To Photograph or Not to Photograph? A Look at Filming in Yoga Classes, The Gym & Pilates
Every so often, a familiar topic circles back around in the yoga community: should teachers take photos or film their classes? I don’t, ever but it’s not about right or wrong, but about pausing for a moment to reflect on what we’re doing and why.
3 Reasons Why Teachers Might Choose to Film or Photograph a Class
1. Promotion.
It’s natural to want to show that your classes are busy and thriving. Busy classes can mean other work may come your way if you come across as popular and in demand. Maybe you’re proud of your work, or you’re trying to communicate something deeper — like the diversity of the people who attend your classes. A snapshot can tell a story- hey look, yoga is for everyone.
2. You are deep in your feels.
Sometimes a class just clicks. You’re in the flow, the energy is good, you feel connected to your students. It’s not dissimilar to seeing a perfect sunset and wanting to capture it — you’re trying to bottle that moment of beauty and success. You feel something and want to document it.
3. Studio requirements.
Sometimes the decision isn’t entirely your own. A studio owner might ask for photos or content as part of their marketing strategy. In these situations, it can feel like part of the job that you need to deliver on.
And yet, there are also some serious reasons to pause before pulling out the camera.
3 Reasons Not to Photograph or Film During Class
1. Safety.
We can’t always know what someone is navigating outside the yoga room. There are legitimate and serious concerns around privacy, especially for women and survivors of domestic abuse. The current UK statistic is that one woman is killed by a man every three days. That alone is reason enough to think twice about documenting where someone is and when.
Beyond that, when we post a class photo, we’re unintentionally revealing people’s choices — where they spend their time, money, and energy. Maybe someone skipped a family event to come to class, or maybe they’re avoiding someone. Maybe they paid to come to class but said they couldn’t afford something socially or a service. Capturing and sharing that moment might expose something they’d rather keep private.
It’s also kind of creepy taking a picture of someone in Savasana, imagine finding out a mere acquaintance had snapped a few pics of you asleep on the bus- weird right?
2. Consent.
Yes, you can ask for permission. But in a group setting, how freely can it actually be given? People might feel awkward saying no or feel pressured to go along with the group. Over time, this kind of filming becomes the norm and it gets harder to opt out.
Studio consent forms might include a clause about photos or filming, but those are often buried in the small print. And even if someone signed it, surely they have the right to change their mind — or simply not be filmed that day. Should it really be the students burden to navigate all this when coming along to unload and destress?
3. Philosophy.
Yoga is hard to photograph. Much like the moon, the moment you try to capture it, something gets lost in translation. We reduce it to a shape, a pose, a look — even though we constantly say that yoga isn’t just about the shapes.
We don’t want our students on phones but we are on ours taking a shot…
There are many people who write about this more eloquently than I can — Alexandria Crow, for example, has a lot of thoughtful insights on the topic. But the heart of the issue is this: when we use yoga images to advertise, we often promote physical achievement over inner practice. We risk reinforcing the very message we’re trying to challenge — that yoga is about how it looks, not how it feels. That there is an ideal, a goal, something to achieve or work at when really it’s a practice of observation and shedding.
So… What Now?
Well we have an invitation to reflect. If we say yoga is about self-awareness, then these conversations are part of the practice. They’re not threatening — they’re a chance to look inward and ask, a chance to actually practice the yoga we preach.
There will always be exceptions. Retreats, workshops, special events — plenty of people are happy to be photographed in those contexts. But in a world where the last luxury might just be privacy — the peace of being in your practice without being observed — how can we protect that?
When so much of what we teach in class is about agency — about choice — maybe it’s worth extending that same respect to the choice not to be seen or used as a promotional prop.
How do you feel when you stumble across a picture of yourself you weren’t aware of or how would it make you feel?
