How we make money
Online Yoga Planet is free to use. We do not charge schools to be listed, and our rankings cannot be bought. This page explains, in plain language, how we keep the lights on — and what we will never do.
Editorial independence
Every school in our directory — all 2,389 of them — is ranked using the same Bayesian-weighted formula based on real student reviews. A school cannot pay to rank higher. A school cannot pay to be featured. We do not accept "premium listings" that change a school's editorial position.
The only way for a school to climb our rankings is to teach better and earn better reviews. There is no second way. This is the rule that makes the directory worth using.
How we're funded
Three sources, in roughly this order of importance:
- Affiliate referrals to in-person retreat & YTT booking platforms. When you click through to a partner like BookYogaTeacherTraining or BookYogaRetreats and complete a booking, we earn a referral fee (typically 35–50%). This does not change the price you pay or affect our editorial rankings.
- Reader-supported products. Guides, workbooks, and tools we publish ourselves — sold directly through our shop.
- Future: optional school-side services (verified profile claims, analytics dashboards). When we launch these, we'll update this page. They will never include paid ranking position.
What's affiliate-funded (disclosed)
These are the only places on Online Yoga Planet where we earn referral revenue. Every
affiliate link is marked with the standard rel="nofollow sponsored"
attribute and includes a visible disclosure.
| Surface | Partner | Commission |
|---|---|---|
| "In-person YTT abroad" widgets | BookYogaTeacherTraining (Tripaneer) | 35–50% |
| "Find a retreat" widgets | BookYogaRetreats (Tripaneer) | 35–50% |
| Retreat directory CTAs | BookRetreats (Tripaneer) | 35–50% |
| Destination guides (Bali, Costa Rica, etc.) | Tripaneer network | 35–50% |
Our directory of 2,389 online yoga teacher training schools — and every individual school profile — is commission-free. When you contact a school through our directory, your message goes directly to the school. We do not sit in the middle of that transaction.
The simple rule: if you're browsing our directory of online schools, no money changes hands between us and the school. If you're booking an in-person retreat or YTT through one of our partner widgets, we earn a small fee — and it's labeled.
What we will never do
- We will never let a school pay to rank higher in our directory.
- We will never write a fake "best of" list that's actually paid placement.
- We will never accept a payment in exchange for a positive review or write-up.
- We will never hide affiliate disclosures in fine print or footers no one reads.
- We will never sell your email address or share contact data with schools without your consent.
- We will never run sponsored content dressed up as editorial. If we ever publish a sponsored piece, the entire piece will be labeled "Sponsored" at the top.
Our ranking methodology
Schools are ranked using a Bayesian average of verified student reviews from the public Yoga Alliance directory. A school with 200 reviews averaging 4.8 stars ranks higher than a school with 8 reviews averaging 5.0 stars — because we weight confidence into the score.
The methodology is published in full at /ytt/methodology/. The data is sourced quarterly from public Yoga Alliance and IAYT directories.
Our editorial pledge
If we ever start a business relationship with a school or organization that could affect editorial coverage, we will disclose it on this page within 30 days, and on any article that mentions them. If you ever spot an inconsistency between what we write and what we earn, write to us — see below.
Contact us
Concerns about editorial independence, undisclosed conflicts, or anything related to how we make money: [email protected].
Press, partnerships, or media inquiries: [email protected].