As a yoga and massage therapist, the lockdown restrictions and social (physical) distancing has meant a sudden change to my business and personal life, as it has for everyone. But the rise in stress, anxiety, worry and low moods among the general public means that sharing things like calming breathing techniques, mindful movement and mindfulness practices is very important.
At the start of the lockdown I spent a while researching all the options for online yoga classes. Some teachers bravely jumped in straight away. Some have decided online teaching is not for them, for various reasons. Each response is right for that yoga teacher.
I had the time and love doing research, so I signed up to lots of yoga webinars, joined the new Facebook groups, and learnt more than I needed to know about microphones! I started taking online yoga classes with local and further away teachers who I hadn’t seen for a while, which is nice.
I also had the time to finally research, choose and set up an online booking and payment platform, which I’d been meaning to do for a year and a half. I can use this in the future for massage bookings and my yoga classes so it’s been a good investment of time.
I started delivering online yoga classes during the Easter weekend. My current schedule involves different types of classes to suit different needs. This includes free 30 minute sessions within a private Facebook group that anyone can request to join, and my ‘Dumfries’ full-length regular yoga classes but in an online setting, again open to all. At the time of writing I am deciding about adding some more classes e.g. 45 minute lunchtime class.
What’s been lovely is that friends and family from across the UK have been able to join my classes, as have some people who came to my yoga classes when I lived in Wales. As a result, I can see me keeping some of the online yoga, even if/when we are able to deliver studio-based classes or 1-2-1 sessions – a hybrid yoga teacher.
And whilst fellow yoga teacher Kerry Riddell and myself couldn’t run our retreat in May, we created a free online package for those who had booked onto the retreat, so that they could enjoy something at home instead.
Online yoga is not for everyone though, and they are a different experience, which I’ve noticed as both a teacher and a participant. But I believe they’re a great option for many.
Although I have been able to offer digital yoga, online massage is more of a challenge! Some therapists have been offering personal sessions giving self-massage techniques so contact your local salon or individual therapist to see what they are offering.
Alyson Tyler
Holistic Yoga and Massage
