They're everywhere. Advertisements offering a month's free course or for less than ten euros...
What's honourable about this is that a person who wouldn't have been able to afford a wellness treatment is now able to access them. What's less honourable is: at what price?
Unfortunately, most of the subscriptions on offer at affordable rates turn out to be a disaster for studios, associations and teachers.
When we offer a service that is cheaper than its value and costs, it is essential to ensure that we have the funds or a financial strategy to ensure that the competent people offering the service are properly remunerated.
At the moment, some of the structures hosting these subscriptions and the teachers are finding themselves in financial difficulty.
An experienced and competent yoga teacher, for example, is normally paid a minimum of 10 euros per participant. A quality yoga class with a paid teacher (who makes a living from it) is worth at least 15 euros.
But when a teacher works for an organisation, he or she doesn't get everything that a participant pays in contributions. At 10 euros per person, if we divide the fee in two, one part for the studio and one part for the teacher, the latter only receives 5 euros per person... or less if the fee is lower.
When you buy something, it's worth worrying about whether the person creating the service is properly remunerated. Because that is, or should be, part of the pleasure of buying an artisanal, creative, passionate service. You pay for the presentation, the exchange of love, technique and enthusiasm, but also to contribute to the material needs necessary for the service, and thus to contribute to the well-being of the person offering the service. It's a form of gratitude and support. It's also a way of ensuring that you recognise the value of your purchase, that you deserve what you're given, and that you're offering yourself a guarantee of quality.
Because what we receive as pasionate professionals we put back into our services, whether in material form or not. It's a win-win situation.
I hope that this article will help to raise awareness or contribute to serene reflection. In the city, we're lucky to have honest offers at a range of prices so that everyone benefits without it being exploitative. A lot of associations, depending on what you're looking for, offer good quality and attractive rates, and there are studios that offer rates commensurate with the value of the service, pay their teachers well and offer quality.
I am honored to share with you a behind-the-scenes look at a sector that is currently in great difficulty.
Marie Mazeau, Lifexploratrice, certified full-time Yoga teacher in Paris, specialising in gentle, joyful, educational and meditative sessions online, for individuals, associations, companies and studios.