We are very proud to offer donation-based yoga in our Wellness Center at Acadia Yurts. This approach to yoga is out of norm in the mainstream yoga community, however it is gaining traction around the United States as a way to make yoga accessible to more people. We are often asked why we chose a donation-based model and we would like to take this opportunity to explain how we arrived at this decision. While this article explains our yoga philosophy, we are not judging other establishments or yoga teachers who approach yoga differently. We know and highly respect many individuals who make a living teaching yoga and rely on this as their main source of income. When finalizing our service menu, we felt confident the other offerings (massage therapy, infrared sauna & floatation tank) would generate enough income to cover building expenses so that we could offer donation-based yoga with no expectation of income. We honor and appreciate all yoga offerings as a way to share individual gifts with the world and this is our story.
Before attending a yoga teacher training in 2010, Karen practiced yoga in gyms, studios and at home for 10 years. Public yoga classes have always been treasured not only for the physical benefits of moving the body but also the emotional thread that teachers weave into classes. Added to the experience is the power of practicing in community with others. Breathing together, sitting together, moving together creates a feeling of belonging completely unique to practicing in a community space. Yoga is a lifestyle and like all things, it requires disciplined practice.
Since Mount Desert Island is a seasonal town, Karen and Aaron decided to spend their first winter as a couple in Austin, Texas during the offseason. They planned to be away January through April then make their way back to Maine for the following tourist season beginning in May. With 4 months in a new place it was important to Karen to find a yoga community to join. Anytime Karen & Aaron travel one of the first Google searches is yoga studios in the area. In Austin, Karen felt most connected to Black Swan Yoga. Black Swan had regularly scheduled classes/workshops and advertised itself as a donation-based studio. Their classes were offered on a sliding scale with registration ranging from $5-15 per class. You could pay at the studio when you arrived or online to save your mat space. Their teachers were highly trained, classes supported physical and mental balance, and the studio felt inclusive. Black Swan was not the closest studio to their North Austin apartment but it was worth the travel.
A year later Karen & Aaron visited Asheville, North Carolina and felt drawn to another local studio that also advertised itself as donation based. Their model was very similar to the studio in Austin but had an additional statement on their website that indicated class would be free for those who could not afford the suggested donation. The Asheville studio is funded through generous donations from students as well as local businesses and organizations. This model of creating a community space that offered quality instruction but removed the financial stigma that “yoga was only for middle to upper class people” resonated with Karen.
Many moons and studio visits later, the time came for Acadia Yurts to open its new Wellness Center and we had many big decisions to make about how we would price our services. Access to regular self-care is very important to Karen and Aaron and they wanted to price the services so that there is something for everyone, regardless of income. Some may not be able to afford a float or massage because those services begin at $65 and go up to $80 per hour, but everyone could attend yoga if it was donation based. With 2 ongoing weekly classes, locals could access self-care 2 times per week with no financial requirements.
When Karen and Aaron were finalizing the business plan and pricing for the new Wellness Center, they were visiting Colorado and found another donation-based studio. Karen went to the studio with a $20 bill assuming she could pay $15 for a 1-hour class and have $5 left over to grab a coffee. When she checked in at the front desk, the yoga teacher said the suggested donation was $20. Karen had the proper cash and could afford to pay $20 for class although that wasn’t her intention when leaving the house. She loved the studio and the class offering but this experience confirmed that when a “suggested donation” is in place, there is now a pressure on the patron to meet the suggested donation or provide an explanation. To pay less than the suggested donation might cause shame on behalf of the patron and that is a barrier we wanted to avoid when setting our prices at Acadia Yurts. Through all of these experiences with donation-based studios we arrived at the decision that in our space, a donation-based payment would mean you give what you can comfortably, with no expectation or suggestion from the establishment.
Our goal is to make yoga accessible to all members of the community, regardless of their income. To maintain your privacy, our check in process is a small booklet to sign your name and a heart shaped box where you leave your donation. You sign yourself in, you put your donation directly into the box and we have no idea what amount of money you left. While Karen is often sitting behind the desk to greet you, there is not exchange of money from your hands to her, thus no judgement about your donation amount. Your donation could be a $1 bill or a $20 bill and when they are folded and tucked into the box, they look the same from our side of the desk. No questions, no judgment, you come as you are and leave what you can!
When opening the Wellness Center at Acadia Yurts, we made a commitment to our community to support its people by offering self-care services that were reasonably priced so you, the patron, could feel comfortable accessing the services more often. Like all things, if you practice self-care once or twice a year it feels good and reduces stress, but regular access is when transformation happens. It is with regular observation and exploration that we learn about our bodies, study the acquired habits that previously kept us safe and let go of the mental weight that creates stress and sickness. Yoga and mindfulness are muscles, just like biceps; working them once feels good but if you want to see lasting results, they need regular work. At $12-30 per class that routine maintenance adds up quickly. Our bodies are simultaneously intelligent, resilient and delicate so they need continual nurturing to move through our experiences so we can perform at our best.
When all is said and done, your bills are paid and your family is fed, you may have only $20 to spend on your health for the month. We would rather you come to 10 yoga classes and pay $2 than feel limited to one $20 class. Those 10 classes have the potential to reduce chronic pain, strengthen your immune system, promote better sleep and more; plus, our community needs you at your best! Our kids need teachers at their best. Our safety needs first responders/nurses/doctors at their best. Our family, friends, & community members need each of us at our best. Our philosophy is that a regular yoga practice will foster a physically healthy body and mentally balanced person who can contribute more to our community. To us as the owners, that is worth the time/effort it takes to plan and lead ongoing weekly classes, all while maintaining a donation-based yoga offering. The ripple of one person working on themselves can help change a community. Here at Acadia Yurts, we are honored and thrilled to be able to share yoga with you from our humble studio in Southwest Harbor.
Our classes are appropriate for everyone, regardless of yoga experience (i.e. new practitioners are encouraged to attend). We provide all mats and props and we are 100% donation based (with no suggested donation)! Please join us and let’s make lasting change within our community.