You can set your own price for a yoga class and contribute to charity at the same time. In the true spirit of yogic compassion, Laughing Lotus, a yoga studio in San Francisco's Mission District, offers a donation-based class with "blossoming teachers" every weekday at 2:30.
The discounted rate and the off-prime time slot serve to give newer teachers a low-pressure environment in which to hone their skills, and it gives the community an affordable daily yoga class.
The premise behind donation-based yoga is that you pay what you can. If you can't afford to pay anything at all, that's fine. If you are having a particularly generous day, donate more.
For yoga studios, it's also an opportunity to give back to the community. In the case of Laughing Lotus, the profit from these classes is donated to a different organization each month. This November, the charity recipient is City Harvest, a non-profit organization in New York City that has been working to feed the city's hungry since 1982. (Laughing Lotus's original studio is in New York, and charities alternate between New York and San Francisco based organizations.)
If you're feeling extra inspired to give back, Jasmine (co-founder of Laughing Lotus) also donates the profits from her regularly-priced class on Saturdays at 11am (aptly called Love Saves the Day) to the same charitable organization.
What: Donation-based yoga for charity
Where: Laughing Lotus, 3271 16th Street at Dolores, San Francisco
When: Monday through Friday, 2:30-3:45pm
Cost: Donation
More information: 415.355.1600 or visit Laughing Lotus's web site
More on free or donation-based yoga in the Bay Area:
Donation-based Yoga on the Labyrinth at Grace Cathedral every Tuesday night
Affordable yoga in Fairfax on Sunday mornings
Free yoga class at Lululemon every Wednesday
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