04/09/2026
Are we undervaluing yoga?
This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately.
And I want to be really clear: this isn’t an attack on gyms or leisure centres.
I’m a yoga studio owner and I teach at my local leisure centre. I see both sides.
I also know there are some absolutely brilliant teachers working in gyms, leisure centres, village halls and community spaces.
But I wonder if, somewhere along the way, we’ve started to see yoga as something that should be cheap or even something that should be “free” because it’s included in a membership.
And perhaps we’ve forgotten everything that sits behind that one hour on the mat.
The teacher’s training and experience.
Their ongoing CPD.
The props and equipment.
The room hire or studio costs.
Insurance.
Preparation.
Travel.
Setting up and packing away.
And, most importantly, the years of knowledge that allow a teacher to adapt a practice to the people actually in front of them.
A great yoga teacher can teach almost anywhere.
But not all yoga experiences are the same.
And you don’t know what you don’t know.
If you’ve only ever experienced yoga as a fitness class, you might never have discovered restorative yoga, meditation, yoga philosophy, specialist practices, smaller classes, individual adaptations or the feeling of being part of a genuine yoga community.
So I’m not suggesting that everyone should stop doing yoga at their gym.
Far from it.
I’m simply asking:
What kind of yoga experience do you actually want?
Because cheap isn’t necessarily bad.
But cheap isn’t always the same as value.
And if we want independent yoga teachers and studios to survive, we need to recognise the value of what they provide whether that’s a beautiful dedicated studio or a teacher carrying a car full of bolsters into a village hall every Tuesday night.
What do you think?
Do you see a difference between yoga that’s included in your gym membership and yoga that you specifically choose to pay for?
I’d genuinely love to hear your thoughts.
