Most yoga teachers are living the dream—they love their jobs. (And enjoy excellent karma.) But are they making a living? In many cases, the answer is no.

Most yoga teachers love their jobs (and the excellent karma), but are they making a living? According to Ava Taylor of YAMA Talent, the first ever yoga talent agency, the answer is no—if teaching is their only form of income.

“We do a lot of business consulting at YAMA and it’s because folks are accidental entrepreneurs,” she says. “You don’t graduate from yoga teacher training, get your certificate from the Yoga Alliance, apply for a job, and guaranteed a salary of $40,000. You have to piece it together.”

Taylor’s stable of super-established and highly credentialed yogis earn anywhere from $40K to $400K. While the salary range is huge, most yoga teachers in New York can expect to make $35K or $40K, Taylor says. “Even if you become a really popular instructor, with 50 people in your class regularly.”

So how exactly do yoga teachers fill their bank account?

Building their brand online—from teaching on streaming platforms to growing a social following. “The opportunity to broadcast yourself has helped people earn more money than ever before,” Taylor says.

For example, “back in 2011, there were only one or two companies offering online yoga content with a paywall. Now, my firm alone represents 10 to 12 that do and it can be very lucrative—money teachers have never seen before,” she adds.

Taylor points out that workshops, teacher training, and private sessions are all offered online now. “The way I look at it, a yoga teacher’s portfolio basically has a duplicate because it can happen in person and online,” she says. “It’s opened up the sort of salary that’s possible.”

There are more (digitally born) yoga superstars than ever. And while it isn’t easy to build a social following, it does pay off—big time.