Pranidhi Varshney founded Yoga Shala West (YSW) “to create an environment for practice that was inclusive to all people, regardless of financial barriers.” She aimed to move away from the transactional and image-driven nature of contemporary yoga, opting instead for an alternative fee structure and community-based social enterprise model. At YSW, “each student is not paying for his or her own practice. Rather, all students are contributing what they can to the community so that all of us may thrive in practice. The fee structure is set up in a flexible manner. In this way, we are moving from transaction to trust.” In this interview, Pranidhi talks about her journey that led to the creation of YSW, and what it takes to build a social enterprise based on inclusiveness rather than just profit. Through all her work, she aims to inspire, provoke, build community, and ultimately touch the heart.
