National Yoga Month

I’ve been on a serious yoga kick this week, which is fitting, because today marks the beginning of National Yoga Month.

Why should you care?  Because over 1,500 studios across the U.S. (and Canada, as I was delighted to discover) are offering one week of free yoga throughout September and October. Go to www.yogamonth.org to sign up and find a list of participating studios in your area.

I love me some yoga but it’s not exactly cheap. Annual memberships at most of the studios I’ve been to are about three times as expensive as my GoodLife membership and since I like to mix up my routine, it’s just not worth it for me. So when I find a good yoga deal, you best believe I’m on it.

Unfortunately, this particular deal is limited to new students and I’ve already exhausted my “new student” status at participating studios in my area, but that doesn’t mean I can’t share the news with you guys.

Other ways you can practice yoga regularly without draining your bank account:

• Sign up for intro specials. A lot of studios offer one month of unlimited classes for $20-$30. I’ve managed to keep up a fairly regular yoga practice by studio hopping.
• Check the schedule for karma classes. Many studios offer weekly karma classes taught by a student instructor. All you have to pay is a small donation of $5 (arrive early though – these tend to get crowded).
• Sign up for Groupon and other deal of the day sites. There are tons of deals to be found, not just for yoga classes but other fitness classes as well. Once you purchase one deal, they’ll start sending you more of the same type so you’ll always be in the know about local fitness deals.
• Volunteer. Some studios offer free yoga if you volunteer for an hour a week. Think of it as indentured servitude. This is a great option if you find a studio you really like and want to continue doing classes there after your trial has expired.

Thanks to my current Groupon at The Clarity Centre (and the fact that I was working from home) I managed to get to yoga three times  this week. I really enjoyed every class – all left me feeling light, happy, relaxed and recovered from my other workouts, which included RPM (Monday), a 30-minute run (Tuesday), BodyPump (Wednesday) and Kettlebells (Friday). I’m planning to finish off the week with Yoga Spin this morning.

Enjoy your long weekend!