Several legal settings allow you to work as a yoga teacher: the non-profit and the self-employed. Here is the essential on self-employed status and its contributions (Belgian example).
Becoming self-employed
From the age of 18, a self-employed worker must join a social insurance fund and pay contributions. Some professions require a licence or diploma; non-nationals must hold a professional card. Even without the required licences, the person falls under the social status of the self-employed.
The obligation to contribute
Each quarter you pay your fund a global sum spread across the sectors: family benefits, pensions, sickness-disability, bankruptcy insurance. Note: there is no unemployment contribution for the self-employed. Contributions are due at the latest on the last day of the quarter concerned. Failing to pay exposes you to penalties (fines…).
Exemption from contributions
If you cannot pay, for particular reasons, you may request an exemption from your fund. Basic conditions: be self-employed as a main activity and establish that you are in need (or a comparable situation). The assisting spouse can obtain it if the self-employed person obtained it for the same quarters. The request is filed or sent by registered mail; the fund forwards the file to the Commission for Contribution Exemptions, which takes into account your income, debts, extraordinary expenses and household composition. Note: exempted periods do not count towards the pension calculation.