One in three UK yoga instructors lack insurance cover, new research finds

MANCHESTER, England, Aug. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A third of practicing UK yoga instructors don't have an insurance policy to cover their teaching, according to new research from Insure4Sport, part of insurtech Ripe.

The survey of 100 UK yoga teachers found 15% have no insurance cover at all, a further 17% rely solely on an employer or studio's policy rather than their own, and 1% aren't sure if they're covered - a third in total without their own dedicated protection. Almost four in 10 (39%) said they'd taught a class with no cover in place at some point in their career.

The findings have implications not just for individual teachers, but for the studios, venues and training providers that make up the wider industry. Yoga teaching isn't a regulated profession in the UK - there's no legal requirement to hold any qualification at all, and course length and content varies hugely between training providers. Much of the industry also runs on freelance teachers moving between multiple venues rather than one employer's policy, and classes routinely involve hands-on adjustments and physical postures that carry a real risk of strain or injury.

Among those surveyed without their own cover, 39% said they don't teach often enough to justify it, 24% weren't aware they needed their own policy, and 21% had assumed a venue's insurance would cover them, which it often doesn't for freelancers.

That gap may start with training: only a third of those surveyed (33%) say their course covered insurance and liability in any detail, while the rest received a brief mention, no coverage at all, or couldn't recall the topic being raised - an opportunity for training providers to build this in more consistently.

One in seven teachers surveyed (14%) said a student had been injured, or come close, in one of their classes, and three in 10 said they wouldn't feel fully confident of being financially protected if a claim were made against them tomorrow.

Sean Carney, Chief Underwriting Officer at Insure4Sport, commented: "We regularly see claims from yoga teachers where something has gone wrong during a class, and they've been found liable for the payout. In some cases, these run into tens of thousands of pounds, and those without cover are left to meet that cost personally.

"Too many teachers don't fully appreciate the scale of the risk - yet closing this gap isn't something that should sit with individual teachers alone. Venues, training providers and industry bodies all have a part to play in making insurance a standard part of professional practice, not an afterthought."

Notes to editors

Insure4Sport surveyed 100 UK-based yoga teachers in July 2026.

About Insure4Sport

Insure4Sport is a UK provider of specialist sports insurance, including yoga teacher insurance, personal trainer insurance and cover for gyms, studios and sports clubs. Visit insure4sport.co.uk for more information.