Yoga to the People is not like most yoga studios. It doesn’t take credit cards. Students don’t sign waivers. There are no 10-class passes, and no class levels. It’s all part of Greg Gumucio’s desire to remove the obstacles that keep people from experiencing the benefits of having a regular yoga practice .
Potem ko je imel v Seattlu v lasti več vročih joga studiev, je Gumucio videl, da visoki stroški rednih tečajev joge cenijo potencialne študente. Navdušen z učitelj moči joge Bryan Kest, čigar priljubljeni studii v Santa Monici v Kaliforniji že več kot desetletje zagotavljajo jogo, ki temelji na donaciji, je Gumucio leta 2006 odpiral jogo v Manhattanovo vzhodno vasi. Svoje sposobnosti, da plačujejo, pa se po hoje po hoje, ki hodijo po svojih pretokih. Kljub neortodoksnemu poslovnemu načrtu so bili donacijski razredi uspešni: kar 500 študentov na dnevno vadbo na lokaciji v New Yorku, Gumucio pa je lani odprl drugo lokacijo v Berkeleyju v Kaliforniji.
Preprost model osvobodi Gumucio, da se osredotoči na poučevanje, in ugotovil je, da ima velik vpliv na študente. Z modelom, ki temelji na donaciji, so ljudje tako hvaležni za prostor; Gumucio pravi, da so v tem stanju hvaležnosti in resnično spremeni njun odnos v studio.
Classes are undeniably crowded at Yoga to the People, but Gumucio believes that the more, the merrier. While the students don’t get the kind of personal attention from a teacher that they might in a more intimate setting, practicing in a large, varied group has its benefits. With every level in one class, says Gumucio, students can look around the room and see how a pose progresses. In addition, big classes teach students how to find their focus amid distractions. There’s this level of chaos—you’ve got people breathing next to you and the music playing—and we are continually inviting people to find peace in the midst of that chaos. If you can find it there, you can find it anywhere.
A populist approach is a key part of the model, and Gumucio insists that the success of Yoga to the People is not about him, but about being in the right place at the right time to help supply the overwhelming need for accessible yoga. Gumucio wants students to come to class because they love yoga, not a specific teacher. I’ve seen people lose a teacher and then give up their practice and the sense of community they had, he says. For that reason, class schedules at Yoga to the People never include the instructors’ names.
V jogi je veliko blagovne znamke osebnosti, ki nisem proti, vendar mislim, da obstaja še en način bivanja, kjer vsi čutijo občutek lastništva v studiu in vsi se počutijo kot del izkušnje. Ta formula resnično govori o nečem močnem pri ljudeh.
