The Yoga as conceived by the yogis who first practised it thousands of years ago in India was not primarily for providing basic relaxation technique, but at a much higher sought liberation of the soul. This quest for knowledge which eventually led to the practise of Yoga is a well documented fact.

But how much do Yogis today who practise it as a profession earn? Though a definitive answer cannot be brought on this, since Yoga is practised in almost 140 countries today and the rates vary based on the national cost factors and also the popularity of Yoga, still it is a truth that Yoga teachers do make quite a profit out of taking Yoga lessons.

In India, the home of Yoga, there has recently arisen a huge popularity for Yoga. Organizations such as "Art of Living" (which also exists in USA and numerous other countries), which teach basic yoga lessons and breathing exercises, charge as much as thousand rupees for a week's class which is considered quite considerable.

Among the western nations, USA has also taken to Yoga in a big way, mainly due to its contribution to the general well being of the body. The Yogi teachers are paid variably in different parts of the country. In New York for example, the teachers are paid a basic of $35 per hour for the classes and Gyms pay upto $65 per hour for an hour of class. This most often tends to be only the basic pay. The payments often tend to increase based on the number of students who sign up for the classes. This varies from $3 to $5 for every student signed up.

Apart from this are the private classes where students are ready to pay even as much as $80 for an hour's class.So considering a part-time Yoga teacher who takes a class one hour in the morning and a minimal one hour in the evening, the payments can be as high as $3000 per month.All this for only two hour's work in a day.

Now that is financial liberation more than the spiritual one!

Anand Srinivasan is the author of the website http://XooXonline.info; a growing website of random and informative content that is ideal for a person who surfs the net but doesn't know what to!