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How I Practice Yoga for FREE!

Yes, you read that right. I’m about to spill my not-so-secret way that I practice yoga for free!

It’s not a scam and it’s not very hard either. It takes a little bit of work, but it’s well worth it!

How I Practice Yoga for FREE.

But first, a little bit of back story.

Tash and I decided to try taking up yoga again this January. She approached me and said that a studio in Toronto called Yoga Tree was doing an intro special where you could pay $40/month + tax for one month of unlimited yoga. Considering a regular month there costs $99, I’d say we got a pretty good deal.

In short, we went 3x per week and made sure that we were able to try a variety of classes. We started out doing level 1 classes. As we neared the end of our month, we started doing level 1/2 classes as well as hot yoga. We were really enjoying yoga and didn’t want it to end.

Lucky for us, fate stepped in.

I went to a hot yoga class on my last day of the month pass. After class finished, I was leaving the change room and noticed a sign for something called an Energy Exchange. 

Basically, you volunteer at the studio once a week for 2 hours to complete some light cleaning tasks. At the end of your shift, you receive a card for 1 week of free yoga.

When I first read it I was baffled. Then incredibly happy.

I could practice yoga for free!

Free! It wouldn’t cost me anything more than 2 hours of my time per week. I loved yoga so much that I didn’t want to stop doing it, but there is no way that I would be able to afford $100 / month on yoga. My student loans made sure of that. Doing the energy exchange program ended up being the perfect solution!

I have seen a number of different yoga studios that offer programs like this. Try asking at your local studio, or check out their website to find out if they do one.

For me, I go to Yoga Tree Studios here in Toronto. They have 5 different locations throughout the GTA, so it makes it pretty convenient to be able to go to classes. There are over 1000 classes per month with various styles to choose from. Personally, I usually go for a hot yoga class or a core class, but it’s totally up to you!

You can find more information and an application to apply for the Energy Exchange program at Yoga Tree here.

The shifts are very flexible and are only 2 hours long! Only two hours a week and you can practice yoga for free!

I’ve been doing it for about 4 months now and it’s definitely gotten me on a more healthy path. Thank God Tash suggested we get back into yoga!

I highly recommend that you look into doing an Energy Exchange at your yoga studio so you can practice yoga for free too!How I Practice Yoga for FREE.

 

xo, tess.

 



22 responses to “How I Practice Yoga for FREE!”

  1. Great post! I had never heard of Energy Exchange before. What a great idea!

  2. Shannon M. says:

    Great post! I actually started freelancing for my yoga studio’s blog and in return I get unlimited yoga each month. It’s a great way for me to do what I love and earn classes.

    • Tess says:

      Thank you Shannon! That’s an amazing way to get unlimited yoga as well! I feel the same way 🙂

  3. I’ve never heard of this before! Love the idea of putting a little work in to get your reward. 🙂

  4. WHAT! How have I not known about this? Haha that’s so awesome. I’ve recently starting doing yoga, so I’ll have to look into this. Thanks so much for sharing!

  5. Amy says:

    That’s so awesome, Tess! Two short hours we would waste away elsewhere. I am seriously considering taking up yoga. Been threatening to for years! Is it wrong of me that cute workout gear sways my decision? Priorities!

    • Tess says:

      Definitely nothing wrong with being inspired by the cute outfits - I know I am! And yes, you should! I was surprised by how challenging some of the classes are - I feel like I benefit more from yoga than from running!

  6. Jenn says:

    This is such a cool idea! I was expecting maybe “YouTube” or something as your way of getting free yoga. But I love this even more! What a great way to help out a studio that probably needs some extra support in exchange for free classes. It makes me wonder if studios by me have similar options…

    • Tess says:

      Thanks so much Jenn! Yes, it’s a great program and the people who work at the studio are really nice as well 🙂 I’m sure it’s worth checking out !!

  7. Kathleen says:

    I have tried yoga several times, the problem is that my mind tend to wander and I feel just as stressed as I was when I started 🙁

    • Tess says:

      Thanks for reading Kathleen! It takes time to be able to get your mind to focus. I find that a more challenging class usually helps me to focus more because I have to concentrate on what I’m doing as opposed to just going through the motions. Hope that helps!

  8. nlampert says:

    I’d never heard of Energy Exchange before, that’s a great idea! I’m a Toronto Blogger too so I’ll have to check out Yoga Tree 🙂

    Nellwyn | http://www.thecardinalpress.com

    • Tess says:

      That’s amazing Nellwyn! I do the energy exchange at the Bay and Dundas location so say Hi if you see me around 🙂

  9. That’s such a great idea! Glad you’re able to afford and enjoy your yoga practice at a studio you love 🙂

  10. Hey Delia says:

    I’ve been thinking about starting yoga. I’m not sure if I can find progams like this on my country but I will try to find out. 🙂

    • Tess says:

      That’s a great idea Delia! It’s definitely worth checking or approaching a studio about!

  11. Kerry says:

    I love this post! What a great way to help people get the benefits that yoga provides.

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