As a yoga teacher, do you have yoga insurance? If you do, is it sufficient? One of the preliminary yoga business setup steps is getting yoga insurance.
Teachers: what to ask yoga insurance providers
When shopping for yoga teacher insurance, if applicable, ask the following questions:
- What is the annual premium? If you teach part-time, find out if there are part-time premium rates.
- Is there a discount for any membership to any particular associations? It may be worth your while to join an association to gain the discount.
- Must you be certified by Yoga Alliance? E-RYT 200 or 500?
- If you own a yoga studio, does the policy cover the entire studio or just you as a yoga teacher?
- Does the policy cover yoga teachers-in-training?
- Does the policy cover your employees?
- Does the policy cover independent contractors working at your yoga studio?
- What is the maximum amount of coverage per claim?
- What is aggregate annual claim coverage?
- Are you as a yoga teacher covered outside the country where you teach? This could be relevant if you teach on a retreat or conference, etc.
- Are you covered away from your usual place of instruction?
- Is there a maximum number of students per class that you can teach? If so, how many and can you get additional coverage (if your class size exceeds the stipulated number of students)
- Does the yoga insurance policy cover your style of yoga? What if you host an event at your studio where other types of yoga are practiced? Be very specific about this inquiry. Commonly aerial and acrobatic yoga styles are excluded. How about martial arts fusion yoga? Pilates? Massage therapy if you offer it? The point is to ensure all your services and classes are covered.
- Is the use of yoga props covered? Any particular props excluded (i.e. such as swings)?
- Specifically, does the yoga insurance policy cover:
- Professional liability?
- Advertising liability (libel, slander, copyright infringement, etc.)?
- Personal injury liability?
- Product liability?
- Premises liability?
- Property damage?
- Sexual harassment/abuse/assault (if covered, usually coverage amounts are lower).
- What is the deductible amount, if any?
- Does the yoga insurance policy include payment for legal fees if a lawsuit ensues?
- How soon must you report a claim? Know the answer because some insurance policies may breach you and therefore not cover you if you delay too long in reporting a claim. Typically you must report as soon as you suspect there may be a claim.
- Are there any notable exclusions? Read the exclusions section of the policy carefully.
Top 5 yoga teacher insurance providers
Fortunately, there are several yoga teacher insurance providers and plans available. Five yoga teacher insurance providers are:
- YogiPlus Insurance ($159 per year)
- Yoga Journal’s Benefits Plus;
- Sport and Fitness Insurance Corporation;
- AYIO Insurance Center;
- Idea Health and Fitness Association.
These 5 yoga insurance providers each provide at least $2 million of coverage per claim and at least $3 million in aggregate coverage per year. Aggregate coverage per year means you covered up to the set amount for all incidents.
Insurance policies are long and are written in legal language that’s not the easiest to understand. It’s a good idea if you can at all afford it, to have an insurance lawyer or an insurance broker review the policy.
Better yet, while shopping around, have an insurance lawyer or insurance broker compare the yoga insurance policies and give you an opinion as to the best policy for your needs.
Disclaimer: All of the information in this post is for information purposes only and is not legal advice. If you have a legal question consult a lawyer.