This is a bit of a change to my usual post – more a top tips type post – really hoping it will be useful nonetheless!
Since COVID online yoga has become a staple offering within the industry. I certainly wouldn’t have my early riser yoga club without it. There was lots of debbie doubters at the beginning, but love it or loathe it, it’s here to stay.
I’ve had a couple of chats with people recently about how to get the most out of a Zoom yoga class and I thought some ‘top tips’ might also be useful here too.
1) Arrive early: Give yourself at least 5 mins to join the class and check your tech is working. Can you can hear and see everything OK? Also, have a little stretch up overhead to check you have enough room to move.
2) Connect with the teacher: As a teacher I am really keen to know how you’re feeling, any aches or pains? What kind of day have you had so far?
3) Less is more: Get rid of anything on your screen you don’t need during the class. On Zoom keep it to ‘Speaker View’ and not much else. You’ll notice in the top r/h corner you can minimise everyone else in the class. You’ll also notice you have the option to minimise yourself should you so wish: Although it can be useful for checking alignment, it might be worth playing about with this. Do you need to see yourself on screen? If not, you might find yourself more focussed on the yoga & more present in your body.
4) Mute yourself: As a rule I usually mute everyone in the class once we’ve all settled in. This means if your four-year-old comes into the room, or your dog starts barking, or the doorbell rings, or one of the million other reasons there may be background noise, you won’t be worried you’re causing a distraction. Also…
5) Shout up if you need help: unmute yourself and let your teacher know what’s going on. It’s what they are there for.
6) If at all possible try to set it up so you won’t be disturbed during the class: You’ll find it easier to stay with your body & breath & reap more energetic benefits too.
7) Don’t worry if your WiFi fails you: Just take a breath and log back in.
8) (and most important) Work with the body you have on the day: One of the bonuses about Zoom is that you won’t feel the need to keep up with Bendy Wendy on the next mat. So, relax, enjoy & make the class your own.
Any other tips? Would love to hear them in the comments.