am and 8 pm class on the same day (or, worse, at 6 am the morning after an 8 pm class) and you show up less coherent and energized than you’d like. Or perhaps you teach classes in separate locations that require you to drive fast and furious to even have a chance of being on time.
Similarly, there is also the more subtle quandary of being offered a class that aligns more closely with your interests and teaching style than the one you currently teach at that same time slot.
Sometimes the decision to break up with a class or client really is about you and not them. It’s about managing your time and schedule so that you are able to show up alert and on time, ready to offer something that truly aligns with you, as well as having space for a life outside of the studio.
3. When Your Values are Mismatched
I once worked one-on-one with an extremely ambitious student who wanted me to do intense hands-on assists to increase her range of motion. I am not keen on giving or receiving those and felt that she would be better served by a more moderate approach. After a few suggestions along those lines to no avail, I referred the student to a teacher who was known for her hands-on assists. Everyone benefitted.
Maybe you want something for your students that they don’t want for themselves. Or you’ve developed a passion for accessible yoga but teach at a studio that’s unable or unwilling to invest in the props required to make that possible. In less obvious situations such as these, no one is in the wrong. But when your values and those of the studio or client no longer align, your interests and resources are heading in different directions.
Compromise is sometimes possible in the short term, but if your values continue to differ over the long term, you will all be better served by parting ways.
4. When You Consistently Feel Drained Afterward
Early in my career, I was given an opportunity to teach heated power vinyasa. I initially thrilled to the challenge of finding novel ways to transition between poses and incorporate arm balances and binds into my flow. But after a couple of years, I started to dread the effort of coming up with something different week after week, let alone remember it while managing my own aversion to heat. I would blast my car stereo the entire way to the studio to spark sufficient enthusiasm to teach. Afterward, I would be completely exhausted.
I have also taught other classes that simply didn’t generate enough money to make the output sustainable, whether due to the low rate, the long commute, or the additional responsibilities demanded by the studio. It takes time and effort to carefully plan classes, prepare practice spaces, engage with students, come up with new transitions and sequences that appeal to a specific class, and arrive at class early and stay afterward to answer questions.
Some level of effort is required by any job. But as a teacher, your tank will eventually run out of what you have to offer if you’re consistently investing behind the scenes and feel you aren’t being adequately compensated. After giving these opportunities a chance to see if I could make them work, I made the decision to invest my time and energy elsewhere—and I never looked back.
5. When You Feel Complacent or Resentful
The first few classes you teach are such a heady blend of pressure and privilege that it can be almost impossible to imagine taking teaching for granted. But after several years and hundreds of hours of teaching, the skills that once required every ounce of your attention can become automatic. Perhaps the most difficult teaching scenario is when a particular class has become so routine that you find yourself merely going through the motions.
Perhaps you no longer invest time in researching and planning class, no longer want to test out that new variation or transition, no longer have the patience for student questions after class. Instead, you may feel boredom or even irritation in place of your former enthusiasm.
That situation tends to either motivate you to become more present with what you’re creating for students or it can cause your attention to wander and wane. And teaching yoga is not the kind of job you can phone in. Students come seeking something more than just movement—they come seeking space, solace, inspiration. And they deserve a teacher who is able to be present and help create that.
When the demands of a certain teaching role feel like a burden and you find yourself counting down until when you can draw things to a close, lack of engagement is an early sign of burnout. It’s a signal to take a break and explore new ideas or techniques or invest in ongoing education. And if you find these actions insufficient, it’s time to move on and seek other opportunities that demand you show up more fully. I swear to you that you won’t regret it. My only regret has only been not making that decision earlier.
