Live online classes: a small change

Over the past six weeks, I’ve been offering free online yoga classes. Participants have been extremely generous and offered donations to help keep the classes going, for which I’m very thankful.

My aim was to share yoga with anyone who wanted to do it and, because of the uncertainty we were all experiencing, I wanted to make it free for those who had lost their income as a result of the lockdown.

However, that isn’t very sustainable over the mid-to-longer term, unfortunately. It’s likely to be some time before the gyms reopen, and we still need to practice in the meantime. The yoga classes I teach in gyms and leisure centres have also been cancelled, so it makes it tricky for me as well.

The Timetable

I’m currently running seven classes a week:

Mondays, 10am and 5.30pm

Tuesdays, 10am

Wednesday, 5pm (10am returns 13th May)

Thursday, 10am

Friday, 10am

Daily practice is so beneficial, so I’m committed to running these classes for as long as I can.

A New Pricing Structure

This wasn’t a straightforward decision.

I wanted to keep the classes affordable for those who have low or no income, so I’ve decided to implement a sliding pricing scale as suggested by YogaJournal.com.

So, there are new ways to pay for classes which should make it affordable for all.

You’ll be able to access all of the online weekday classes with ANY of the weekly/monthly passes.

Standard weekly: £10. This is our recommended price.

Standard monthly: £35

Supporter weekly: £15

Supporter monthly: £50

Sharer weekly: £5

Individual, drop-ins: £4 per class.

Which one should I choose?

It’s confusing; I know.

So, let me explain.

You can choose whichever weekly pass you can afford.

The Standard price is our recommendation for all.

The Supporter price is for people who can afford to pay a little more, which is closer to the type of price you might pay for a gym membership.

However:

If you‘ve lost your income as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown, then we’ve created the Sharer. This is - hopefully - topped up by the Supporter.

If enough people choose the Supporter payment, then it all balances out.

Why is it called Sharer?

Not all contributions need to be financial. It’s all about dana - an approach to generosity.

And generosity comes in many different forms.

For the Supporter pass, they’re paying for themselves and contributing a little extra to help someone else join the class. That’s financial generosity.

It’s called the Sharer pass because I’m hoping that each Sharer will create a social media post about the class each week. There’s genuine value in spreading the word, so this will help make the class more sustainable.

The Sharer pass is exclusively for anyone who has lost their income as a result of the lockdown. It’s not necessarily for furloughed workers if you’re still getting paid (unless it’s put you in financial strife). It’s also for the unwaged.

Try out a class

If you’re thinking of joining but aren’t sure yoga is for you, check out this class. Give it a go:

A Sliding Scale

This sliding scale pricing has been recommended by Yoga Journal. Read more about it here.

This new payment structure is a trial and may be subject to change over the coming months. Let's try and make the class accessible and sustainable for everyone.

Health Disclosure

It’s really important that you let me know if you have any injuries or health conditions BEFORE you join the class. There’s always a way to address a condition, so I need to know if there are some poses you should avoid. I’ll always give an alternative.

Also, completing the Health Disclosure form (which is in total confidence) will give me an opportunity to research a condition if necessary.

I ask everyone who joins the classes to complete a disclosure form.

Ready?

Buy your weekly pass here.

Thank you!