A Year of Streaming
The pandemic has forever impacted the way yoga is taught. I was fortunate to be a teacher at three local studios that kept classes on their schedule when the lockdown mandate went into effect. Studio owners had to quickly pivot to online streaming which was exceptionally challenging to set up and manage. Many studios chose not to stream for various reasons, and in some cases, studios had to close their doors. There was a great deal of pain and uncertainty in our communities. Over the course of the pandemic, applications and platforms adjusted to this new kind of offering. Teachers then had to pivot, as well. Although I always felt studio owners gave me the choice, there was a sudden expectation to stream and record every yoga class. This was especially true for teachers worried about giving up a precious spot on a studio schedule in the future.
At first, students were filling up the online classes like crazy. It was a way for us all to see each other and connect in a time when that was lost. We did not know how long it would be this way, but the energy sustained for weeks. Teachers were offering simpler classes that had profound effects. It was beautiful to see our community show up for one another this new way. We were all still figuring it out but doing it together.
However, as the pandemic progressed, many students stopped showing up to the virtual classes. Classes got smaller and people almost always had their videos off. As an instructor, I would sometimes be teaching to an entire group with no participant video feed. This way of teaching went against everything I had ever learned about leading yoga instruction. I couldn’t engage with students by making eye contact or observing their movements. I couldn’t have organic discourse during class. I couldn’t get off my mat because I had to move through the whole class. I grieved this change from in-studio classes to online classes.
Moving through the class while teaching also negatively impacted my body. I definitely played a role in that problem because I didn’t always warm up before teaching. On a typical day, I would get done with work around 5 PM and then take care of my dog before having to set up to teach. I noticed I would hold my breath as I attempted to get words out while flowing through postures. It is a very different experience than when you’re focused on your mat, practicing, and breathing in your own rhythm.
There were also some notable benefits streaming classes from home. I could rest easy knowing I was keeping my community and myself safe. There was no stress about being in a studio risking transmission by breathing in suboptimal ventilated spaces. I got a break from commuting around town to the three different studios. Finally, I initiated a home practice because I had to find space in my small home to stage for streaming.
I was surprised that I experienced monumental growth in the area of sequencing a yoga class. I think this was due to being thrown into the live-streaming. I always needed my notes at the foot of my mat just in case I forgot where we were headed or if I blanked. If this shift wasn’t forced on me, I would have never given up my notes. Since I was planning sequences and moving through them in tandem with teaching, I learned how to embody the practice in a different way. I never use notes now and have a better time aligning with the flow of the class.
Soon studios opened their doors again and every teacher jumped into a hybrid format of in-person and virtual classes. This was yet another change that created so many hurdles. In my experience, it is difficult to be fully present for both the in-person and virtual groups. It is also a constant challenge to change the teaching habits or patterns I picked up the past year being virtual. I was so used to flowing while I taught that when I was in front of people again, I forgot my marks walking around the room. This is an adjustment I am still working on.
In the present day, most studios are still offering a hybrid format, and some have abandoned it. I am teaching a couple hybrid classes a week because I love having this option for students who cannot be in the room for whatever reason. I do not want to give up on the accessibility it provides. However, in my honest truth, being able to teach a class without streaming is supreme. It is hard to say where yoga will go in the next decade, but we know virtual classes are staying whether they are live or recorded. Soon, I think that most teachers will be expected to be virtual content creators. There is time to assess your opinion on this and it’s an interesting experiment. At least for now, I am open to change because I have conquered it before — we all have in our own way.
