Well, hello there.
Online yoga, and I'm not talking about YouTube/pre-recorded content here, has so many benefits. I'm talking about yoga through Zoom/Teams (or any other of the many online conferencing software packages). We're living in a world that experienced a lot of lockdowns and restrictions, so a new method of practising yoga has been birthed into the mainstream. I teach one online class per week and I love it.
If you'd ask me, on the 1st July 2019, when I started teaching that online would be in my future, I would have strongly disagreed. However, I've seen so many great advantages to it so let's begin...
1. Ease & Comfort
You get to practise in the comfort of your own home. You get to experience all of the non-movement like settling yourself, getting comfortable, deep breathing and relaxation. This is amazing because most people spend a lot of time trying to set up the perfect space for this stuff to happen, but once you practise online you know that you can access this within the realm of your own home, as it is. You get to pull in all your favourite props that work for you like plush blankets and padded cushions.
2. No Pressure
You are the captain of the ship. The teacher acts as a navigator and that's about it. You get full decision-making power in what you decide to do and don't do. You can turn off all that external pressure that we shouldn't but all succumb to, of what the person in front/next to us are doing on the mat. We get to switch off from the 'how come they can do it but I can't'. Once again, this is an overwhelming powerful skill to be able to turn around and be okay if saying this isn't for me all in the comfort of your own home.
3. Community
You still maintain a community. This could be the feeling that you're not alone when you're mentally swearing at your teacher because they've just said 5 more breaths in eagle pose or the chat before and after class. There's still a sense of community like you're all in the same room together. This is one of the things that draws a lot of people into yoga and that's maintained even though you're online.
4. Time
A reduced amount of racing around or waiting about. I've always found that in-person classes mean you're 45 minutes early and sat in some dark car park or you're racing from work directly to the venue to get there on time. With online classes, you can get home, relax and slowly prepare yourself for the class. The most special part is when the class finishes and you can head straight to your sofa/bed and relax some more without the drive.
5. Location
Location is a great perk in two ways. Firstly, you're no longer location dependant. You can attend that class with your teacher even if you're away on business, seeing family in another place or away from your home in anyway. Secondly, you can access new and familiar teachers regardless of where you are. It's been a wonderful transition in the yoga teaching world - for example, I've been able to access trainings that I wouldn't have been able to before March 2020.
Do you think I've missed anything? If you do, let me know! I will be continuing with online classes going into the future because of the reasons above.
Great to see you here
Sam
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