Yoga Studio Manager Job Description Explained

If you’re looking for a yoga studio manager job description, look no further! We’ll explore all the areas you should cover if you’re looking to manage your own studio, as well as how you can make the best possible start.

This article will cover everything you need to know, including:

• The Roles Of A Yoga Studio Manager
• What Skills Do I Need To Be A Yoga Studio Manager?
• What Qualifications Do I Need To Be A Yoga Studio Manager?
• How Much Experience Do I Need To Be A Yoga Studio Manager?
• What Hours Do Yoga Studio Managers Work?
• Yoga Studio Manager Salary Explained
• Where Can I Become A Yoga Studio Manager?

To manage your own yoga studio you'll want to advance your expertise and career with a Level 4 yoga diploma. You can develop your career 

Role of a Yoga Studio Manager

No matter where you’re employed, a yoga studio manager job description encompasses a wide variety of tasks. As with any managerial role, it’s an important job to ensure the smooth running of a business.

#1 - Overseeing Staff Performance

The general role of a yoga studio manager is to be responsible for overseeing the staff’s performance and duties. It’s your job to set standards for the establishment you work for, and ensure discipline when necessary.

It’s also the role of a yoga studio manager to make sure all staff are effectively trained and qualified in what they’re supposed to do. 

Your staff are essentially a reflection on you, so if clients believe they’re incompetent, this will be a poor reflection on you and the business.

This responsibility will also likely extend to dealing with suppliers, as well as cleaning companies for your studio.

#2 - Taking On Classes Where Appropriate

Depending on the size of the studio, as a yoga studio manager you may still be expected to teach classes as well as undertake administrative tasks. 

This is a great way to keep the skills you will have learned as a yoga instructor sharp by continuing to practice them.

It’s also important to ensure you keep practising your skills just in case you need to help out if members of staff are ill or have an emergency. 

You may also want to teach to create a more intimate setting by showing you’re the ‘face’ of the yoga business.

If the studio is large, you can delegate teaching classes to other instructors. However, you may still want to remain ‘front of house’ and greet clients in the reception area.

#3 - Solely Managing Finances

As part of your yoga studio manager job description, your responsibilities will include managing finances, likely alone if the studio is small. 

It will be down to you to manage the employee payroll, ensuring staff receive the right wages at the right time.

It will also be your responsibility to budget for new yoga equipment if it gets damaged and most importantly, keep track of client payments.

Some other administrative tasks in a yoga studio manager job description include: 

• Managing budgets
• Promoting and marketing the business
• Keeping financial records 
• Once again, the extent of these tasks will largely depend on the size of the studio and how many staff are employed.

#4 - Spearheading Marketing Projects

Marketing the business is a large part of the yoga studio manager job description. As manager, it will be down to you to come up with creative ways to have the business appeal to potential clients.

Some marketing duties may include:

• Develop a strong presence within the community, including the creation of strategic and corporate partnerships.
• Nuture a strong community culture within the studio that is inviting to new students.
• Manage volunteer and other staff in promotions, including volunteers responsible for flyers, bulletin boards, and social media posts.

Depending on the size of the yoga studio you work for, you may be able to delegate these tasks to other employees. While you may have the final say on projects, there could be a few other members of stay who deal with it more closely.

However, if your yoga studio is small with limited staff, it will be down to you as manager to deal with these creative marketing strategies and ensure they are successful.

#5 - Producing and Enforcing Studio Policies

As a yoga studio manager, it's vital you know and understand the policies of the studio so you can enforce them, ensuring all staff are following these policies doing what is expected of them.

You must ensure all staff are trained equally and are aware of what the standards are of the establishment they work for. This is why performance reviews are important, so your team are aware when they may need to improve the quality of their work or teaching to better reflect the business.

Everyone who works for the studio should be a reflection of it. If people are appearing unprofessional, rude, or disorganised, this will look bad on the business and also you by extension. Your staff should know clearly what it is they have to do to keep the studio respectable.

#6 - Providing Effective Leadership and Guidance

A successful manager has to be a great leader. They have a strong rapport with, and understanding of, the organisation and the people he or she is leading. A good leader encourages the team to perform to their optimum-level all the time and drives organisational success.

