ok, well, let us put this shit to perspective do you 'have to pay' to go to church? God no, people do 'cause they want to. They feel compelled to. Whatever it is- it is not manditory, but they do. Yoga is the same. It costs nothing. You pay the price with your karma and liberate your soul. So we have to get yoga beyond this measley imitation of a frickin' gym workout. Yoga is so much more than a religious experience, so much less than a gym workout. LIke my wording? A little mind bender always helps. Perspective. Yoga is free. If you are required to pay for yoga, your fucked. There is no requirement. Now, if you want real glamorous yoga, if you want your teaching to be integrated in the shitstem, then a mandatory set fee is required. That's fine. But remember all the people going to church for free, and wonder if your really getting it.
I have gotten many free yoga classes. The best was some sadhana I did with the great and wise Siri Gian Singh, which actually means the great and wise. LoL. He only lead our 4am sadhana group once a week and three other teachers took turns the rest of the week, but even being in the same class as him was an absoluterly invaluable asset. I am talking about a man who can merely walk into a room and give off waves of radiation of peace and happiness and sublime motivation. THe other great free classes I had, and sadhana is always free anyway, like church, but the other free oens were a glamorous traditional yoga studio setting, were free 'cause I worked at the studio and me taking the classes was part of my continued training. What a blessing! My teacher then was symbolically named 'heart chakra', Anahata.