Teaching Yoga Online

Are you still considering teaching yoga online?

Maria Jones of Yuva Yoga talks about her experience of teaching yoga online:

Times have changed and the world seems a bit different right now. It’s almost a year since COVID hit and changed our lives.

As a yoga teacher I had no choice but to simply change the way I taught yoga. Social distancing was already in place in March 2020 when I decided to move my chair yoga training from a beautiful venue in Edinburgh to online.

Ordered lights, a microphone and set up my space within a week, while preparing presentations workbooks and practices that suited our new setting. I had no choice, it was happening. I was on a mission to not let anyone down; I tackled technology and went on a zoom crash course. It was worth it!

I was not as brave when it came to teaching weekly classes online though and many had the same reservations as myself:

• Will my students be safe?
• Will they engage?
• Are they not tired of being in front of a screen all day?
• The classes will never be as effective
• Simply can’t face it.

This worthwhile thinking process and steep learning (tech) curve was something other yoga teachers also endured. They faced tech fears, inhibitions and false beliefs and took the plunge to the online teaching world.

Nearly a month after lockdown, on the 8th of April I also found myself in front of the camera teaching again and feeling rather good about it; I still am…

Teaching online a year later

Almost a year on, it feels like we should be celebrating, but we aren’t. Not only because it would seem vulgar and selfish when the world is suffering, but also because we were doing what simply had to be done:

• working to pay the bills,
• stay connected,
• support the local community,
• help friends and family battle stress and anxiety,
• stay physically and mentally fit and healthy.

Stepping up seemed like the natural thing to do and in so many ways we knew it was worthwhile from the amazing feedback we get from our students.

It felt good to still be of service, to still know we can make a difference.

For some these weekly classes were the highlight of the week, if not only for the sense of normality they provided on both sides of the camera.

They resembled nothing of the regular classes but that was ok. It was normal to see washing hanging in the background, pets doing their best to get in the way, kids walking in uninvited…

It’s normal to also feel amazing after each class… I am simply thrilled that zoom gods play along each week and that my students show up.