This means as a yoga studio manager, you should be able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your team, able to guide them through specific tasks and training to ensure the smooth running of your business.

Your staff will look to you for guidance when they need it so it's up to you to have confidence in your ability and know when to make certain decisions or decide what the best course of action is to ensure success.

However, a good leader isn't just about ordering people around and telling them what to do. They will also take accountability when necessary and take responsibility for any issues that may have been a result of their actions.

#7 - Ensuring Customer Satisfaction

If you want clients to return, ensuring they’re satisfied is one of the most important things to keep the studio running. 

The whole business is based on clients coming back so you need to ensure they’re happy enough to do so.

This will include being tactful when dealing with customer complaints and queries. As a yoga studio manager, it’s also crucial to be open to feedback - as long as it’s constructive. 

For example, check out this review below from a visitor left for a yoga studio in London:

Now, while this feedback may seem harsh, it is constructive as the visitor is giving valid reasons for why they were unhappy with the service. 

Take a look at how the business owners respond to this criticism:

Notice how the owners have taken this feedback on board and implemented the changes to improve their business? As you can see, they understood what was wrong with the building and recognised these problems too by agreeing.

The business was receptive and was even willing to talk to the visitor again. They didn’t deny the problems and changed them for the better. This exchange reflected the business in a positive way.

To help continue to improve your studio, you may ask clients to leave reviews or complete satisfaction questionnaires to determine the studio's success.

#8 - Manage Gym Promotions and Events

As yoga studio manager, you will be in charge of any events or promotions your studio advertises to the community. This may be part of a marketing strategy so it's crucial these events run smoothly and successfully so you can continue to increase your client base.

If your studio is small, you will be involved closely with the whole process from the creation of the marketing strategy to the event itself so organisation and creativity are key here. 

Other various tasks you may be expected to undertake regarding events and promotions are:

• Manage, administer, and promote special programmes and events
• You may respond to survey responses and direct necessary feedback
• Maintain reporting on member and student attendance, cultivate membership relationship incentives/events/programmes/discounts

It's crucial these events and promotions are organsied correctly as if successful, they can create lots of publicity which means more potential clients are likely to check out the quality of your service.

#9 - Completing or Delegating Administrative Duties

Depending on the size of the yoga studio, administrative duties are what a manager will spend the majority of their time doing. This will take up a lot of your day

These tasks may include:

• Managing maintenance issues, inventory, cleaning, communicating as necessary with neighboring tenants and property management.
• Manage check-in/front desk operations team
• Maintain clothing, props, books, and all other items in retail area, including ordering, pricing, inventory, and visual merchandising.
• Complete payroll, deposits, new hire paperwork, and business reports accurately and on time.

#10 - Complying With Health & Safety

As a yoga studio manager, you’ll be expected to ensure compliance with health and safety regulations, particularly if you’re working with special populations or the vulnerable.

You need to be aware of fire safety regulations in the event of emergencies, ensuring the studio is equipped with appropriate fire-fighting equipment such as portable fire extinguishers.

It’s also important to know basic first aid, especially as a manager. 

As we’ll discuss in the next section, by law all gyms and fitness clubs are required to have at least one qualified first aid professional on-site at all times. 

#11 - Effectively Managing The Studio's Schedule

A smaller responsibility, but still an important one, is to manage the studio's schedule. This may be both class schedules and employee schedules - annually, quarterly, or monthly.

You may also may class format and schedule changes, as well as optimise the schedule by identifying trends in attendance. This means you can hold more popular classes at times that are avaliable to clients or schedule the best teachers to work during the busiest hours.

Ensuring the schedule is organised and effective is crucial for the smooth running of the study. This is something that needs to be done correctly. Having classes scheduled for quiet times or when clients are unlikely to attend is pointless if you're trying to grow your business.

What Skills Do I Need To Be A Yoga Studio Manager?

Superb Organisation

Due to the responsibility that comes with the job, being organised is essential as a yoga studio manager. 

As keeping track of finances and work schedules is part of your daily work, you need to be someone who can multitask and know exactly what needs to be done and when.

Absent-mindedness isn’t something a yoga studio manager can have. You need to be able to keep records and understand exactly what tasks need to be prioritised, as the smooth running of the business is largely down to you.

