Yoga: Frugal Pose…The cheap poser.

After signing up for only a 30-day 30-dollar membership to a yoga studio, I keep getting asked if I plan on continuing to going. Sure, only problem is a membership is over $100 bucks…a month! Yeah, I love going to the studio and all but I don’t love it enough to spend that much money when I’m a college student trying to save as much money as I possibly can. It’s a tough call though - because I love going and feeding off of the positive energy from everyone in the class. Plus, it’s a nice alternative to the cold weather since they crank up the heat! Breaks my heart that it’s going to end soon, but I’ve been thinking of ways to save money while practicing yoga. Don’t get me wrong I love Lululemon Athletica, but you don’t need the fancy clothes, or yoga pads, or water bottles to practice. It’s not like your trying to shave a couple of seconds of your time, or gain a jumping advantage over the girl next to you because of your aerodynamic lulu’s. Let’s be real people, it’s just yoga.

Here are some helpful tips for people looking to practice, but don’t want to break their piggy bank.

Tip 1: Yoga At Home vs. In the Studio

There could be great deals here and there like I found but there is this great thing called YouTube that has millions of videos of yoga routines. Just Fire up your iPad and look for yourself!

Here’s one that I plan on trying…

Tip 2: Yoga Mats

I’ve found that there are multiple pads to choose from, some with brand names others just plan old pads. Honestly, I don’t see a point in spending more than $10 on yoga mat unless you require extra padding for your knees. Target or Walmart have some decent mats that are inexpensive. I don’t doubt the quality and feel is pretty good for higher priced mats, but I’m testing out a cheaper one, and it seems to be doing pretty well.

Tip 3: Towels

So I’ve been seeing these towels that are made for yoga pads to prevent slippage. Great idea and all, but they’re pretty darn expensive. Like I said, I’m not going to knock the product because I haven’t tried it. I’ve found that laying a towel over my mat to be just as useful especially since I sweat so much.

Tip 4: Apparel

You don’t need all the fancy clothes, like lulu, Nike, etc. Wear whatever you want! An old tee shirt, tank top, sports bra, shorts…anything. As long as it’s comfortable and does not bind, go for It. No judgment!

My point is that yoga isn’t about buying all the cool stuff; it’s about the individual experience. Whether you have all the fancy items or not you should give yoga a try!