A Year Ago Today!
It’s hard to believe that it was a year ago today when I opened County Yoga Loft and taught my first Online Zoom Yoga Class. In May 2020, we were all adjusting to the news of the pandemic, and I know I didn’t have a real sense of just how serious things were and, of course, had no idea how the next year would look.
I planned to open my studio to the public in May and felt it would only be delayed for a month. A friend suggested that I try teaching online via Zoom, and since I’d never heard of Zoom, I was initially reluctant but then thought, why not? I also thought this would be short term.
I miss many things about in-person yoga classes; offering hands-on adjustments, assisting with props, playing music, giggling together, drinking endless cups of Bengal Spice Tea, observing the development of friendships, and going out for group lunches after class.
I long for in-person classes yet acknowledge the brilliance of teaching yoga via Zoom. These classes protect all of us from COVID-19, and I can’t imagine teaching yoga in my tiny studio and dealing with physical distancing, masking and the risk of transmission via respiratory droplets, especially when I repeatedly ask students to breathe more deeply.
The other benefits of Zoom classes are that travel, parking, and childcare are no longer barriers to attending classes regularly. The online format provides privacy and creates comfort for individuals that might be too shy to visit a yoga studio.
Zoom has allowed our yoga community to become international with students attending from Picton, Bloomfield, Wellington, Bowmanville, Orono, Erin, Midland, Kitchener, Waterloo, Combermere, Newmarket, Ottawa, Kingston, Durham, Toronto, Edmonton, New York City, Philadelphia and London, England.
Some of my favourite online teaching moments have been when student’s fur babies insist on participating in the yoga class and one time when a student and her week-old baby showed up for a class.
I have more appreciation of yoga’s healing benefits during this unsettling time. Consistent practice will ensure a strong and flexible body. On a deeper level, yoga calms the nervous system, releases muscle tension and stress from our bodies, and trains our minds to become more present so we can deeply connect to our emotions honestly.
To celebrate this 1st anniversary and show my deep appreciation to my students, you can attend a free class from Wednesday, May 5th-Tuesday May 11th. Please invite your family, friends and colleagues to try out a class and ask them to email me at countyyogaloft@gmail.com to obtain the Zoom link.
Link to Facebook Event Page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1577722445950943
See you on the mat!
With deep gratitude,
Anita