Excellent Communication

Aside from having excellent verbal and written English, you also need great people skills as a yoga studio manager. 

Communication skills are essential so staff and clients, especially beginners, know what you expect from them.

A good manager is someone who is tactful in situations that may become hostile, such as when dealing with customer complaints. 

This can also be important when bringing sensitive issues up with members of staff, or addressing any disciplinary problems.

Clients and staff members want an approachable and understanding manager they can discuss problems with. 

The last thing anyone wants is someone in charge who feels they can only communicate by shouting. 

Performance Management

As a yoga studio manager, part of your role is to monitor, maintain, and improve employee performance, ensuring it's keeping in line with the organisations objectives.

You will continually to improve the performance of your team by setting both individual and group goals which are aligned to the wider goals of the organisation. This means you will review and assess employee progress, plan performance to achieve goals, as well as develop the skills, knowledge, and abilities of people.

The manager will meet routinely with employees for conversations regarding areas for progress and improvement. This also prepares managers and employees for performance reviews to accurately assess employee performance, progress, and achievements.

Having sensitivity and understanding how to address certain situations is important for a yoga studio manager when dealing with performance management. As progress reviews can be a difficult topic if certain employees need reprimanding, knowing how to adequately deal with these situations is crucial.

Strong Leadership

As you will likely be in charge of a team of instructors and teachers, being a good leader is vital. 

This means ensuring all staff are doing their jobs properly, as well as having the ability to effectively lead classes and instruct groups of people.

It takes someone headstrong to recruit, train, and supervise new members of staff. However, you also need to be firm when necessary if it comes to disciplinary action or dealing with difficult clients.

Financially Adept

As with any yoga company, it's likely you want there to be plenty of clients coming to the studio you manage, especially if you work for an independent one. If your studio is popular, this means you will have a lot of finances to organise and must ensure they are accurately recorded.

Some financial duties you will be expected to undertake as yoga studio manager are:

• Continually reach monthly revenue and sales goals
• Manage the studio budget, including reporting and responsible spending
• Analyse financial reports and create strategic responses to findings that support the business
• Manage all aspects of financial management and reporting, including invoices, refunds, credits, closeouts, and bank deposits.

While you're not expected to have a background in mathematics, it's important you are proficient enough that you can handle the finance side of the business. The last thing you want is to constantly mismanage the budget or record numbers inaccurately as this will reflect badly on the company.

Adaptive To Change

As with any business, things often change. Having the ability to adapt to these situations by rapidly learning new skills or behaviours in response to any changing circumstances is crucial as a manager.

When in a leadership role such as a manager, you may often have to deal with unusual situations where there is no explicit list of instructions. By resting upon your own judgement, you must have the confidence to make difficult decisions.

Being someone who learns quickly is also an aspect of adaptability. This means you should continue to practice these skills by trying new things and challenging your ability to solve problems in a variety of circumstances. As long as you can develop professionally and personally, you should always be willing to learn and take risks.

Brilliant Business Sense

While it may not be the first thing you think of when looking at a yoga studio manager job description, having business savviness is crucial. 

Although the establishment may not be owned by you personally, the growth of the business is something you should be willing to undertake.

You should be enthusiastic about profitability and driving sales while monitoring outgoing costs and necessary expenses. 

Depending on the size of the business, you may work with the sales manager and marketing manager to find ways to drive these sales and get more yoga clients.

Responsive To Feedback

Although part of the yoga studio manager job description means you will be the one providing the most of the feedback to staff, it's still important that you are responsive and receptive to feedback.

This could be from the owner of the studio or a less senior employee who wants to discuss a certain issue regarding yourself or the company. If you expect staff to respond to your feedback, you should lead by example and do the same when you receive it.

The worst thing a manager could do, certainly a yoga studio manager, is create a hostile or uncomfortable work environment after being provided with feedback. However, the best thing a manager can do is reflect, understand their actions, and consider how they can change their behaviour or attitude to improve the workspace.

Implementing changes upon being given feedback or criticism shows you value the opinions of others and don't believe your above improving yourself just because you're the yoga studio manager.

Passionate About Yoga

It's unlikely you need us to tell you that as part of the yoga studio manager job description, you need to have a passion for yoga! While it's doubtful you would be a yoga studio manager if you didn't have an interest in it, continually learning and expanding your knowledge on the subject is vital.

