In stark contrast to the majority of teachers out there, my courses are by donation. But why would anyone do that?
Short answer
Well, it’s not my business to know your financial situation.
Nor do you know what this very different approach will be like before you begin. So honestly, how would you know what it’s worth ahead of time?
It’s just easier and more fair to ask for a donation at the end of the meditation course. Whatever is right for you is right for me, and don’t worry, there’s no wrong amount. There isn’t even a so-called “suggested donation” either.
If this approach seems odd, let’s consider that it should be more humane in our culture not to deny someone the best education because of some arbitrarily determined value.
This approach is not about affordability, but rather humanity.
How it works is at the end of the course, I’ll say, “the cost is whatever it’s worth to you combined with what works for you financially.”
You’ll sit with it and you’ll just know what is the right amount is for you.
Even though the process will be unusual, it will be easy and feel good because there is no wrong amount.
Recently, I have added an optional fixed fee for people who are made too uncomfortable by this prospect. So you have two options to pay: donation or set fee.
Long answer
First of all, I’m confident that you will get more out of my course than you’re expecting. You’ll reconnect you back to the stillness of your soul in a counter-intuitive way and it’ll feel great. So I am not afraid that people will think less of me for saying that “I teach by donation”.
Secondly, after teaching for over 20 years, I’ve found that whatever price I list a course at, there will be someone for whom that is out of reach.
Or there will be another who sees it as indicating it is of too little value—especially when comparison shopping with more mainstream forms of meditation.
They’ll think, "Why should I do this if celebrity-endorsed ‘Meditation Brand Z' costs more and promises more?" <*cough* TM *cough*>
I have since decided that I do not want to play that game. Nor work that hard.
This kind of manipulation marketing is just not for me:
- a long sales page with repetitive, slickly-crafted sales copy
- big, emotional “INVEST NOW!” buttons
- spiritual-heavy enticements
- lofty credentials
- a laundry list of vague claims
- a HIGH price tag with mystery numbers like $777 or $3,333 that tell you those numbers are 100% made up out of thin air
Even though those define the “industry” standard, I feel it all indicates a lack of trust in the offering.
Along the way, I finally decided that I want to be simple and clean and not have to play an elaborate marketing game to convince you of some nebulous fantasy.
The results should speak for themselves. You should like it so much that you will want to tell your friends.
This new approach works best for everyone. We both get to keep our dignity, and you can pay what works best for your current financial situation, if that’s what you choose. It’s a win-win.
Humane is good. Simple is good.