Barter up! Swap office skills for free yoga classes

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Cashless in Yogaland? 

It’s a catch-22.
You love practicing yoga, but Sun Salutations don’t come cheap at many studios. 

For example, sessions run $20 a pop for adults and $15 for students at Be Evolution Yoga of Montclair, New Jersey. In business for nine years, the studio has long offered Yoga/Work Exchange opportunities to those in need and started a formal program about five years back.
 

“Volunteers can either work at our front desk, answering the phone and checking in classes, or clean the studio after closing,” says Jagadisha, its owner. In return, Karmi yogis, as they’re often referred to, receive an unlimited yoga class pass.

Be Evolution Yoga typically accepts 20-25 people in to the program at any given time, which for a few, has proven to be a path toward employment.

“We’ve had volunteers become yoga teachers through our teacher training program, and one recently became our assistant manager,” says Jagadisha.

If you’d like your area studio do offer a similar arrangement, “I’d suggest pointing out, that a traditional way of practicing yoga and supporting a community of practitioners, is through seva, or selfless service,” says Jagadisha.