There’s a conversation I hear often in the yoga community, and it usually goes something like this:

“I want to grow my business, but I don’t want to lose myself in the process.”

“I’m afraid if I focus too much on money, I’ll compromise my teaching.”

“How do I market myself without feeling like I’m selling out?”

I get it. And here’s what I’ve learned from building SutraSuite and working with hundreds of yoga teachers: this either-or thinking is the real trap. The question isn’t whether to grow as a teacher or grow as a business owner. It’s about growing in both directions simultaneously, like a tree that needs both deep roots and reaching branches to thrive.

The False Choice

Somewhere along the way, many of us absorbed this idea that spiritual growth and business growth are opposing forces. That to be “authentic” means struggling financially. That charging what you’re worth somehow diminishes the purity of your practice.

But think about it: when you’re stressed about rent, distracted by disorganized bookings, or exhausted from doing everything manually—are you really showing up as your best self for your students?

The truth is, sustainable business practices don’t pull you away from your teaching. They create the foundation that allows your teaching to flourish.

What Balanced Growth Actually Means

Balanced growth isn’t about splitting yourself in half—50% spiritual, 50% business. It’s about recognizing that these aspects of your work feed each other when done with intention.

Growing as a Teacher & Human:

• Deepening your personal practice
• Continuing education and training
• Exploring new teaching methodologies
• Developing emotional intelligence and presence
• Healing your own wounds and patterns
• Cultivating authentic relationships with students
• Finding your unique voice and teaching style

Growing as a Business Owner:

• Building sustainable systems and processes
• Learning to price your services appropriately
• Creating clear boundaries around your time and energy
• Marketing in ways that feel aligned with your values
• Understanding basic financials and planning
• Developing leadership and communication skills
• Making strategic decisions about growth

Here’s the insight that changed everything for me: these aren’t separate paths. They’re the same path viewed from different angles.

The Teacher Who Forgot to Tend the Garden

I know a yoga teacher—let’s call her Maya—who was absolutely brilliant. Her classes were transformative. Students would leave crying tears of release and gratitude. She could hold space like nobody I’ve ever met.

But Maya was drowning.

She had no booking system, so students would text her at all hours. She undercharged significantly because she “didn’t want money to be a barrier.” She said yes to every request, teaching 20+ classes a week at multiple studios. She had no website, no clear schedule, no boundaries.

Within two years, Maya burned out completely. Not because she wasn’t a good teacher—but because she believed that being a good teacher meant ignoring the business side entirely.

The sad irony? Her lack of business systems didn’t just hurt her. It hurt her students too. When she burned out, they lost access to her gift. The transformation she could facilitate? Gone.

Growth without structure is just chaos.

The Business Owner Who Lost Her Heart

Then there’s another teacher I encountered—we’ll call her Jessica. Jessica was all business. She had systems for everything. Automated emails, a sleek website, a marketing funnel, premium pricing, a waitlist for her classes.

On paper, she was crushing it.

But somewhere in the optimization and scaling, something had shifted. Her classes felt… transactional. She was so focused on retention rates and conversion metrics that she’d stopped really seeing her students. She taught the same sequences because they “performed well.” She chose workshops based on profitability rather than passion.

Jessica had a successful business, but she was no longer growing as a teacher. And eventually, her students felt it. The numbers started dropping because the heart was missing.

Structure without growth is just an empty container.

The Both/And Approach

What if there’s a third way? What if tending to your business IS part of your spiritual practice? What if treating yourself with the same compassion and care you offer students means building a sustainable livelihood?

Here’s what balanced growth looks like in practice:

1. Systems as Self-Care

Instead of seeing booking software, scheduling tools, or automated reminders as “cold” or “impersonal,” what if you recognized them as boundaries that protect your energy?

When you automate the administrative tasks, you free up mental space for the work that actually requires your human presence. That’s not selling out—that’s wisdom.

A good booking system doesn’t replace your warmth; it ensures you have the capacity to be warm when it matters.

