- The wobble is not a confidence problem. It happens because the price is being decided and delivered in the same breath, in front of the person paying.
- Set the number away from the room using three inputs: what an hour actually costs you, what the local market can carry, and how many of those hours make a week that works.
- Decide your concession structure before anyone asks. Improvising in the moment is why prices end up different for everyone.
- Rehearse the sentence aloud six times, stopping where it stops. The unrehearsed silence is what gets filled with an apology.
- Answer questions about price, but do not move the price in the same conversation. Offer the option you already decided on instead.
We get asked what to charge constantly, and I’d say the more useful question is what it costs — including the cost of not doing it. Price is made up. You look at your costs, look around you, pick a number. Cost is the real thing, and there are two of them: the cost of running the class, and the cost to her of not coming. The second is usually much the larger and appears nowhere.
One distinction worth holding before any of the mechanics. Be careful between cheap and affordable. Always go for affordable, never cheap — people don’t value cheap, and somebody can always go lower.
You’ve probably done this. You said the price, and then heard your own voice keep going. *But obviously, if that’s difficult, we can sort something out.*
Nobody asked for that. It arrived on its own.
It isn’t a confidence problem, and in my experience it never was. You were setting the price and reporting the price in the same breath, in front of the person who’d have to pay it. Anyone wobbles under those conditions. The decision and the delivery are two different jobs, and doing them simultaneously is what breaks the sentence.
How do you decide what to charge for a yoga class?
Away from the room, on a quiet morning, with nobody in front of you. Three inputs, in order.
- What an hour actually costs you. The real figure, once travel, planning and a share of your annual costs are counted — not the fee. Without this the rest is guesswork.
- What the room can carry. Local rates, the venue, who comes. Real information, but it gives you a range, not the answer.
- What you need it to do. How many hours at that rate make a week that works. A number that only functions at fourteen students is a hope, not a price.
Somewhere in those three is a figure you can defend without being defensive. Write it down. Decided.
Should you offer concessions?
If you want to — but decide the structure before anyone asks.
Someone will ask. A student who’s lost work, a friend, someone who’s come for nine years. Without a decision made in advance you’ll improvise, and improvising is why prices end up different for everyone and slightly arbitrary.
Two concession places a term. A quiet block rate. Nothing at all, if the numbers don’t stretch. All legitimate. The point is that it’s a structure you chose, so when someone asks you’re not deciding anything — you’re telling them what the arrangement is.
How do you actually say it?
Say the number aloud, six times, on your own, ending where it ends. *It’s twelve pounds a class, or sixty for the block of six.* Then nothing.
The silence afterwards is the whole exercise. It feels long. It’s about a second, and the other person doesn’t register it at all. But if you haven’t rehearsed the stop, you’ll fill it — and what fills it is the apology.
What if you teach for a studio?
Then it isn’t entirely your number, and it’s worth being honest about that.
A studio can only pay out what comes in. Six people at ten pounds is sixty pounds, and the rent, heat, insurance, cleaning and card fees come out of that first. Having run a studio as well as taught in them, I can tell you the margin is thinner than most teachers imagine. Money in, money out.
Which means the conversation to have isn’t about what you’re worth. It’s about what the class needs to generate to work for both of you. If the numbers don’t reach at the current attendance, that’s a fact about the class, not a verdict on you — and it usually points at a different slot, more people, or a different arrangement.
What if someone pushes back?
Usually it’s a question, not an objection. Answer the question. Don’t move the price in the same conversation.
If you want to offer something, offer what you already decided on: *there’s a block rate that works out cheaper if you’re coming most weeks.* That’s the structure working, not a climbdown.
And if they say no, that’s normal. Not everyone comes, at any price. That’s true of every teacher you admire.
You may go through all of this and land on the number you already had. Plenty of people do, and that’s a perfectly good outcome. You’ll just be able to say it without the sentence falling over at the end.
Frequently asked questions
How do I decide what to charge for a yoga class? From three things: what an hour actually costs you, what local rates and the venue can carry, and how many hours at that rate make a workable week.
Should I offer discounts for yoga classes? If you want to, decide the structure in advance. A structure you chose is something you report. A discount given because you felt awkward is something you have to justify.
What do I say if a student says my classes are too expensive? Answer the question, don’t move the price in the same conversation. Offer the option you already decided on. If they don’t come, that happens to every teacher at every price.
Why do I feel awkward saying my prices? Because you’re setting and stating the price at the same moment, in front of the person paying. Separate the two and most of the difficulty goes, without you having to feel any braver.
Where this sits
YogaPros has been the professional body for yoga teachers since 2006, with over 10,000 members across 100+ countries. The Business collection in the member Learning Hub covers pricing, visibility, finding work and building a career that lasts.
*This article is general professional guidance. It is not a substitute for professional legal, tax, or insurance advice specific to your situation.*