WHY Community Yoga?

West Hartford Yoga offers a weekly Community Yoga class, there is a $5.00 donation and every penny goes towards various charities.   I will be teaching Community Yoga on NOVEMBER 20th at 3:00 pm. bring your $5.00, for the community, and I will work, for free, to help you get your money's worth.

Free Yoga (or next to free Yoga) is an easy sell to those who understand the benefits they will receive from their time on their mats.  In addition, many personal Yoga practices were born from discounted trial memberships and free classes.  Most people hesitate to spend money on things that they are not sure they'll like, that they've never tried, that they have assumptions about or that they're concerned that they won't be good at; others have a hard time carving out time for themselves (time is valuable).  Others don't have the money to spend.

Several years ago, my friend Dan invited me, many times, to join him in the Power Yoga class he was taking.  I was training for my black belt and couldn't understand why I would take time away from training or pay money to do Yoga which I criticized for being bourgeois at $13-20 per class (it kind of is).  I accepted this invitation only when I found out that my first class would be free.  It was there that I encountered Ostrich Pose, which I could not do, not even to milk the value of my free class.   I will never forget and I remember every time I take or teach that pose how it felt to be in my first practice; the practice that taught me the value of Yoga.  I never would have paid for that discomfort!

Henry David Thoreau (one of America's first self declared Yogis) said, "Beware of all enterprises that require new clothing", I think the spirit behind this quote encourages accessibility; often those who need Yoga (or other health/wellness services) the most, can't afford it. Much to Lululemon's chagrin, and other companies that have latched onto the huge market that has formed in the wake of Yoga's rising popularity, you can wear whatever you want.  Studios that offer free Yoga also provide props, mats, space, instruction and community.  Check their schedules and call them with questions.