When you hear the word “yoga,” it doesn’t seem like it necessarily goes with the word “budget.” Visions of swanky studios and Lululemon-clad clients come to mind, accompanied by fancy sports drinks and designer yoga mats.
At least that’s what I used to think when I pictured yoga studios. 😉
So what’s a gal to do if she wants to give yoga an honest try but doesn’t have at least a few hundred to drop on a class package, an outfit, a water bottle, and a $90 mat?
This was exactly the position I was in when I first started practicing Bikram Yoga back in college. I spent my time between classes waitressing at a downtown restaurant, and I became really careful with how I spent my hard-earned money. I thought I would never be able to afford to take yoga classes when my roommate first mentioned it, but when she told me about the local studio’s deal for beginners I was hopeful.
Turns out the little studio offered new clients something called an “Intro Special.” I can’t remember the exact details of that deal, but it basically offered about a month of yoga for super short money. Something like 40 bucks!
I was sold.
Realizing that I could conceivably try out the studio for something like $1.33 per day was a no-brainer. I signed up before even taking a class and never looked back.
Now, more than ten years later of teaching yoga and owning my own studio, I try to think that every new potential yoga student might possibly be in the same boat as I was when I was back in college: not a lot of extra cash lying around and unsure if they’re going to like yoga in the first place.
If this sounds like you, one thing I want you to realize is that most independently-owned yoga studios like mine offer new clients that sweet Intro Special. Maybe it’s a week for $20 or a month for $45 or 3 months for $99. It’s generally a significant time frame for short money.
My Intro offer specifically is $39 for an entire month of unlimited yoga. It’s a one time offer meaning that clients can only buy it once, but they don’t have to buy it on their first day. So if someone wants to come to my studio but is going out of town the next day, she can always just buy a single class the first time, then snag the Intro Special when she’s back in town.
Clients can even buy it online, and the month of yoga won’t start until they take their first class.
Alright, so aside from being a great deal financially, there’s another reason why this Intro makes so much sense:
It gives you a super reasonable amount of time to see if yoga – and that particular studio – is the right fit for you. I think it’s downright impossible to judge a workout modality off only one class. But if you’re able to take about 12 classes over the course of a month (that’s about three a week) you get a much more accurate picture of what the workout/yoga class/etc. could do for your body and mind.
This is even more true for hot yoga!
In hot yoga and specifically Bikram Yoga, you need to give yourself a chance to figure out how much water to drink, what to (and what not to) eat before class, try out different teachers, try out different class times, and figure out the most comfortable thing to wear.
You just can’t do all that in one class. But give yourself a month of unlimited opportunities and now we’re talkin’. 😅
If you give your local studio a good solid try and you can honestly say after at least 12 classes in a month that you don’t like it, then at least you know! And you’re not out very much money. You didn’t have to invest a month’s worth of pay just to try something you aren’t going to continue.
On the other hand, if you end up falling in love with the practice, thank goodness for that affordable – even downright cheap – Intro Special. It gave you the opportunity to realize you can transform your body and mind without breaking the bank. Priceless.
Investing in yourself should never be overlooked, and yoga studios offer you the opportunity to do just that.
And the returns on that investment? They’re nothing short of life-changing.
Happy sweating!
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