Published November 4, 2026 04:09AM
Los Angeles-based yoga instructor Ramoni Overton questions whether a common trend across yoga studios is negatively affecting students. Overton is the creator of the YouTube channel Yoga With Ramoni.
I was brand new to yoga when I first experienced a teacher training sales pitch at the end of class. I had stood up after Savasana feeling pure bliss, practically floating off my mat. But suddenly the instructor was pedaling the studio’s upcoming yoga teacher training (YTT) to the entire room. I was surprised, but I mostly brushed it off, assuming it was a one-time thing.
But then it happened a second time. Then a third. And a fifth. After I heard the exact same sales pitch multiple times, my post-class high vanished before I even made it to the front door. It was replaced by a single thought. “Seriously? Again?”
This experience isn’t unique to me—it’s been happening
This experience isn’t unique to me—it’s been happening to many other yoga students. And, in my opinion, it’s a reason why some of them might quietly not return to class.
As a yoga teacher for four years and a yoga student for nine, I’ve noticed that most students aren’t coming to yoga to build a second career. They already have full days and packed schedules. They’re coming to yoga to unwind, decompress, and experience a single hour in which the outside world completely disappears.
At the same time, I understand the reasons behind the post-class YTT pitch. Yoga studios have bills to pay, and YTT is one of the more reliable revenue streams in a business that runs on thin margins. But when studios push their instructors to pitch constantly (and when some instructors receive commission for every sign-up), the pressure is on. The yoga teacher who was supposed to hold space for you is now knowingly or unknowingly working a sales quota. That changes the energy of a studio, whether anyone admits it or not.
It adds up to something that’s bigger than
And it adds up to something that’s bigger than one annoying moment. Seemingly everywhere else in life, we are constantly being sold something. Ads interrupt us while we’re watching TV, listening to podcasts or the radio, and scrolling through social media. Yoga was supposed to be one of the few places that wasn’t also a marketing funnel.
Studios don’t need to stop sharing information about their YTT offerings. But they do need to stop treating every student on the mat as a sales lead. There are so many ways to share training info without disrupting the post-class quiet. A simple flyer at the front desk, an announcement on the studio schedule, or a free information session for those who are genuinely curious. Let people come, flow, and leave in peace.
If the training is enticing, students will ask about it on their own. You won’t have to sell them on it.
