Hello! The difficult times of the pandemic and the forced isolation at home put each person before a choice: adapt and discover new possibilities in the current conditions or remain alone with their fear and discouragement. Yoga online is no exception.
Today, many fitness clubs and private instructors have switched to online training, and there are several reasons for this:
- First of all, not to lose business. The pandemic forced the business to adapt to online, and if you look at it from a different angle, it did not force it, but opened up new lines of business and opportunities;
- Second, so as not to lose contact with customers. The trainees online continue to train with their instructor, keep in shape, and keep in touch;
- Third, so that the instructors themselves do not lose form, professional skills and maintain discipline.
Yoga is no exception – online yoga is becoming more and more popular in difficult times of quarantine and self-isolation.
In this article I will tell you about the features of online yoga, as well as describe what you need to start practicing.
Yoga online. Peculiarities of classes at home.
The key to an effective and, most importantly, safe online yoga practice, and its most important component, is the correct adjustment of asanas (poses).
This is where the main features of online yoga lie.
Remote classes
The group members (students and the instructor) are not physically close to each other, so the instructor is not able to come up and correct the student’s hands.
That is why a professional online yoga instructor will explain in great detail during the class how to correctly adjust asanas, which muscles have to be involved, how they have to feel when they are performed correctly, what you have to pay attention to, he/she points out the correct angles of bending and stretching, reminds about the traumatic elements of the practice.
In the offline format the instructor does not pay so much attention to the pronunciation of exercises, because he sees the students and at any moment can make a comment, come up and tweak the asana of the practitioner with his hands.
Many yoga asanas are traumatic if performed incorrectly, so choose an experienced online yoga instructor responsibly and follow his instructions carefully.
Student responsibility and discipline.
As an extension of the first point, in online yoga the responsibility of the practitioner and his self-discipline become especially important.
As an online yoga practitioner it is important not only to listen to the instructor, but also to listen to the feelings in your body and not to force yourself! Remember that yoga is about love, not violence.
Let’s move on to discipline. In offline yoga the student is in front of the teacher and in front of other practitioners in a designated space for the class.
In online yoga, the student is on their own and their level of self-discipline is tested. It takes determination and diligence to “get off the couch” in a relaxing home atmosphere, pick yourself up, and begin the workout.
Online sport is a real test of a person’s self-discipline.
The use of improvised materials.
Sometimes, in order to complicate or diversify yoga practice, the instructor suggests using sports equipment: belts, bricks, bolsters, wheels, hammocks and so on.
Such equipment is designed to weight the workout, increase the depth of the asanas, or vice versa, to soften and lighten the position.
When we come to a yoga club we have access to all the tools we need. At home, as a rule, the practitioner does not have such an arsenal.
But an experienced online yoga instructor will find a way out and suggest that you use the equipment that is in every home. For example, at my online yoga practices I suggest that students use a closed bag of groats as inventory. The density and shape of the bag is ideal for gently and non-traumatic adjustment to the yoga practitioner’s body.
Yoga online. What do I need in order to start practicing?
In order to do yoga at home comfortably, you need to organize your own space. The good news is that you don’t need much to do yoga online:
Quiet comfortable place.
In yoga there’s a lot about relaxation and paying attention to your body and what you’re feeling. So the first thing you need to set up is a quiet, comfortable place to practice.
If you don’t live alone(-s)-warn your family that you’re going to have online yoga and arrange with them not to be disturbed or distracted by anything during the practice. Most questions can be postponed for the duration of the class.
The size of the place to practice yoga.
Since traditional yoga consists of relatively smooth, moderately dynamic and static asanas – you do not need a large space to practice, just provide yourself a free space of 1.5×2 meters.
Inventory
If you have to do yoga without the use of special sports equipment, you will need online practice to start:
- Yoga mat. A simple 4-5 mm mat will do for a beginner, mass-market price: 330-700 rubles. Alternative: a plaid or a blanket. I do not recommend practicing on the bare floor because of its hard surface: it traumatizes knee joints; or on the carpet, because its lint is tactilely quite rigid and will cause unpleasant feelings at the points of contact with the body.
- TV, computer/laptop or Mobile Device
Viewing online yoga on a TV is the most convenient option, because you are in full size, clearly see the instructor’s asana performance.
A laptop/computer gets second place because of the screen area.
And the phone, for obvious reasons, is in third place, although it is the most popular to use in online training.
Comfortable breathable clothes. The advantage of online yoga at home is that you do not need special sports clothes. You can practice, conditionally, in a robe or without everything (this, by the way, is a separate direction of yoga). The main thing is to provide yourself with freedom of movement and breathable material, if the training turns out to be quite intense.
So, we’ve broken down the basics and key points you need to know about online yoga at home.
Online yoga is a great opportunity to diversify your leisure time, improve your health and rejuvenate your body, get rid of stress and discover new facets of your mind and body.
