How to Avoid Burnout as a Yoga Teacher

A few years ago, I was teaching 25 yoga classes a week.
Yes—twenty-five.
On paper, it looked like I was living the dream. But in reality, I was completely depleted. My body hurt. My patience was thin. I stopped practicing for myself. I had zero creative energy left. And eventually, I quit. I walked away from teaching entirely and truly thought I might never come back.

I took three months off, stopped talking about yoga, and let myself rest. Then I slowly started teaching again—just two classes a week and managing a studio. These days, I teach five classes a week, run retreats, and lead yoga teacher trainings. I love what I do again. But even now, I still feel burnout creep in sometimes.

If you’re a yoga teacher, you probably know the feeling. So here’s what I’ve learned (the hard way) about how to avoid—or at least manage—burnout.

1. Your personal practice has to come first

I know. You've heard this a hundred times. But that’s because it’s true.
When I stopped practicing for myself, everything shifted. I started teaching on autopilot. I felt disconnected from my body. I started resenting my classes.

Your practice is the thing that inspired you to teach in the first place. If you're not keeping it alive—even in a small, quiet, messy-at-home kind of way—your teaching is going to feel hollow.

You don’t need to do a full 90-minute flow every day. You don’t need candles and incense and perfect conditions. But you do need to move, breathe, and reconnect with your practice in a way that’s just for you.

2. Detach from the numbers

Here’s a truth I learned the hard way: the number of students in your class does not measure your value as a teacher. It just doesn’t.

Sometimes three people show up. Sometimes thirty. Sometimes your class is full, and nobody seems to care you’re there. Other times, a single student shows up, and it ends up being the most connected, meaningful class you’ve taught in weeks.

If you’re constantly scanning the room, wondering why more people didn’t come, or feeling like a failure when your class isn’t packed, you’ll drive yourself crazy. Teach the class in front of you. Teach like you mean it—whether it’s 2 people or 20.

3. Stop letting studios take advantage of you

Yoga is a service industry, and that makes boundaries even more important. I've worked for studios that expected me to show up sick, teach for next to nothing, clean the floors, and say yes to everything in the name of “community.”
No thanks.

You’re allowed to ask for a decent rate. You’re allowed to say no. You’re allowed to take a day off. You do not owe your physical or emotional health to a place that doesn’t respect it.

If something feels off, it probably is. Don’t wait until your body gives out or your love for teaching vanishes. Advocate for yourself early and often.

4. Get a life outside of yoga

When I was teaching full-time, I realized yoga had quietly become my entire identity. Every friend, every conversation, every social media post. It was all yoga, all the time.

Spoiler: that’s not healthy.

You need space to be a person—not just a teacher. Find things that have nothing to do with yoga. Go out with people who don't care about the latest handstand variation. Read fiction. Bake cookies. Watch trash TV. Date someone who thinks “asana” is a designer handbag.

It’s okay to have a full life beyond your mat. In fact, it’ll make you a better teacher.

5. Let your teaching evolve

I used to think being a “real” yoga teacher meant grinding it out on the studio schedule, day after day. But after burning out, I realized there are so many ways to teach.

These days, I lead trainings and retreats, which allow for deeper work and more sustainable energy. I teach fewer group classes, and I plan my schedule around what actually feels good, not what I “should” be doing.

There is no one right way to be a yoga teacher. You can change your path, shift your schedule, or step back entirely and come back when you’re ready. Teaching yoga is not an all-or-nothing thing. You’re allowed to create your own version of this career.

final thoughts

Burnout doesn’t always show up with flashing warning signs. Sometimes it’s just a slow leak—a little less joy, a little less energy, a little more dread.

Pay attention to those feelings. They’re information. They’re a nudge to recalibrate before things fall apart.

Keep your practice alive. Stop tying your worth to class size. Set boundaries. Do other things. Let yourself grow.

You don’t have to sacrifice yourself to be of service to others. And honestly, the best teachers I know are the ones who’ve learned that the hard way—then figured out how to come back with more clarity, more honesty, and a whole lot more compassion.