Although you may not always be teaching classes, it's still important you show clients and other members of staff enthusiasm when it comes to discussing yoga practices. As being a yoga studio manager will be a large part of your life, this should be a passion of yours rather than a minor interest.

A Knowledge Of Marketing Practices

Certain marketing strategies can be applied to a yoga studio, so as a manager it’s important to understand the best way to grow a business. 

Having an eye for creativity is crucial when marketing a business. You’ll likely provide creative input to grow the client base, drive sales, and even expand the company into other branches.

It’s important to continually find creative ways to interest potential clients. Understanding what drives sales and keeps people coming back is crucial if you want to be a successful yoga studio manager.

What Qualifications Do I Need To Be A Yoga Studio Manager?

Now you’re clear on the yoga studio manager job description, it’s time to find out what it takes to become one!

Level 3 Diploma in Yoga 

To become a yoga studio manager, your first step will be to complete a Level 3 Diploma in Yoga. This is the minimum qualification you’ll be expected to have to gain employment as a yoga instructor.

The course will teach you the skills and knowledge required to successfully deliver yoga classes in an all-inclusive environment. 

You will learn the importance of communication and rapport, helping your clients maintain motivation and feel welcome.

Other topics you will learn about are:

• Anatomy and physiology of yoga
• Yoga health and safety
• Planning yoga sessions

You will also learn how to motivate clients both during and after these classes, as well as promoting wellness and helping clients experience the benefits of doing yoga.

As this is an Ofqual-regulated course, it meets industry standards. Only a select few of these courses in the UK have this Ofqual approval, with OriGym being one of them. This means you’re guaranteed the utmost quality when it comes to your learning!

You will be equipped with the knowledge required to teach specific groups such as:

• Children
• Pregnant women
• The elderly
• People with disabilities

On completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Instruct 1-2-1 sessions
• Lead group-based classes
• Work as a qualified yoga teacher

Gaining this qualification means you can become a yoga instructor and apply for jobs such as this one posted by Virgin Active below, or become a freelancer. 

It’s your choice as long as you have an accredited qualification and an adequate number of yoga teacher training hours.

Most employers, such as Virgin Active, will request a specific number of hours. In this case it’s 200, which has become a well-accepted international standard. 

Here at Origym, our course provides students with 400 hours, meaning you’ll be more than prepared to break into the industry!

If the yoga studio manager job description appeals to you more, you’ll be seeking work in these kinds of environments such as this one advertised by Gymbox.

The reason for this is because, while you can gain employment in gyms and fitness centres, this isn’t ideal if you want to work exclusively as a yoga studio manager. 

However, this could be a great way to gain experience in the industry, especially managerial skills, plus you’ll be developing in a studio environment, ensuring you’re familiar with what will be expected of you.

Level 4 Diploma in Teaching Yoga

If your ultimate goal is to become a yoga studio manager, you’ll want to complete an advanced Level 4 Diploma in Teaching Yoga.

Our Level 4 Courses allow you to specialise in a discipline of yoga such as Ashtanga, Hatha, Iyengar, and Hot Yoga. 

However, it’s crucial to note that the prerequisite for this course is a Level 3 Diploma in Yoga. 

This course will provide you with advanced knowledge about:

• The legalities of teaching yoga
• Setting up a business
• The implications and your duty of care
• All relevant health and safety legislation

Other topics include:

• Understanding and applying the philosophy and spiritual principles of yoga
• Yogic breathing styles
• Teaching Asana to meet the needs of mixed ability students
• Planning and delivering yoga sessions

Having specialised qualifications will also increase your employability prospects, especially as a yoga studio fitness manager. 

This is especially important if you want to become a yoga studio manager for a specific discipline.

You may want to become an ashtanga yoga teacher, meaning you can find work in establishments that specialise in this, such as this yoga studio below.

As a yoga studio manager, it’s crucial you expand your knowledge as much as possible.

The most important thing to meet the requirements of a yoga studio manager job description is to ensure the courses you enrol on are regulated by an Ofqual approved awarding body such as Focus Awards. 

