Pay-What-You-Can Yoga Comes to Minneapolis May 1
Yoga Sol, a donation-based yoga studio in Minneapolis is opening its doors on May 1. Yoga Sol offers regular classes on a pay-what-you-can basis, making yoga available to all.
Online, April 8, 2012 (Newswire.com) - Spring is a time of renewal and rebirth. As flowers bloom and creatures stir from hibernation, Yoga Sol, the first donation-based yoga studio in Minneapolis makes its way into the world by opening its doors on May 1. Yoga Sol was born from the principal of Karma yoga or selfless service.
"Donation-based yoga is a movement, " said Yoga Sol founder, Flor Trevino. "It's about getting back to basics, allowing practitioners to pay what they can and making the transformative power of yoga accessible to everyone."
Studios like Yoga to the People in New York and Black Swan Yoga in Austin are changing the way people view yoga.
"I think a valid criticism of the westernization of yoga is that it has such an intensely commercial aspect to it. It can be exclusive in an odd way," said yoga student, Brian Laidlaw. "It means a lot to me to be a part of a studio that tries to move away from that model and mentality."
According to the Yoga Journal, 15.8 million Americans are yoga practitioners. Research also shows practitioners are highly educated and high-income earners with 44 percent of household incomes over $75,000.
"On average, classes range from $10 to $20 per session with membership fees as high as $125 per month," said Trevino. "The truth is, there is a barrier in terms of cost and as we began to teach we started to notice a need. A need to offer an alternative to that model."
The word 'yoga' in Sanskrit means to yolk, connect or bring together.
"We aim to do just that," says founding Yoga Sol teacher, Janet Roller. "The essence of yoga is about community. Yoga is not a good that can be sold or traded, but rather something that is shared regardless of socioeconomic status, age, gender or physical ability."
The studio offers a menu of weekly classes on a pay-what-you-can basis. Not to be confused with free, this model gives students the opportunity to self define what it's worth to them. All donations go directly back into the studio to compensate teachers, offer more classes and serve more students.
"It's amazing to have a place where every time you come in, you give what you can. It makes me feel more welcome and it's a place you want to come back to," said Laidlaw.