2. Pricing as Self-Worth Practice

Charging appropriately for your services isn’t just about money—it’s about teaching people (including yourself) about value and worth.

When you undercharge, you’re not being generous. You’re often perpetuating your own limiting beliefs about deserving abundance. And you’re training your students to undervalue the transformation you facilitate.

Pricing yourself fairly is a radical act of self-honoring. It’s also what allows you to sustain this work long-term.

3. Marketing as Service

What if marketing isn’t about convincing people they need you, but about clearly communicating how you can help so the right people can find you?

When you hide your light, afraid that visibility equals ego, you’re not being humble. You’re depriving people who need your specific medicine from finding it.

Marketing with integrity means sharing your authentic message consistently, showing up in service, and making it easy for your people to say yes.

4. Boundaries as Teaching

Every time you honor your capacity, say no to something that doesn’t align, or create clear containers for your work, you’re modeling healthy boundaries for your students.

Your students don’t need you to be available 24/7. They need you to demonstrate what sustainable practice looks like. They need to see that it’s possible to be dedicated without being depleted.

5. Financial Health as Energetic Practice

Understanding your numbers, planning for taxes, building savings—this isn’t separate from your spiritual work. Money is energy. How you manage it reflects how you value yourself and your work.

Financial clarity brings peace. Financial stress creates noise. Which state better serves your teaching?

Growing in Rhythm

Here’s what I’ve observed: the teachers who thrive long-term are those who develop a rhythm of growth in both directions.

They might spend:

• Q1 deepening their personal practice and taking a training
• Q2 implementing new systems and cleaning up their business backend
• Q3 experimenting with new teaching approaches
• Q4 focusing on marketing and year-end planning

They don’t try to do everything at once. They recognize that growth is seasonal, cyclical, and requires both active effort and rest.

Sometimes the growing edge is learning a new therapy technique. Sometimes it’s finally setting up that email sequence. Both matter. Both are valid. Both feed the whole.

The Questions to Ask Yourself

As you think about your own growth, consider:

For Your Teaching/Personal Growth:

• When was the last time you took a class or workshop purely for your own development?
• Are you still curious about your practice, or are you on autopilot?
• What aspect of teaching feels challenging or uncomfortable right now? (That’s probably your growing edge.)
• How are you nurturing your own well-being?

For Your Business Growth:

• What administrative task consistently drains your energy? (That’s what needs a system.)
• Are you financially sustainable at your current rates and schedule?
• How easy is it for new students to find and book you?
• What would need to be true for you to still be teaching with joy in 10 years?

The answers to both sets of questions matter equally.

What I’ve Built SutraSuite to Support

This is exactly why I created SutraSuite—not to replace the human elements of teaching, but to handle the structural pieces so you can focus on your growth as a teacher and practitioner.

When booking is streamlined, when your schedule is clear, when payments are automatic, when marketing is simplified—you’re not being less authentic. You’re creating space for deeper authenticity.

The platform handles the container so you can focus on the content. The business structure supports your human growth rather than competing with it.

Both/And, Not Either/Or

You can be deeply spiritual AND have a profitable business.

You can charge premium rates AND be generous with your energy in class.

You can automate administrative tasks AND show up with full presence for your students.

You can grow your income AND grow your wisdom.

You can build a sustainable livelihood AND stay true to your practice.

The tree doesn’t choose between roots and branches. It needs both to become what it’s meant to be.

So do you.

Where do you need to focus your growth right now—deepening your practice or strengthening your structure? Often, it’s the one we’re avoiding that holds the key to our next level. Share your thoughts in the comments—I’d love to hear what balanced growth looks like in your teaching journey.

P.S. If the business side feels overwhelming, remember: you don’t have to figure it all out alone. Systems, tools, and support exist to help you build the structure while you keep growing into the teacher you’re becoming. That’s the whole point!

Always in your corner,

Alicia H. SutraSuite Founder