You must also ensure the course is accredited by CIMSPA, the professional body for the United Kingdom’s sport and physical activity sector.

As demonstrated below by this job advertisement posted by Dynamic Hot Yoga, the majority of companies looking for yoga instructors will require you to have an accredited certificate with at least 200 hours of yoga teacher training.

This ‘stamp of approval’ means clients can be assured that the yoga instruction they’re being provided with is trustworthy and the courses their instructors and teachers enrolled on met industry standards.

Insurance

As a yoga studio manager, you should ensure you have specialist insurance to protect you from unexpected incidents, such as: 

• Injury to clients 
• Injury to yourself 
• Theft
• Loss of/damage to your yoga equipment

The reason you need it is to protect both yourself and your studio. For example, if you don’t have insurance and teach a yoga pose that causes injury to a client, they could claim compensation from you.

Insure4Sport allows you to create your yoga teacher insurance policy from a range of cover options.

This includes:

• Public Liability
• Professional Indemnity
• Personal Accident
• Loss of Earnings
• Equipment and Employers’ Liability

Yoga studio managers should ensure all instructors have Public Liability insurance, which covers legal liability for third party injury and property damage.

As a manager, it’s also important you have insurance which includes compensation for equipment repairs and replacements. 

Insure4Sport covers your equipment being stolen, lost, or damaged whether you’re at home or in work.

If you have people working for or under you, it’s a legal requirement to have Employer’s Liability insurance. 

Failure to have this can lead to a fine of up to £2,500 a day when no cover was in place, and possibly even the loss of your position as yoga studio manager.

Employees who are injured as a result of negligence can still seek compensation, even if the business no longer exists.

They also offer sports club insurance which includes studios. This means you can safeguard against incidents that could threaten the operation of your studio.

This policy includes buildings cover which protects against accidents such as:

• Your studio being vandalised
• Flooding caused by a burst pipe
• Building being damaged by a storm

If your building doesn’t have this cover, it’s likely you will have to pay the bill if you own the studio yourself.

First Aid Certification

While providing first aid isn’t necessarily in the yoga studio manager job description, it’s still an important thing to have.

As mentioned above, according to Insure4Sport, by law all gyms and fitness clubs are required to have at least one qualified first aid professional on-site at all times. 

Now, this doesn’t mean it has to be the manager but if you’re overseeing the running of the studio, it’s important to have first aid knowledge if an emergency does happen.

There are various first aid course providers, the most common ones being St John Ambulance and the British Red Cross.

Being qualified in first aid is also likely to put clients and your staff at ease as they will feel more comfortable knowing someone in a senior role can provide aid when injuries inevitably occur.

These courses often only take a couple of days to complete and will provide you with an accredited certificate - a small amount of time which could result in you saving a life!

Being qualified in first aid will also significantly increase your employment prospects as a yoga studio manager.

Academic Qualifications

As mentioned earlier, it's highly recommended you achieve an accredited yoga qualification, particularly a Level 3 Diploma in Teaching Yoga. This means you can progress onto a more advanced Level 4 Diploma in Teaching Yoga adn specialise in a particular discipline.

If your ultimate goal is to fit the yoga studio manager job description, it's important to gain as many qualifications you can. Being a manager will require a certain level of expertise so you must aim to educate yourself in the subject of yoga as best you can.

Aside from yoga courses, some managerial roles may require you to be educated to degree level.

For example, even for an Assistant General Manager role at David Lloyd Leisure, a degree is highly desirable.

It also specifies experience in managing a team outside of health and fitness too. This is because the skills required to be a manager are transferable across different industries, regardless of yoga studio experience.

You may also find CPD courses related to management can also be very beneficial when gaining experience. Most of the time, these are free professional development couses that can either be completed independently or are sometimes offered by the company you work for.

Here is an example of various courses you could enrol on:

While these courses aren't necessarily related to yoga, this will put you at an advantage over other managers who may apply for your dream role. It also shows a level of ambition and determination if you have took it upon yourself to complete these courses.

You will likey receive a certificate upon completion of these courses, able to provide employers with further proof of your experience in management.

How Much Experience Do I Need To Be A Yoga Studio Manager?

Many employers, such as the one posted above by Bikram Yoga London, will ask for at least 2-3 years which you can gain this through meaningful employment in yoga studios.

