Zen and the Art of Yoga

Activity: Yoga at the Museum of Fine Arts
Estimated Cost: $54, Yoga Class from Stil Studio $17 + Admission to the MFA $22 + Boston Typewriter Orchestra performance $15
Actual Cost: $0
Savings: $54

I have a strict rule about wearing leggings in public: I don’t. The one exception: while working out or en route to the gym. On a chilly September morning, I showed up at the Museum of Fine Arts clad in leggings and armed with a green yoga mat. Not my usual museum-going attire.

The MFA celebrated the opening of its new Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art with an open house of yoga, Zumba, roving performance artists, and offbeat music. The yoga class, lead by Kevan Gale of Stil Studio and deejayed by DJ Flow Yoga, was incredible. I was wary of a yoga class with a deejay, but the music enhanced the vinyasas nicely. Kevan and two other instructors circulated to correct poses, managing to deliver personal attention to 60+ people.

For many balance poses, it’s easiest to focus on the floor. Normally I have a certain sense of pride when I successfully maintain balance and look up at the ceiling. Normally the studio ceiling is plaster, beams, pipes, and water damage. In the Shapiro Family Courtyard, however, my gaze left the floor, traced up the 42-foot-tall Lime Green Icicle Tower installation by Dale Chihuly, and refocused on the glass ceiling and the cloudy, grey sky beyond.

The only downsides were (1) the omnipresent photographers circling the class snapping unflattering pictures and (2) the employees who seemed dismayed with the invading horde of yogis. Both problems were easy to solve. (1) I refuse to google for pictures, because if I haven’t seen them they don’t exist. (2) I checked my yoga mat in the coat check to alleviate the employees’ obvious concern for sculptures and loosely secured art.

After the class, we were free to wander. I got my first look at the new wing and stumbled upon the Boston Typewriter Orchestra, who alternated songs generated from the various tappings, punchings, and dingings of manual typewriters with white collar humor.

The Cost of Free: Despite the paparazzi and overprotective museum employees, this morning of yoga and art was a once-in-a-lifetime experience! Certainly worth getting up early on a Sunday.

Nailing Down the Craigslist Freebies

Activity: Manicure at T-accessible salon in the Boston suburbs
Estimated Cost: $22, $19 for manicure + $3 for tip
Actual Cost: $3 for tip
Savings: $19

NOTE: Before receiving my free manicure, I signed a waiver that I would not post negative comments about the salon or manicure experience in any social media outlets. My experience was positive, but I have still omitted the name and location of the salon in the interest of honoring the waiver.

Confession time: I check two sections on Craigslist almost everyday: “Missed Connections” and “Free.” "Missed Connections" appeals to my inner romantic, "Free" to my inner cheapskate. I usually scan the freebies for entertainment value and potential furniture upgrades. Last week, something unusual caught my eye: "Free Manicure." According to the post, a suburban salon was offering free manicures as part of a training program. A few emails with a name@salonname.com-type email address later and I had a 10:00am appointment.

The morning of the appointment, I had a moment of panic and called the salon to make sure the whole thing wasn’t a scam. It wasn’t, the receptionist assured me, so I headed out.

At the salon, I checked in with the receptionist, browsed the polishes, and admired the bright, airy atmosphere of the salon. I had settled on Essie's Glamour Purse ("an alluring almond taupe" according to the bottle) when the manicurist came to fetch me. We walked behind the receptionist’s desk, through a narrow kitchen-esque area with sinks and washing machines, up a narrow staircase, and emerged into the windowless employee break room. Between the employee lockers and a kitchenette complete with a lunch table, two small folding tables were set up as mini-manicure stations.

First I signed the waiver (on the "training model" line). I patted myself on the back for receiving compensation for modeling. Then I got my manicure. The manicurist was great. The training leader sat beside us and observed. She critiqued his filing technique, asked me how the hand massage was (great!), and, after a careful inspection, declared the final product “perfect!”

The Cost of Free: A perfect, salon-quality manicure for a fraction of the cost. The setting was little unusual, but it was fun to see behind the scenes. Always be sure to investigate Craigslist offers carefully!