For yoga practitioners, there’s never been a better time to make money online.

According to predictions from Global Market Insights, the online fitness market will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 30 percent through 2026.

That’s a fancy way of saying the market is huge — and the opportunity to build your own profitable yoga enterprise is well within reach for digitally-inclined instructors. 

To help your studio earn more revenue, this article outlines seven ways to make money as a yoga instructor online.

1. Open a virtual yoga studio

Moving your yoga studio online can supercharge your profits.

Unless you’re operating studios throughout the country, there’s a good chance that there are many people who would benefit from your classes that couldn’t previously attend in person.

That’s where the genius of an online yoga studio comes in. With a virtual studio, you can reach more people and make more money in the process.

If you already have an engaged online audience, your first step is choosing a streaming platform to host your video content. You’ll also need an OTT platform that enables you to:

  • Live stream yoga sessions
  • Put live and on-demand videos behind a paywall
  • Sell subscriptions and one-off purchases

If you don’t have an engaged online audience, you’ll want to get strategic about marketing your new studio. The yoga community is a tightly woven group of people and word of mouth will get you far. Start by advertising on social media and guest teaching at your local yoga studio to build a following.

2. Monetize your videos

Video monetization can get tricky. On a platform like YouTube, content creators earn money through a complex monetization scheme that relies heavily on advertising and views.

This may not be a problem for hobbyists, but if you really want to make money teaching yoga online, you don’t necessarily want to leave your earning potential at the mercy of an algorithm.

How to make money with yoga with video monetization

Step 1: Pick a platform.

Choose an OTT platform to stream and host live and on-demand video content that also enables you to sell subscriptions and one-off purchases. Bonus points for choosing a platform that provides 24/7 support and branded website and app development.

Step 2: Decide on a business model.

There are three main business models to choose from when monetizing video content, each of which offers a slightly different viewing experience:

  • Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD): With a subscription service like Netflix, customers pay a monthly fee to view and access your content.
  • Transactional Video On Demand (TVOD): This model allows customers to rent or purchase content on a pay-per-video or pay-per-series basis.
  • Ad-supported Video On Demand (AVOD): Whether you opt for programmatic advertising or direct-sold advertising, using this model means placing ads in your content.

Step 3: Don’t neglect the experience.

How do you make online yoga classes worth paying for? Get your clients’ favorite instructors on board, figure out filming and audio logistics, and produce the most polished and accessible work possible to attract subscribers.

3. Host live yoga classes

Adding live yoga sessions to your class offerings is one of the most effective ways to build awareness and increase revenue.

According to one study, live streaming earns 27 percent more minutes of watch time per viewing than on-demand content. For studio owners, this means the most well-produced on-demand yoga class may not perform as well as a live stream, even if there’s a hiccup or two. 

Beyond watch time, live streaming classes will enable online studio owners to:

  • Attract potential clients: Free live classes are a great marketing tool. Non-subscribers who watch your live streams will be better positioned to become paying customers.
  • Produce more content: On-demand content usually requires significant editing, which limits your output. With live classes, you can hire more instructors, fill content gaps, and spend less time editing videos.
  • Let data inform future content: By using video performance metrics, you can continually refine the live and on-demand experience in ways that maximize engagement and attendance.
“With Vimeo Live classes, we can reach consumers anywhere. We already have subscribers across 5 different continents, and the numbers grow every day. Another benefit of live classes is that customers like showing up for a certain time. It creates a sense of accountability and routine. Our users are engaging with comments in real-time before and during the class. It’s motivating and fun for people to know they aren’t working out alone.”
Felicia Alexander, Co-founder, BoxUnion

4. Create a yoga app

Creating a branded app will make your yoga classes more accessible than a virtual studio on its own. With a Netflix-style yoga app, potential clients and existing customers alike can view videos and participate in classes from their preferred device.

To make the process as frictionless as possible, look for an end-to-end OTT platform that:

  • Manages all the tech: Forget hiring or managing a costly development team.
  • Includes payment systems: Leave mysterious algorithms behind. Set your price and sell subscriptions.
  • Owns customer service: Customer support tickets are inevitable. Save time and money by outsourcing commonly asked questions.
  • Supports all major devices: Vimeo OTT includes development for every device, including iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Xbox, Apple TV, and Samsung Tizen.

By choosing an OTT platform that tackles back-end development and front-end support, studio owners can focus on what they do best — creating stellar yoga content.

5. Build a community

The best yoga teachers are experts at building communities, but pulling this off online usually involves trial and error. Unless you’ve produced online fitness content before, you’re likely to learn a lot (and improve a lot) as you go. 

The good news is, your journey to becoming an online community builder can become your customers’ journey too.

That’s how it worked for Afrocontigbo founder Korma Aguh-Stuckmayer. When she first launched online classes, she learned something new every week.

Most importantly, she used those learnings to improve the experience for students based on their feedback. Whether that meant upgrading her equipment, uploading on-demand videos, or creating weekly challenges, Korma’s audience had an active hand in making her content better.

That alone helped forge a sense of community. But the key factor was likely Korma’s commitment to providing a safe space for her clients to learn and dance.

If your content can meet every viewer where they are in their yoga practice, you can build an inclusive community that people want to join.

6. Sell merchandise

Selling merchandise isn’t just a way to make clients feel like members of an exclusive group; it’s also a viable way to make money online by building a yoga community.

This will be much easier if your studio already has branded merchandise, but there are still a few options for those who don’t:

  • Become an affiliate marketer: Endorse the products you already use to earn a commission for every product sold.
  • Repurpose studio equipment: Do you have unused mats and blocks collecting dust in a vacant studio? Take good photos of these items and offer them to your most loyal customers.

Create product bundles: Take a cue from the folks at Y7 Studio — group products into bundles that clients can use to re-create the in-studio experience in their own homes.

“It was important for us to translate the Y7 experience online. So, aside from working with the trainers they know and love, we’re also selling the Y7 candle, the signature scent when you enter a studio. We packaged things together for an at-home kit, and things have been selling so well.”
Lauren Roxborough, CMO, Y7 Studio

7. Think outside the box

In truth, there’s no silver bullet when it comes to making money online. The best thing any fitness professional can do is remain agile, learn from experience, and embrace experimentation.

Here are some examples of outside-the-box thinking that can help you make money with yoga:

Host classes that are yoga-related but not yoga.

Consider adding yoga-adjacent video content to your studio. This could include meditation sessions, stretching classes, core exercises, or even tarot readings. 

Create downloadable assets.

Turn your yoga expertise into passive income by creating and selling downloadable PDF content. Whether this includes checklists, workout plans, or guided journals, these assets will enable you to make money with minimal upkeep.

Amplify the power of your brand.

Yoga classes are often highly branded experiences. When creating video content, find ways to re-create the branded in-studio experience, whether that includes themed classes or teaching unique techniques, embrace experiences that are unique to you.

“Music is at the core of our brand and that’s why people come to a studio. But when we started our online studio, we didn’t even consider music licensing. I looked at different brands and fitness instructors and none of them had music. The best solution we found was having our instructors double as DJs. The teachers outline the sequence of a class and make a Spotify playlist that matches up with the class and instruct clients to press play at the right time.”
Lauren Roxborough, CMO, Y7 Studio

Download the essential guide to online fitness to start making money with yoga.