By Kellie C. Murphy
My practice got a little too expensive in the Fall. My regular studio is a quaint little dojo in Moorestown that can hold about 12 of us on a crowded Saturday morning. I got to the point where I couldn’t afford to pay the $144 per 12 classes what with Christmas coming up and many of my other major expenses — like my car insurance bill — being due. This isn’t news to anybody as many folks are struggling financially and the non-essentials needed to be cut out, at least for a little while. And for that little while I allowed the lack of funds to interrupt my practice. Well, there’s never a good time to neglect your practice, but the holidays are definitely NOT that time. I was going out of my mind! What to do?
I began practicing at home.
I found a number of great online resources, many of them free or at a very low cost, that helped me to continue my practice and get some much needed exercise and stress relief, without breaking my already strained piggy bank.
I found a website, Yogaglo.com, that hosts more than 2,000 practices in all different yoga styles and for any and all skill levels. The membership costs just $18 per month and your first 15 days are free. This is not only perfect for those of us that are broke, it’s perfect for beginners who want to try different styles and to get over that initial bendy, twisty embarrassment beginner yogis may feel when practicing in public in the beginning. There are also some great full-length practices on YouTube that are absolutely free.
This isn’t to say that at-home yoga is preferable to in-studio yoga. Nobody gets the full “namaste effect” of a practice by staying at home alone. Yet if it’s a matter of some practice to stay limber and keep the mind clear and the spirit strong rather than no practice, then by all means get your yogi on at home, and after savasana send love, light and your purest namaste out to your yogi peers in your mind. Trust me, this works.
Just remember to breathe and to be kind to yourself.
Namaste!
Two Of Kellie’s Favorite YouTube Yogis:
Esther Ekhart of Ekhart Yoga…
LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoX35pqk5ZY&list=PLhheL8XkvsRYM4UGbvM9g_P2PB5cjtbHr&index=3
Vinyasa Flow with Ali Kamenova…
LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2Gb2UBEYzQ&feature=share&list=PLhheL8XkvsRYM4UGbvM9g_P2PB5cjtbHr
Kellie is a freelance journalist and yoga enthusiast who’s been practicing for about 15 years. You can read more of her work via her website www.KCMJournalist.com and follow her on Twitter @KCMJournalist.
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