Donation Yoga Classes on the Rise

Published on May 17, 2010

As with most things in our culture, as popularity increase so does the estimated value of the popular thing, item, or person.  This market trend in no different in the Yoga world, be it in the states or abroad.  The more popular yoga becomes, the higher the prices of all things yoga rise.  But, not everyone in the yoga communities is hopping on that train of increasing price, some teachers and studio owners are stepping out against the rising cost and often inaccessibility of yoga classes like Greg Gumucio who has opened Yoga to the People studios in New York and expanding across the country.

Yoga to the People is a revolution in the concept of yoga studios.  The classes are not advertised by teacher, only by time and location, removing the desire to limit your practice only to specific teachers. They are donation based, with some students paying  little or none at all while others paying above the suggested amount of $10 per class.  Teachers keep philosophizing to a minimum and there are no OM’s here, only packed classes full of movement (the classes are all Vinyasa).  

Is this approach working?  For Greg Gumucio it is.  Classes usually overflow, a challenge solved by having multiple classes in multiple studios at the same time.  If one class fills, the continuous influx of students are sent to the next studio and when that one fills, students are directed to a third studio and teacher.  The intention of Yoga for the People is to provide yoga as service instead of for profit.  Their trademarked manifesto states “yoga to the people.” But the profit seems to be following the service.  With three studios in New York, one in San Fransisco, one in Berkeley, CA, a new studio opening in Brooklyn and others in the works across the country, the business model of volume instead of cost is sky rocketing.

The goal of making yoga accessible and affordable is the ultimate desire of most yoga teachers and studios, but it is a tandem goal of being able to pay the bills and feed the family.  This is often the disparity in offering donation-based classes, much less a whole studio of them.  How can the studio grow and sustain their employees and provide the service and gift of yoga simultaneously?  It seems that Mr. Gumucio has a handle on this paradox.  And other studios across the country are taking a chance on this model as well.  

Other studios are employing this model with success too.  Black Swan Yoga in Austin is a donation based Co-Op studio where all of the instructors contribute to the financial load of the studio and the donations for each class go directly to paying these instructors allowing classes to remain “affordable to anybody and accessible to everyone.” Dharma Yoga in Brooklyn, NY and Yogis Anonymous in Santa Monica, CA are also applying the donation-based model.  In addition, hundreds of studios across the country are offering donation-based classes within their regular schedule, a few of which were featured in our post about Yogis Helping Haiti.

Donation-based studios are re-defining the growth of yoga in our culture for many.  If the model continues to work, maybe you will see an explosion of affordable yoga being marketed at studios in your neighborhood with lines of yoga clothes and mats that fit into your budget.  Who knows, but I like the thought of balancing the offerings on all levels and placing value on the practice instead of on the person presenting it.  

Have you been to a donation based studio or class?  How was it? 

Share with

Friends

Our Latest

Yoga Articles
  • Mental Health Benefits of Yoga

    10 Tips for Harnessing the Mental Health Benefits of Yoga

  • Best Time to Meditate

    Finding the Best Time to Meditate: Tips and Advice on When to Sit

  • Purusharthas

    Purusharthas: The Four Goals of Life

  • Trimurti

    Trimurti: The Hindu Trinity of Brahma Vishnu Shiva

  • Brahman

    Brahman: Definition, Meaning, and Philosophy

  • Yoga Nidra

    Yoga Nidra: Meaning, Benefits, Videos and Tips

  • Living Like a Yogi

    17 Rules for Living Like a Yogi

  • heart opening yoga poses

    The Best 16 Heart Opening Yoga Poses

Remove Ads with a

Premium Membership

Viewing ads supports YogaBasics, which allows us to continue bringing you quality yoga content. Sign up for a premium membership to remove all ads and enjoy uninterrupted access to the best yoga resources on the web.

Explore More

Yoga TipsAdviceArticlesPracticesBasicsTechniques

  • CBD for Yoga

    6 Ways CBD Can Improve Your Yoga Practice

  • yoga pranayama breathing

    Breathing Through the Challenges of Pranayama

  • yoga meditation ego

    4 Ways Yoga Can Defeat Your Ego

  • Tantra Yoga

    Tantra Yoga – Defined and Demystified

  • yoga skin care tips

    7 Essential Skin Care Tips Every Yogi Should Know

  • Live a Yogic Lifestyle

    How to Live a Yogic Lifestyle

  • drinking water in yoga

    Water and Yoga: When Is the Best Time to Drink?

  • Sri Yantra

    Sri Yantra: Meaning, Symbolism, and Benefits

  • 11 Ways to Improve Your Yoga Practice

    11 Ways to Improve Your Yoga Practice

3 responses to “Donation Yoga Classes on the Rise”

  1. breath_bean Avatar
    breath_bean

    I have and have run a few myself. I love it! I believe $10 shouldn’t stand in someone’s way to a better/happier/healthier/ more fulfilling life. Yoga to the people!

  2. thetopseo Avatar
    thetopseo

    Now a days yoga is not yoga it become professions and yoga teacher charge for it, in ancient it services offered by yogacharya free of cost and it was effective….

  3. gaileee Avatar
    gaileee

    I do donation classes here associated with the Free Yoga Day with Yoga Alliance, and Texas Free Day of Yoga. Plus every “5th” Monday is oatmeal donation class at my church.

    I have a venue to teach a donation class in NYC later this month, and I’m thinking of canned goods. What organization in NYC would you suggest that I talk to, for getting the donated goods to?

    Thank you!
    gail pickens-barger, e-ryt
    http://yogawithgaileee.blogspot.com/

Leave a Reply to thetopseo Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Kelly Golden Avatar
About the author
Kelly has been a student and practitioner of yoga for over a decade, and through the exploration of the physical and philosophical practices, yoga has touched every aspect of her life in a positive way. In her sharing of yoga, she strives to inspire in others the peace, well being, balance, harmony, and understanding that yoga has brought to her own life. Kelly graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1998 with a degree in Creative Writing. Following college, she did freelance writing and editing before turning her focus more completely toward yoga and rearing a family. Kelly is currently serving as the Director of Vira Bhava Yoga School.
Yoga Basics