I know the feeling because I’ve been there too. I’ve heard the quiet inner voice during meetings that could have been emails. The pull toward something more purposeful. The idea of trading spreadsheets for more meaning. Corporate certainty for that yogic way of life, all while scrolling through Instagram watching people living that life, wondering; why not me?
When I started teaching, I wish I had found a space on social media that talked about the early days of teaching yoga in Switzerland honestly. Not just the polished parts or successful stories. Not just the full classes, studio openings and retreat photos. I know voices coming from the US or UK are somehow more nuanced on social media; but here, no one really shows the messy mornings. The uneven income and how to deal with it. The moments you sit on your couch thinking, what the actual f*ck?
Instagram rarely shows that part.
Lately, I’ve received messages congratulating me on my “smooth transition” or asking how I made the leap look so seamless. And every time, I have to pause. Because it wasn’t seamless and wondered what made them think it was. OK, it wasn’t reckless either. It was thoughtful. Slow. Sometimes uncomfortable.
Although it might look like it, I didn’t quit overnight. I spent a year or so planning and reflecting. I kept one foot in stability while exploring what teaching could actually look like. I invested in coaching to uncover my own shadows and blind spots. I observed how things are done in Zurich (where I’m based). I questioned. I adjusted. And even with all that preparation, things didn’t go according to plan (hello, herniated disc 🥹).
So you might think if it didn’t go according to plan, why do it? Great question! Well, if I had to start again, I’d still do it like that because that year of self-reflection allowed me to feel ready. Financially. Emotionally. Energetically. Mentally. And that was invaluable.
Teaching yoga professionally is different from loving yoga personally.
In Switzerland especially, it means understanding things no one romanticizes: AHV contributions, pension gaps, insurances, rental splits and contracts with studios, fluctuating attendance (and pay) depending on the season. It means early mornings, late evenings and weekends when your friends and family are off. It also means accepting one simple truth:
Yoga income isn’t linear.
Some months feel abundant, while some others feel very dry. And if your nervous system is used to a predictable corporate salary, that fluctuation can feel more stressful than you expect. I had to admit that to myself. The stability I once took for granted wasn’t something I disliked; it was something my body had grown accustomed to. Something my immigrant parents praised. Stability was something to strive for. And that year of preparation made me realise that. And prepare for it. Especially when, in the beginning, what you earn as a yoga teacher might barely cover your living expenses.
In corporate, the structure holds you. When you teach yoga, you hold yourself.
You become responsible for how you structure your week, how you price your offerings, how you communicate your value, how you protect your energy and how you plan for drier months. If you enter this path thinking it will remove responsibility and be all about freedom, this path can feel heavy. If you enter knowing you are stepping into a different kind of responsibility, it can feel deeply meaningful.
Now you might wonder why I’m sharing all of this.
Because I might have fed the “Insta myth” myself. By posting more “successes” than “failures”. By showing growth and full yoga shalas more than doubt and no-shows. The path doesn’t start with a dramatic change of career. It starts small, real and slightly uncomfortable. And similarly to a corporate job, that’s how growth happens.
Yoga is a beautiful path. It just doesn’t unfold overnight.
And that’s exactly why I started this yoga teacher in progress corner on the internet; to share the less glossy parts of being a in progress, within the very real Swiss reality. And for anyone (Swiss or not) who just finished their YTTC and is standing in that in-between space with a diploma in hand and countless questions in their head. If that’s you: you’re not behind. You’re not late. You’re not the only one feeling unsure and maybe lost.
It’s also why I decided to bundle what genuinely helped me into a self-paced guided journal for new yoga teachers; a non-digital, private space for reflection to navigate the in-between phase between graduation and actually starting to teach. FYI, it’s launching on April 9th, 2026 👏
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