Here, in the second in this series of posts on reasons not to go to yoga, we are looking at reason#2

“I can’t afford it”

This is a tricky issue. Who am I to say what you should spend your hard earned cash on? However, just like the “no time” reason, we can acknowledge some of the self-sabotaging excuses that we come up with to avoid what we know what is good for us, and what we need.

I suppose the first thing to say is that Yoga really isn’t expensive. I once worked out that many Yoga teachers often earn less than the minimum wage for an average class!  Yoga isn’t expensive compared to other things. Here is a list of comparisons to put it into perspective.

1 Yoga class = £8

 

£8 =  1  bottle of Rioja

 

 

£8 = not quite 2 taxi rides home (based on Charing Cross to Merchant City)

 

 

 

 

£8 = 3 (and a bit) lattes

 

 

Most yoga teachers are socially minded sorts and will offer discounts for block booking, or concession rates. And some, like me will even consider barter economy and energetic exchanges (meaning I sometimes swap yoga classes  for other services, goods and favours)

At In The Moment, we have the “Karma Fund” specifically designed to support yogis who can’t afford to pay for a yoga class. We take a small donation for the use of a yoga mat, and for cups of tea, and this goes into a pot to pay a yoga teacher if they choose to offer a free or subsidised class to someone who would otherwise not be able to afford to come.

I simply trust that those who CAN afford it are happy to pay the full amount and to make donations towards those who can’t. Some people are proud about accepting things for free, so pay what you can. I also believe an energetic exchange is a wonderful concept. If you don’t have a specific service to offer, then there are always things to be done at a Yoga studio, so perhaps you could offer a little of your time doing some cleaning, or handing out flyers, or helping to tidy up after class?

What I am saying is, please don’t let not being able to afford yoga be a reason for not coming to yoga. There is always something we can work out.

Next in the series – reason # 3: ” I can’t do yoga right now because have a sore knee/shoulder/wrist/back”

 

 

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