Knowledge of Yoga should be free

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

So far what I know about “Yoga”, I believe that only good can come out of it. It helps humand kind in all aspects of life. To just mention very few based on what I know very little about yoga it helps us with better physical, mental, emotinal and spiritul health. I believe it also shows us what is right and what is wrong.

Yoga is so beautiful. I am wondering the knowledge of yoga should be available to anybody and everybody who wants to pursue it for “free” Somebody who wants to learn about yoga should not be worried about how will he/she will pay for it.

I was wondering what your thoughts on this were? If you agree with me what can we do to make this free? What can I do to make this free?

No offense meant to anybody who does this for living.

#2

There are lots of free resources already out there. In general, people who are good enough to really be able to teach usefully need to dedicate time and their own resources to developing that expertise, and deserve just compensation for that.
I have romantic notions that such teachers will be inspired to offer a free class every once in a while, but my romantic notions don’t always bear out when other people’s free will and goals become part of the picture. : )

#3

Yalgaar,

No offense taken my friend. However the concept, be it this one or another, has to rest against the backdrop of a context. So I’ll lend one and then you and others can banter about it if you are so inclined.

Classically, yoga was taught from one teacher to a very small number of students. The teachings were absolutely without monetary cost. However the students took care of all things for the teacher in exchange for the teaching.

Therefore if you are willing to come to my house, clean it, provide me with food, care for my children, tend to my house and yard, transport me when necessary…then I will gladly teach you for no monetary fee whatsoever.

As that is so very unlikely in the context of a western capitalist society, fees are charged.

#4

[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;19287]Yalgaar,

No offense taken my friend. However the concept, be it this one or another, has to rest against the backdrop of a context. So I’ll lend one and then you and others can banter about it if you are so inclined.

Classically, yoga was taught from one teacher to a very small number of students. The teachings were absolutely without monetary cost. However the students took care of all things for the teacher in exchange for the teaching.

Therefore if you are willing to come to my house, clean it, provide me with food, care for my children, tend to my house and yard, transport me when necessary…then I will gladly teach you for no monetary fee whatsoever.

As that is so very unlikely in the context of a western capitalist society, fees are charged.[/QUOTE]

I was no way suggesting that yoga instructors that teach yoga for monetary gains should start doing it for free. What I was sugesting is that we as a society should work towards gaining Yoga knowledge for free for anybody an everybody. Just like the way we have public libraries. If you want to learn something from certain books, they are available at public library for 100% free. This does not mean the people who wrote all the books in the libary didn’t get any monetary gains for writing the valuable priceless knowledgeable materials.

I really do not know you in person and your depth of knowledge of yoga; but if yoga was my ownly priority at this time and if you were very knowledgeable like the teachers in classic times, I would have no issues to come to your house, do the cleaning, provide you food and take care of your children to gain the knowledge.

#5

This is something that I was suggesting in a very simple form. I agree it is not as easy as I am making it sound; but is anything in life easy?

Example: I live in Middlesex county in NJ. All we need is few people to volunteer to teach and a place. I am sure there would be many people willing to give 2 hours and share their knowledge for free for a good cause. I am also sure there would be many many people willing to make donations enough to pay monthly rent of a place. Same can be done from everywhere county, state, country.

I am just presenting an idea in a very crude form without any details. I believe this can be done and much more people would be benefited with this.

Thoughs?

#6

Yalgaar, a couple questions and I mean this in a loving sense. Do all questions have to be asked now, do all answers have to be asked now, do you have to be perfect now, must all your moral be right, now. are you to evolve all at once or do you allow yourself to take time?
just some thoughts
with love to you sister

#7

[QUOTE=yalgaar;19271]Yoga is so beautiful. I am wondering the knowledge of yoga should be available to anybody and everybody who wants to pursue it for “free”.[/QUOTE]

That goes for a lot of things. Not just yoga.

#8

[QUOTE=FlexPenguin;19298]That goes for a lot of things. Not just yoga.[/QUOTE]

Very Very true!!

#9

[QUOTE=justwannabe;19295]Yalgaar, a couple questions and I mean this in a loving sense. Do all questions have to be asked now, do all answers have to be asked now, do you have to be perfect now, must all your moral be right, now. are you to evolve all at once or do you allow yourself to take time?
just some thoughts
with love to you sister[/QUOTE]

I heard somewhere “kal kare so aaj, aaj kare so abb” Based on that if I want to learn something, achieve something, do something good, unless there are hurdles that stop me, I should attempt it to do it now.

#10

Great idea. :slight_smile: For more inspiration, check out some of the donation-only or social service yoga groups like: Yoga for the People, The Lineage Project, the Prison Yoga Project, and the Yoga Without Borders Project. For each of these there are 100 spin-offs of people donating their time and energy to go through these these teachings, right here in America!

#11

Here is the rub: if yoga were free, very few people could afford to teach. This would drastically limit the student population and many people who are now discovering the amazing benefits of yoga on their own level would not only be ignorant of yoga, but unaware of it, save as a fringe activity. This would include many of us on this discussion board.

