Yoga studio memberships are one option that studios might give to students. They typically allow students to pay a set fee per month to receive either unlimited classes or a set amount of classes. For example, students might pay $90 for an unlimited monthly membership or they might pay $60 for four classes a month. Yoga studios might even incentivize the membership by offering attendance to workshops or even a discount on their in-studio merchandise. Students might encounter studios that require them to sign up for contracts. Contracts require that the students stay members at the studio for a set amount of time. Six-month memberships and even 12-month memberships are common. Yoga Yoga Northwest in Austin, Texas, now closed, even offered a two-year membership when they were operating.Â
Drop-in yoga classes hold space for all students. Drop-in yoga classes are when studios allow students to pay for a single class. Often, drop-in classes are the most expensive option when you look at the breakdown per class. This can influence interested students to go for a membership instead, charging less per class in the long run. Drop-in donation-based yoga classes are not very common. The idea with a drop-in donation-based class is to allow students to pay whatever they can afford and want to pay. This structure does not require a time commitment past the hour or hour and a half long class. It also does not require a financial commitment past the donation of the first class if the student chooses to donate.
With the structure of a donation-based yoga studio, it can be important to ensure that the class offerings are inclusive. The accessibility of the pricing structure might encourage new students who wouldn’t otherwise try yoga. They see the cost of trying something new as worth the risk. All-level yoga classes are accessible to just about anyone. They hold space for beginners and advanced practitioners alike.  Some yogis are just getting started. All-level classes might offer a variety of options for yoga props and variations. They might focus on inclusive languaging and providing projection-free classes. They also will ensure that the atmosphere is welcoming and open to all. If a class is labeled all-levels, it won’t matter if the prospective students recognize the class type. They might be encouraged to join through the assurance that all are welcome. Yoga, after all, is about way more than just physical asana. With seven other limbs, yoga really emphasizes the underlying message that all humans are the same in that we are all different. Yoga encourages us to meet ourselves where we are because where we are is enough.Â
My Vinyasa Practice in Austin, TX is a true donation-based studio. They offer every service from their yoga classes to Yoga Therapy and workshops as donation-based. In the interest in uplifting collective consciousness, My Vinyasa Practice really strives to encompass the idea that yoga is for every person at all stages of life. Join us at My Vinyasa Practice located near ACC Highland to experience donation-based yoga founded on accessibility, affordability, and authenticity.