Charging for Yoga Therapy: A Personal Journey 

December 3, 2025

– Why I’m Choosing to Start Charging, and What It Means to Me – 

For a long time, I struggled with the idea of charging for my yoga therapy sessions.

Yoga therapy is not just a service I provide — it comes from my lived experiences, years of practice, and the deep desire to help others find ease, clarity, and awareness in their bodies and minds. Because of that, putting a price on it has always felt complicated.

Recently, my yoga therapy cohort encouraged me to begin charging for my practicum sessions. We are now past the halfway point of our training, and this stage is meant to help us step into our professional roles. Many trainees use a sliding scale, such as $10–$80, so clients can choose what fits their situation.

Even with that encouragement, I still found myself questioning:

• Is my session worth charging for?
  
  

• What if clients think it’s not valuable?
  
  

• Do I really deserve to receive money for this?
  
  

These questions brought me face-to-face with something deeper — my sense of self-worth.

A Cultural Layer: Growing Up in Japan

Being raised in Japan, I carry strong cultural values around humility, service, and not wanting to inconvenience others.
Because of that, receiving money — especially for something healing or supportive — can feel like I’m taking too much or being selfish.

But I’m learning that this belief doesn’t match the reality of yoga therapy.

Charging is not about “taking.”
It’s about creating a healthy, reciprocal relationship where both student and practitioner show up with clarity and commitment.

Why I Decided to Start Charging

After reflecting deeply, I realized:

• I have invested time, training, and heart into this work.
  
  

• Clients benefit from my presence, support, and guidance.
  
  

• Yoga therapy is a professional skill — and professionals deserve to be compensated.
  
  

• Charging helps me grow into the practitioner I’m training to become.
  
  

It’s not about becoming “commercial.”
It’s about honoring the work, and honoring myself.

Starting in the new year, I plan to introduce a sliding scale so clients can choose an amount that feels right and accessible.

What I Hope Clients Understand

Charging doesn’t change the heart of my work.
I will always offer sessions with compassion, mindfulness, and the intention to support healing.

My hope is that clients understand this shift as a natural part of my growth — not a barrier, but a step toward offering even more grounded, professional, and sustainable support.

A New Chapter

This change feels both exciting and vulnerable.
Some days I feel confident; other days I hesitate.

But that uncertainty is part of the path.

Yoga therapy has taught me that transformation happens at the edge of discomfort — and I believe this step is part of my transformation, too.

If you’ve been part of my journey so far, thank you.
Your presence, trust, and openness mean more to me than you know.

And as always, I hope each session brings “Kizuki” — a moment of awareness — that supports your life in meaningful ways.