Why You Should Charge More For Your Retreat

Every now and then, someone gives me a hard time about talking about making money from retreats, reminding me that yoga was traditionally passed down from guru to student as an act of seva. I get it, I really do. But leading a retreat isn’t the same as teaching a class out of the kindness of your heart to be of service and then going home. And we’re not gurus- we’re regular people with bills to pay, and unfortunately, love and light don’t cover rent.⁣
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Leading a retreat is a 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴. It means being present from the 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘂𝗽 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽. It’s teaching 10-12 classes in a week, keeping the group on schedule, handling last-minute surprises, and being a leader, a chaperone, and an emotional rock for your students. Not to mention the hundreds of hours that go into planning and executing it all. It’s 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱, 𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗮𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀- and when we don’t get an energetic match for what we put out, 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 creeps in. Trust me on this.⁣
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Even the clients I work with who say they “don’t care about making money” on their retreat always ask me the same thing afterward: “How much did I make?” Because it was a lot! Wouldn’t it feel better to come home with both an 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 and the 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 that allows you to keep 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀?⁣
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Making money from your retreat isn’t selfish—it could allow you to:⁣
✔ Pay your rent for the next few months⁣
✔ Take a teacher training⁣
✔ Support a friend in need⁣
✔ Take your kids somewhere new⁣
✔ Pay off a credit card⁣
✔ Get your car fixed⁣
✔ Finally take a vacation and truly relax⁣
✔ Support a charity⁣
✔ Make upgrades to your studio⁣
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When you take care of yourself (and those around you), you show up 1000x better for your students because you feel more safe and grounded.⁣
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Does offering our time and energy for free truly help our students, or does it undermine the value of what we offer? If we don’t value our own efforts, how can we provide the best experience? And how can we teach our students to value their efforts? Is our reluctance to profit driven by a desire to help, or by the belief that money is wrong? Maybe it’s both🥴⁣
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If your students are really in a situation where they can’t even pay their bills- stick to donation-based or sliding scale classes and workshops. But I gotta say, people will go above and beyond for something they want and need. This is why a clear retreat theme and purpose matter- they should shine through in your sales copy, your marketing, and especially your sales page. Make sure your page doesn’t just list what’s included, but shows the real transformation through thoughtful activities and a layout that reflects the heart of the experience.⁣
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Other than teacher trainings, retreats are one of the few ways yoga teachers can actually get ahead. And in many cases, teachers make 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸-𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 than they do from a three-month teacher training.⁣
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I’m not saying to charge as much as you possibly can. I’m saying to recognize the value of your time, effort, and energy—because it’s 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲. ⁣
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𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗜 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗜 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘀?⁣
I paid off my maxed-out credit card. Moved to my dream mountain town. Built this business. Traveled. Keep my cats happy with their bougie, healthy human-grade food. Supported my husband when he was out of work. Treated my mom to one of my retreats. Got the $2 guacamole. Paid off my car. Finally got a massage. Went to the doctor. Bought my family Christmas presents—for the first time in years. Helped a friend in need. Replaced my broken iPad. I donate to causes I believe in… just to name a few things.⁣
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Earning from my retreats created more 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 in my life—and in turn, allows me to show up better for my students (𝗮𝗻𝗱 my friends and family.⁣
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If you’re ready to let go of the guilt around charging for your offerings, let’s talk. I help teachers design profitable, stress-free retreats where both they and their students feel fully supported—creating unforgettable, transformative experiences that people not only love but want to return to (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿).⁣
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✨𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁? 𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝘂𝗽 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻.