The Yoga of Slow Re-calibration

In this difficult economy, people are turning to interesting options, including work-study programs involving Yoga- the NYT has an interesting article, "Hard Times Are Jamming the Ashrams." Apparently "..The Himalayan Institute is one of many retreats where cash-strapped spiritual seekers can participate in work-study programs in which they pay typically $300 to $900 a month in exchange for a few hours a day of service, like washing dishes, cleaning rooms or weeding gardens. As the unemployment rate has risen and people have sought refuge from the harsh economy, these work-exchanges have become a hot commodity. The Himalayan Institute received twice as many applications for its summer work-study programs this year as last — its August session is full, with 22 people, compared with 11 last year — and so did two similar retreats, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in Carmel Valley, Calif., and Satchidananda Ashram in Buckingham, Va. (which is better known as Yogaville). The people who run these programs say there seems to be a link between the troubled job market and the rising popularity of yoga retreats. Todd Wolfenberg, director of marketing at the Himalayan Institute, said he has seen an increase in applications from recent college graduates and people with professional careers. “I suspect that is due to the fact that they haven’t been able to find a job after college or are leaving a job,” he said. The center has traditionally attracted people whose lives permit extended time off, like writers and entrepreneurs. Yoga retreat programs can be as short as an overnight visit to Ananda Ashram in Monroe, N.Y., or can last for months or even years..."

As this writer has stated many times, wages have to come down significantly and people's expectations of lifestyles has to be recalibrated as well. While the Yoga story above provides one data point, another comes in the form of an announcement that "..The Boston Newspaper Guild overwhelmingly approved a new contract Monday night that gives the Globe's owner, The New York Times Co., $10 million in annual concessions, including a salary reduction of nearly 6 percent, unpaid furloughs, a pension freeze and the elimination of lifetime job guarantees for approximately 170 employees..."