Have You Ever Been Stuck in a Toss up Between Studio Classes Versus Online Yoga Classes?
I taught yoga from my studio for eighteen years and then during the Covid pandemic I transitioned to Online Classes, as did so many studios all across the globe.
Let me start from a yoga teacher’s perspective. I think it is incredible! Online Yoga gives me the flexibility to travel anytime and yet keep my classes going. Earlier whenever I travelled I used to shut down my studio. I remember I would travel from India to the US every year and during this time the studio was closed and there was a big lull in the yoga routine. Of course in a multiple teacher studio setup, this would not be a problem but mine is a one person show, ‘Yoga With Sapna’ – a class format and routine developed by me over the years.
This advantage of continuing classes while on the go, travelling within and out of your country, extends to the students as well. I have students spread across different countries. The students in my class have become adept at keeping their Online travel kit ready to pack at all times. These would be very small items like yoga pants, top, eye shades and a lightweight travel yoga mat (depending on destination) Yoga mats are usually provided in hotels.
Most of the time one would be doing the Online Class from one’s own home. This gives one the opportunity of creating one’s own yoga space; keeping one’s yoga props in a systematic way and making it a pleasing & inspiring place to practice in; so that one is eagerly looking forward to being there regularly. One student shared with me how she has a picture of her favourite deity in this space and how she places fresh flowers and lights a candle in front of her deity’s image every morning and this in itself is like a meditation practice for her, keeping her centered.
My online classes include regular meditation as well. A significant advantage of my online yoga classes is that, as the positive vibrations of a steady, growing meditation practice lodge in this space, this area becomes sacred, getting charged with positivity and this in turn will help deepen our practice.
The convenience of Online Yoga Classes is unbeatable. Being able to get on with an effective exercise programme from the comfort of our own homes is such a boon! With a simple click on our laptops, our class begins! Imagine if we were enrolled in a studio class and it was a very rainy day. I would likely miss my class or not want the discomfort of stepping out on a sloshy day. Or then imagine that we had a late night and are just not able to make it in time for our designated class. No such roadblocks with Online classes. In “Yoga With Sapna” Online classes one has the option of attending the live class, where I have all students visible on an enlarged screen (i can interact with them as well) or then one has the option of doing the class later with the class recording at a time suitable for us. I have the recording link active for a full week and then it is taken down.
A relatively new student shared with me how she searched for Online Yoga Classes in Gurgaon, found my class and after being with me for a couple of months made an observation of how she experienced the ‘group energy’ with fellow students attending the live Online class. She noted that although one may be physically practicing alone at home, one is not truly alone. Others are following the same class simultaneously, guided by the same yoga teacher and one has the option of setting one’s computer screen to viewing only the teacher or then everyone attending the class as well or then toggling between the two. These options make the class interactive.
Some students have told me how they have their computers attached to their large screen televisions and so the yoga class is suddenly expanded right into your full room, making it all the more interactive.
Joining a group yoga physical/studio class may sometimes make us feel self-conscious, especially if we are new to yoga. We worry about how we look in certain poses, feel conscious of our flexibility, and even compare ourselves to others. But when you join an online class, it’s a whole different story! Here, you can keep observing the teacher while you turn off your video image, if you need more privacy and peace when trying certain poses.
In an Online class, the teacher does the entire class while observing live students. This is motivating for students. In studio classes, the teacher mostly walks up and down instructing, but rarely doing the postures and routines alongside.
Online classes provide us the opportunity to re-watch the same class. In my Online classes, the class recording is available for a full week before it is taken down. During this week one can see or do the class multiple times. This really helps us progress in our practice.
Time is of the utmost essence. Time spent commuting to a yoga studio is eliminated as we choose Online Yoga Classes. In the modern world, commuting and parking expenses can be an irritant, as we all know.
In Conclusion
yoga is for everyone. My classes are conducted in English. All persons from English speaking countries, do join up. A shoutout to Delhi people who suffer from severe traffic problems. Start attending Online Yoga Classes in Delhi with Yoga With Sapna today and experience a very rewarding yoga journey with me. I love yoga. It keeps me energized, strong and fit.. give it a try and be surprised with the amazing benefits.