For the past 32 years, Anne Marie Davies has supported herself and her family by teaching yoga. A divorced mother with five children, at times it has been a struggle.
Currently, she teaches classic yoga – for mind, body and spirit – at venues that include Lakeside Retirement residence and the Town of Innisfil.
But seven years ago, she was approached by another divorced mom with kids. “She said she wished she could afford yoga,” said Davies. It was a comment that resonated with her, and led to her decision to offer Yoga classes in Innisfil for only $5 per class.
The local Innisfil Lions Club offered her the use of the Innisfil Lions Hall in downtown Alcona. And every Wednesday night, for the past seven years, Davies has continued to offer $5 Yoga classes in the hall.
The $5 classes are offered in fall, winter and speing sessions; during the summer, the cost goes up to $7 per class – still affordable.
“I could be doing something else and making money,” Davies admits, “but I kept it open for the people” – and because, she said, “I love yoga.”
Some of her students have been coming since the classes began.
“I come every week. I don’t miss it,” said Chrissy. “I do it all year round.” The classes provide her with a sense of “calm, peacefulness. It really helps give focus, how to compartmentalize things in my life.”
Fellow student Sandra has been living in Alcona for the past six years, and commuting daily to a job in Toronto. She only discovered the yoga classes a year and a half ago. Now, she said, “I come to every class. It has changed my whole outlook.”
She added, “This is my place to come in the middle of the week,” to decompress from the daily commute.
“We’re made of sound and light,” Davies told a recent yoga class at the Lions Hall. The lights were dimmed, music played in the background and the scent of incense filled the room, as Davies led nearly a dozen students through classic yoga exercises in stretching, breathing, and awareness.
The final class of 2019 takes place on Dec. 18. Classes will resume on Jan. 8, with the start of a winter session (Jan. 8 to April 8). Beginners Class runs from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Open Flow from 7 to 8 p.m., and Meditation class from 8:15 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Lions Hall, 982 Innisfil Beach Road.
The full session is $70, which works out to only $5 per class; drop-in price is $12 for a single class. Click here for details or to register, or call 705-431-6946.
Not everyone is aware that there is an affordable, open yoga class offered right in the heart of Innisfil, in Alcona. “People think, ‘I need to go to Barrie, I need to go to the city’,” Davies said. “A lot of people don’t know I’m here,” and don’t think of Alcona as a centre for yoga.
The classes will continue to be offered at the hall, as long as there is interest, open to “whoever wants to come in,” she said. And the affordable price will continue.
Seven years ago, Davies prayed for a solution for the single mom who couldn’t afford yoga classes – and was inspired to offer the $5 classes. “I’m under divine order,” she said with a smile.