Thank goodness my yoga studio is able to make a few bucks and employ good teachers to share what they know. Without that, where would my golf game be now?

#12

Even if it was free, the point is that there are still too many people who are no ready yet to appreciate the truth contained in yoga.

#13

[QUOTE=FlexPenguin;19298]That goes for a lot of things. Not just yoga.[/QUOTE]

In the “real world” there is no free lunch. The point here seems to be that actually this world is not so real.

#14

[QUOTE=yalgaar;19308]I heard somewhere “kal kare so aaj, aaj kare so abb” Based on that if I want to learn something, achieve something, do something good, unless there are hurdles that stop me, I should attempt it to do it now.[/QUOTE]
divine paradoxes, I started typing this is the now and finished typing this in the now. However the journey took a span of time. do transitions occur all at once or over time? Sometimes depends on the transition. My concern is that you would want too much too fast from yourself and not let yourself be human.
with love
Brother Neil

#15

Free, I agree.:cool:

Donations not unwelcome.

Though i think Oak said something when he perhpas suggests how i might see this;that the world of money,what literally makes the world go round these days( though even that has been tested as of late), is an illusory one( you could say [I]maya [/I]if you were being intellectual about this). But we all feel compelled,for one reason or another to live in it,this world, of commerce , and capitalism & free trade, and play along with it.

My hunch is that true yoga and false money/maya as is it’s commercializiation, is kinda vulgar and crass,maybe even oxymoronic( it is not the spirit of yoga). But if it promotes and popularises it that can only serve human evolution, rathewr than hinder it, and so therefore a good thing.

If a student is unable to pay and payment is asked then that should’nt be an impediment to learning. In the past i think there might have been an option to pay later, though i could’nt confirm this(wink)

promotion and popularisation—it’d be a bit of a shame if everyone wer’nt ready for the truth of yoga though Pandara you may well be right here.I could not say either way, you see for sure. . We are all made of the same stuff, but we do have different experiences and some people are simply neither compelled or inclined to pursue,study or practices it for whatever reason.Might karma have anythinig to do with it- I simply don’t know, or not too sure in this respect. I sincerely hope not.

#16

Yoga should be free and accessiblee to all.

I was timed out there^

#17

Somebody called a repair man to fix his stove. He charged 200 $ for cca 10 minutes work.

Customer: How could you charge so much for afew minutes work only?

Repair man: The actual cost was only 10 $. The remainder 190 $ was for my years of study, experience, and other things.

Same with yoga. An yoga instructor needs money not only for his studio, taxes, and his
personal expenses. He is also paid for his years of dedicated work…and for the huge benefits you will derive from yoga.

#18

[QUOTE=oak333;19357]Somebody called a repair man to fix his stove. He charged 200 $ for cca 10 minutes work.

Customer: How could you charge so much for afew minutes work only?

Repair man: The actual cost was only 10 $. The remainder 190 $ was for my years of study, experience, and other things.

Same with yoga. An yoga instructor needs money not only for his studio, taxes, and his
personal expenses. He is also paid for his years of dedicated work…and for the huge benefits you will derive from yoga.[/QUOTE]

Another perspective is:
Knowledge will only grow and expand when sharing and giving.
The only way to master something is to teach.
Yoga instructor needs money does not mean somebody who does not have money should not be entitled to learn yoga. Just like in my example of public library. People who write the books need money, but people who wants to read the books are not required to pay money in public library setting.

#19

I do think that if a person genuinely follows a path of yoga, they should be more than willing to share that information. I believe that being a “yogi” is much more than wearing trendy yoga brands and practicing on the “right kind of mat.” Indeed I am greatly disturbed by what the west has done to yoga. It is a capitalist market and yoga is selling…and it is pure irony in my opinion.
there are some (SOME) places that offer free yoga. I know, I know…there is overhead and blah blah blah at a studio…but the places i’ve seen that offer it for free usually do so outside. Who needs a fancy studio to practice yoga. Yoga, after all, is a life practice. It’s not simply done on a mat in a studio. It sickens me to read from teachers angry and upset that people want free yoga. Yes, I understand they spent thousands becoming trained in the yoga technique. But, really? What kind of person are you when you teach yoga and make money and then condemn others as “free-loaders?” That makes me ill…
Yoga classes are mostly attended by middle-aged women who care about the way they look…the poor and underprivileged have no access to something that could potentially make them much better human beings…that is, unless they become teachers and expect to make a living on it.
I don’t think anyone should practice yoga in order to make a living.
It should be done as an important addition to life, and seeing and seeking.
Not for monetary gain.
Does that make any sense?

#20

I’m an IT professional by day, I can afford to teach for free, and to this day, have never recieved monetary funds for teaching. So, yes, it is possible and some yoga is free. There is also a cute term coined Karma Yoga, which one can attend classes for barter (teacher willing).