In our guide to starting online yoga classes, we said the same thing we'll say here: the hardest part of teaching isn't the teaching — it's the admin around it. Students who forget to show up. Class packs tracked on a sticky note. The student who mentions a recent shoulder surgery mid-flow because there was nowhere to ask beforehand.
Acuity Scheduling is the tool we recommend to make all of that disappear. It's our top pick for booking in the complete yoga teacher stack, and this post zooms in on exactly how it earns that spot.
1. Why booking is the make-or-break tool
Most teachers start by taking bookings over Instagram DMs and getting paid by Venmo. It works — until it doesn't. You lose track of who's paid, you double-book a private session, and you spend Sunday night copy-pasting Zoom links to fifteen people individually.
A real booking system replaces all of that with one link. Students see your live availability, book the class or session they want, pay on the spot, and automatically receive their confirmation and reminders. You stop being the bottleneck. Acuity is built specifically for the class-and-package way that yoga teachers actually sell — which is where generic schedulers fall down.
2. Class packs & memberships, built in
This is the feature that matters most for yoga and the one most scheduling tools simply don't have. Acuity lets you sell:
- Drop-ins — a single class at your standard rate.
- Class packs — "10 classes for $180," with an expiration window you set (three months is typical). Each booking automatically draws down the student's remaining credits, so nobody has to count.
- Monthly memberships — recurring unlimited access, billed automatically. This is the most predictable revenue you can build.
- Gift certificates — useful around the holidays and for student referrals.
Because the credits and renewals are tracked inside Acuity, you're never reconciling a spreadsheet against your bank account. The student buys a pack once, then books class after class until the credits run out — and Acuity nudges them to rebuy when they do.
Why not Calendly? Calendly is fantastic for one-off meetings, but it has no concept of a class pack, a membership, or class capacity. For a yoga business that sells in packages, that's a dealbreaker. We break down the full difference in Calendly vs Acuity.
3. Intake forms & waivers before the mat
Every appointment type in Acuity can carry an intake form. For yoga, that means you attach two things to the booking flow:
- A liability waiver the student agrees to before they can confirm.
- An injury and condition question — pregnancy, recent surgery, chronic pain, anything you should sequence around.
The student fills these out at the time of booking, not in the doorway thirty seconds before class. You walk in already knowing who needs a modification, and you have a signed waiver on file if it's ever needed. It's a small thing that protects both your students' bodies and your own liability.
4. Automated reminders that end no-shows
No-shows are the quiet tax on a teaching practice — an empty mat is revenue you can't get back. Acuity sends automatic confirmation and reminder messages by email, and on the Growing plan and up, by SMS text as well. A text the morning of class reliably converts "I forgot" into "I'm on my way."
Teachers who switch from manual reminders to automated ones routinely report no-shows dropping by half or more. You set the timing once — say, 24 hours and 1 hour before — and never think about it again.
5. How it connects to the rest of your stack
Acuity isn't an island. It's the hub the rest of your tools plug into:
- Stripe — connect it once and students pay at the moment of booking; money lands in your bank two business days later. (More on this in the full stack guide.)
- Zoom — paste your recurring class link into the appointment type and every student automatically receives it in their confirmation email. No more manual link-sharing.
- Squarespace — Acuity is owned by Squarespace, so the booking widget embeds into your site in seconds and matches your branding. If you're choosing a website builder, see Squarespace vs Wix.
The result is a loop a student can complete without you touching anything: they find you, book, pay, get the Zoom link, get reminded, and show up.
6. Which plan to pick
Acuity offers a free trial, so you can build your entire setup before paying a cent. Once you're live:
- Emerging — $20/mo. The right starting point for almost every solo teacher: one calendar, unlimited appointment types, package and membership sales, and intake forms.
- Growing — $34/mo. Worth it once no-shows are costing you real money — this tier adds SMS text reminders and gift certificates.
- Powerhouse — $61/mo. For studios with multiple instructors and locations (up to 36 calendars).
Start on Emerging. Upgrade to Growing the month you decide text reminders will pay for themselves — for most teachers, that happens fast.
Bottom line: Acuity replaces the DM-and-Venmo scramble with a single booking link that sells packs, collects waivers, takes payment, and reminds students to show up. It's the first tool we'd set up for any yoga teacher going independent.
Try Acuity free and set up your first appointment type — a single drop-in class — before you do anything else. Everything else in your stack hangs off that one booking link.
7. Frequently asked questions
Does Acuity work for selling yoga class packs?
Yes — packs are a core feature. Sell a 5- or 10-class pack, set an expiration window, and each booking automatically draws down the student's credits. You can also sell recurring monthly memberships and gift certificates without any extra software.
Can Acuity collect a liability waiver before class?
Yes. Attach a waiver and injury/condition questions to any appointment type as an intake form. The student completes them when they book, so you have everything — including the signed waiver — before they arrive.
How much does Acuity cost for a solo yoga teacher?
The Emerging plan is $20/mo and covers a single teacher with packages, memberships, and intake forms. Growing ($34/mo) adds SMS reminders and gift certificates. There's a free trial to set everything up first.
Is Acuity better than Calendly for yoga?
For yoga, yes. Calendly is built for one-off meetings and doesn't handle class packs, capacity, or memberships. Acuity is built for the package-based way yoga teachers sell. See our Calendly vs Acuity comparison for the full breakdown.
Build the rest of your stack
Acuity handles booking — but it's one piece. For payments, video, your website, email, music, and design, see our complete tool stack for yoga teachers, and if you're starting from zero, the step-by-step how to start online yoga classes guide walks through the whole setup in a weekend.