I left San Francisco in January of 2006 to teach journalism in Guatemala City. I came home nearly a year later, happy to return to our beautiful city, my wonderful friends, breathably clean air … and $18 yoga classes. What?

I thought: Stay calm. Be present. Breathe deeply.

But, $18?

Yoga class prices had skyrocketed. And they haven't come down since. There's no easy way around it. The teachers need to make money and the owners do, too, since their rents keep going up. But some students just can't afford it. Even with class passes, yoga classes can cost a student $50+ a week, which is $200 month, which is … well, a lot.

This is why I love the idea of donation-based yoga. You pay what you can when you can and, more often than not, everybody wins. People who have more, pay more. People who have less, pay less. If all or part of your income is freelance (like mine), you might pay $10 for a class one week, and $20 the next. It just works out.

There was a time when donation-based yoga was only in small pockets of the city, but the trend has hit its stride. The Sun Room at Mission Yoga (pictured above) is actually ALL donation-based, and its studio manager, Eben Ostergaard, said that the model works really well. While teachers have to do more legwork to promote themselves, those with a steady student base can actually make more money than they otherwise would. Teachers also have more autonomy and independence. Yoga to the People in Berkeley is another donation-based studio, and there are lots of other pay-what-you-can classes throughout the Bay Area. Below are a few on my radar. Please write in and share others that you know about!

Where: The Sun Room at Mission Yoga (3rd Floor)
Location: The Mission
Classes: All labeled "Sun Room" on the schedule
Time: Various
Type of Yoga: Hatha, Vinyasa, AcroYoga, Naked Men's Yoga
* Read my blog on Jeremy Simon's AcroYoga class here.

Where: Yoga to the People
Location: Berkeley
Classes: All of them!
Time: Various
Type of Yoga: Hatha and Candle-lit

Where: Grace Cathedral and James Howell Studio
Location: Nob Hill and Noe Valley
Teacher: Jamie Lindsay
Time: Various
Type of Yoga: Intro Flow/Iyengar-based and Kundalini Flow
* Read my recent blog on Jaime here.

Where: The Mindful Body
Location: Pacific Heights
Teacher: Sean Feit
Time: Tuesdays, 7:30-9pm
Type of Yoga: Pranayama and Meditation
Read last year's blog on Sean here.

Where: San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, Transgender Center
Location: Lower Market
Teachers: Guru Tera Singh and Adesh Singh
Time: Thursdays, 7-8:30pm
Type of Yoga: Kundalini

Where: Rudramandir
Location: Berkeley
Teacher: Christopher Tompkins
Time: Wednesdays, 5:30-7:30pm, Oct. 1 through Nov. 12
Type of Yoga: Tantrik Yoga Philosophy
* Read my recent blog on Christopher's class here.

Where: Piedmont Yoga Studio
Location: Piedmont
Teacher: Yolanda Vazquez.
Time: Wednesdays, 12pm-1pm
Type of Yoga: Yoga for a Cause (proceeds are donated to a number of different charitable
organizations)