The cost of yoga

Day Two

Actually, it’s the morning of Day 3.

I’ve started both my mornings here practicing yoga on the edge of a cove that I can see from the tree house.  I shared the space with a solitary swan that drifted back and forth in front of me as I went through my asanas.  I wanted to do something in her honor but all I could think of was frog, and though I appreciate the whole circle of life thing, I thought it be best to stick with poses like tree,  mountain, or chair. (Swans are mostly vegetarians but dangle a small frog or fish in front of her and, well, the temptation may be too great. Kind of like me and bacon.).

Yoga Journal has a poll on its site right now asking whether the price of yoga is getting out of reach for most people. 86.9 percent of the people said it was. That doesn’t surprise me. I took an absolutely wonderful class yesterday, but it cost me $17! While studios usually offer discounts to people who pay in advance for 10 or 12 yoga classes, it’s still an expensive proposition.

A couple years ago, as I was waiting for a yoga class to begin, I overheard a few women talk about how much yoga was helping them cope with their stress.  Full of righteous indignation, I wanted to say, “You think you have stress? Let me tell you about stress!” I was thinking of the people that were walking through the doors of the housing agency where I worked who were absolutely desperate - homeless or in danger of becoming homeless - and looking for help.

Stress knows no boundaries. People of every age, gender and economic, educational, and cultural background, experience stress. But let’s face it: Financial hardship can be incredibly stressful, especially when unstable housing, unemployment, a chronically illness, divorce, or death are part of the picture. People who lack financial resources not only have a lot of stress, they can’t afford tools that the rest of us have to help them cope.  

That’s where the idea of a community yoga program was born.

It took me back to a visit I made, years ago, to the Ganges in India. My first morning in Varanasi, I found people not only bathing in the sacred river, but meditating and practicing yoga along its banks. The rich and the poor were there together, finding their breath and doing their practice.  No teacher. No sticky mats. No props. Just yoga, pure and simple.

To be clear, no one I know is getting rich in the yoga industry. There are simply costs associated with running a commercially competitive private studio that dictate the fees that are passed onto students. But there is, of course, value in a private studio. Who doesn’t like taking a  small group class in a pristine environment with all the right props and just the right music playing softly in the background? It’s wonderful.

And yet, many people simply cannot afford that experience.  With Yoga Neighborhood we can make yoga accessible to everyone, regardless of their income. Some folks who have the means will discover yoga with us and will continue their practice in a studio. But others will have us and, hopefully, learn and benefit enough so that they can practice at home. Without a teacher. A sticky mat. Or props.  Just yoga, pure and simple.