Free Classes Forever

BECAUSE I'M A TOTAL FOOL

HELLO! QUICK SUMMARY: After a lot of internal dialogue, I’ve decided to keep our Saturday morning classes FREE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. If you’re ever in the mood to help cover class upkeep though (mostly Zoom fees!), I’ve opened a 200% optional tip jar. Read on only if you’re interested in hearing me ramble about how and why I made this pretty straightforward decision. Hint: my brain is NOT straightforward.

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Since I started hosting free Saturday classes in June, I’ve received a lot of advice and (loving) reprimands from friends, family, and even my own students about how I should QUIT BEING A FOOL and transition into a paid class format. I won’t lie and say I haven’t thought about it. Earning a little extra is always a welcome change, especially in this lockdown climate. I guess I just kept putting the decision off because it never felt like the right time. Besides, I started these classes because I honest-to-goodness just wanted to help a few folks find breathers in the midst of their pandemic woes (I know I needed that). I never thought we'd stick it out this long. In the last couple of months, when it did become obvious that Tiny Yoga Saturdays could live for a longer haul, I considered switching over to a bunch of other arrangements: everything from dirt-cheap class passes to sliding scales. But after several dozen sobering conversations with myself, I’ve only become more stubborn about keeping a weekly no-cost class for as long as I can.

There are many reasons with which I've conned myself into this commitment—the biggest being that I so enjoy the thought of building a shared yoga space that can still be partly untethered from capital in this insane timeline (wuw!). Is that too idealistic? Yes, it is. Trust me, I’m talking myself through it too. I'm certainly aware that I’m a FOOLISH FOOL, and I also know that this isn’t a pipe dream every teacher can afford to or should have. Every yoga teacher I’ve ever met (regardless style) has invested so much of their life in studying, improving, and deeply living their yoga just to, yes, share a thoughtful practice, but also to make an actual living. That dedication costs money. A basic yoga certification alone can set you back several months in rent and honestly, that’s just the beginning (ProLite mat palang talo na kami guys!!!). Never get it twisted: your yoga/fitness/movement teachers ABSOLUTELY deserve to be well-compensated for their expertise and service, just like teachers of any old subject (read more about that here, here, and here). Like many of my yogi friends and idols, I know how unfair (maybe even alienating?) it feels to struggle for a TF that a single Grab ride won’t immediately deplete. This exploitative culture is not what I want to bouy by offering free classes.

Maybe I'm doing this because I wasn’t always a teacher. When I started practicing, I was 15 and surly and a student. I CLEARLY remember what it was like to have long periods when I couldn’t afford yoga at all. Even after graduating, I was lucky if I could scrimp enough to attend one studio class a week. Very fun fact: yoga classes are expensive (there, I said it). Sports bras and commutes and props are expensive. I'm sure that these things have only grown more costly now that we’ve all had to re-prioritize our lockdown lives. While I could never ever fault studios for trying to finance beautiful spaces and magical faculty, I have also always searched and hoped for alternative platforms that could charge less (or charge differently), in order to make yoga more accessible, and avoid the byproduct of exclusivity. I love joining a good Vinyasa class in a hardwood-floor studio and then taking a good shower with complimentary shampoo after. As in TAKE MY MONEY. But let's face it: you need to break into a specific tax bracket before you can even occasionally enjoy those things. That's a huge shame. In the very gut of things, what's yoga if not a great democracy? Something that anyone can tap into at any time if they so choose? We could dredge up the entire evolution of the practice at this point, but who's ready for that jelly? Let's just say that sometimes (and almost never on purpose), the popular gateways we now have into yoga (studios and subscriptions and things) can abbreviate that democracy. I guess what I'm yammering about is that an opposing movement does exist: monetizing yoga doesn’t always have to be a part of the goal, and not having money shouldn’t mean you can’t practice in ways more visceral than YouTube.

I recently messaged Fringe(ish) (give her a visit here too!) about no-cost yoga alternatives, and they said, “often, folx who have the hardest time affording classes are those who need the practice most.” Call me granola, but STACY, I REALLY BELIEVE THAT. I'm not promising that all my classes from here on will be free. I'm not out for sainthood and I do still believe in fair pay that cuts across all disciplines (even the most esoteric ones). But peksman, I have never been happier with designing and teaching classes than I am now with these free Tiny Yoga sessions. I think (hope) it’s because for the most part, everyone in a given class truly wants or needs to be there. I can never be a teacher just making money off of a session, and you aren't just getting your money’s worth or burning through your stamps before they expire. It's a tiny space to contribute in the huge, complicated universe of this practice, but I want to keep it going for a bit.

I run a very small operation, but I’m lucky enough to be in a place where my (very beige) day job sustains me and I can teach these free classes without compromising how I live. It's really, in the cheesiest terms, an honor and privilege. As much as they want to, yogis who rely on classes as their main source of income really can’t do the same, and they shouldn't have to. So if you can afford it, PAY FOR THEIR CLASSES. Find online sessions that you vibe with (I have a million recommendations) and be generous with returning visits. BUT if you’re in a tight spot right now, and you find yourself not having the funds to pay for a practice that you want or need, girl, I gotchu. Bimpo not included. Ikaw na diyan.

Maybe in the future, when I finally have the energy and the courage and the bandwidth to hold more than one regular session a week, I’ll finally charge you at my Zoom door. For now though, we’re not a business yet. Let our Saturday mornings be utterly free, and let's shake our fists at capitalist systems in the tiniest, derpiest way.

Xanti,

Deirdre