However, you may be expected to have experience in other areas too, unrelated to health and fitness. These other requirements will often be related to the managerial role, not necessarily teaching yoga.

For example, this job for a yoga studio manager posted by Vibe Yoga Studio, stipulates preferred education and experience in Human Resources and Administration:

Similarly, an advertisement by Blue Lotus Yoga Studio for a yoga studio manager requires a minimum of 2 years experience in retail management (sales, service, marketing).

You'll likely find your experience as a manager will be just as important as your yoga qualifications as it takes particular skills to manage a team of people, whether that be in retail, admin, or a yoga studio. 

Having keen knowledge and gaining experience in as a yoga teacher within a studio environment is certainly the right step on your path to becoming a yoga studio manager.

What Hours Do Yoga Studio Managers Work?

Working as a yoga studio manager is a salaried role and as this would likely be a full time position, you may be expected to work around 40 hours a week.

Most yoga studios hold classes on weekends meaning, as manager, you will also be expected to work these days. This is because those in work may not be able to attend early classes during the week, so these schedules often don't change just because it's the weekend.

For example, take a look at this timetable posted by Bind Yoga, a yoga studio in London:

As you can see, a Flow Yoga class begins at 9:30am on a Sunday morning. Although you may not be teaching the class, it's likely you would still have to be present to complete administrative tasks or oversee the running of the studio.

If you work 40 hours a week as a yoga studio manager, you be able to do over both weekdays and weekends. For example, these hours could be scheduled through Monday to Sunday between 8:00am to 9:00pm.

Yoga Studio Manager Salary Explained

According to 725 salaries posted on Glassdoor, the average salary of a yoga teacher is £25,550. As a yoga studio manager, it’s same to assume that you’ll be making more than this. 

As highlighted below, Bikram Yoga in London were advertising a studio manager position with a salary between £28,000 to £35,000. 

And this job advertisement for a studio manager in Notting Hill highlights just how lucrative this career could potentially be over a yoga teacher as the difference in salaries is much greater. 

However, as these job advertisements are for London, the salaries will be higher than anywhere else in the country.

By comparison, Glassdoor states the average salary for a gym manager is £27,740, highlighting how a yoga studio manager salary can potentially be more than that of an ordinary gym manager.

However, if you choose to open your own studio, you could earn more as you can set your own prices and take on as many clients as you want.

Where Can You Become A Yoga Studio Manager?

The most common form of employment for a yoga studio manager is usually a fixed term contract when employed by a company or business. It's likely many of these will often be larger studios and part of a chain

Experience is crucial if you want to fit the description of a yoga studio manager, so you’ll need to polish your yoga teacher CV and gain employment with a studio. 

As you become more experienced, you can progress to more senior roles, before ultimately becoming a yoga studio manager.

A managerial role will require you to have experience so this can only be gained by working your way up to it. 

You wouldn’t be able to apply for yoga studio manager jobs without having prior experience, as exemplified by the job advertisement below.

Just like any other job of this kind, it’s important you know how to manage groups of people and can ensure the smooth running of an establishment. 

However, if you choose to find employment within a smaller studio and become a manager there, this will take some time. Working in a particular establishment as a yoga teacher for 2-3 years or more, as well as continually impress with your skills, means you may be able to work your way up to a manager's role.

Is staying in the UK not for you? After gaining experience as a manager, you may find you want to see more of the world. If so, Yogatraveljobs have plenty of exciting opportunities for overseas work, in places you may not have even considered!

As you can see, this can either be paid work, work exchanges, or unique business opportunities. They can all be ways to make for a desirable CV and memories that will last a lifetime.

Gaining plenty of experience through the years, whether locally or half way across the world, means you could eventually apply for the role of a manager at some of the best yoga studios in the UK!

Before You Go!

Now you know everything about a yoga studio manager’s job description, it’s time to get qualified!

And to really stand out from the crowd, we’d strongly encourage you to expand your knowledge and undertake further qualifications. This can include a where you’ll be able to specialise in a particular discipline and open your own studio.

Don't forget to expand your expertise with our Level 4 yoga instructor diploma to specialise in a particular style. You can find out about this and all of our courses by downloading our free course prospectus too!