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Right now, even the most dedicated of yogis are asking themselves: is yoga really a necessity? Should I sign up for this yoga class? Do I have time and money for studio yoga? Can I find a better way to minimize the cost while still practicing? As daunting as it may seem, yoga can be a low cost, healthy way to take care of yourself if you only know where to look.
So is yoga a necessity? To those of us who have chosen yoga as a form of stress relief, relaxation, spiritual connection or even just as exercise, then the answer is emphatically YES! A few moments of peace and finding a way to take care of yourself really ARE necessary, especially in tough times. Whether through yoga or some other medium, a healthy approach to stress and exercise can improve your quality of life and prevent future health problems. An ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure! In stressful times, more than ever, mental and physical health depend on lowering stress and detoxifying the body.
But can we fit the practice of yoga into our tightened budgets and even busier schedules? Studio yoga classes are notoriously expensive and can be a challenge to a busy schedule, so what are the alternatives? For those of you who practice yoga or wish to practice yoga but are feeling the financial pinch of studio yoga, there are several ways to continue your yoga practice in a lower stress and lower cost way.
When opting out of expensive studios, where can we connect with other yogis and yoga teachers? Community centers and colleges are often great places find low cost and free yoga classes (as well as a range of interesting options such as dance classes and meditation). Also, yoga teacher training schools and even studios will often host student yogis in free classes. Community "mysore" (self-led group practice) can be also be a less expensive option but is mainly for the advanced practitioner.
Online yoga is also a great way to practice in the privacy of your home, with a cost many times less than studio yoga (not to mention not using the gas!) Increasingly, the online yoga community is also offering exciting and helpful ways to practice yoga in less expensive but high quality ways. Yogis can connect with each other on myriad yoga message boards and yoga information sites, providing technique and emotional support alike to practitioners of all skill levels. There are other great reasons to try out online yoga including privacy and schedule flexibility.
There can be some drawbacks to online yoga, however, so choosing a good online site is important. Like studio yoga, many online yoga studios also offer introductory free periods, so that you can feel comfortable with the online yoga venue and try the service for free. Two important types of online yoga are video based yoga and "on demand" class production.
The video format is the most commonly used online format. These sites carry video clips with varying degrees of cost and advertising. Video sites cannot provide new videos all the time, so may have the same problems as DVDs - repetition and boredom! Videos also cannot be customized to a practitioner's skill level, so make sure the site is not only providing new videos, but ones at your skill level. Also, if you have to watch several videos, stopping and starting manually, it can be distracting and take away from the overall experience. The addition of advertising, depending on your tolerance of it, can also be a problem.
"On demand" yoga class production is less commonly used but is a real alternative to video. Guided Yoga is an example of this type of online yoga. The unique structure gives you flexible, personalized yoga that fits your schedule. You can customize the difficulty level of your class as well as the length of the class "on demand," so that you can be comfortable and supported in your yoga practice.
Yoga can be a low cost and highly effective way to increase your health and happiness in difficult times. Community classes and online yoga provide, individually or together, excellent ways to beat the stress of high cost studio yoga.
©2010 Guided Yoga LLC
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