As we say goodbye to lockdowns, there are some things we are keen to keep online. A recent survey shows that for practicing yoga, there are many benefits to online practice.
Live Yoga Teachers
Like many keen yogis, Elodie Gythiel was able to realise the potential of practicing yoga on Zoom during lockdown. Not only did it allow her flexibility of timings, she was able to practice twice as much as before lockdown. And it turns out, she was not alone: 36% of yoga students said they practiced more during lockdown. Before the lockdown, the only yoga classes available online were recorded classes. Lockdown made us discover a new way to practice yoga: livestream yoga. From this, she decided to create Live Yoga Teachers to help teachers organise their livestream classes and for students to attend them.
~50% of Students & Teachers Want to Continue Online Yoga
In a survey conducted last spring, 43% of yoga teachers said they would like to keep teaching on Zoom after lockdown, and 46% of the students said they would like to keep practicing online after lockdown.
Why is livestream yoga going to stay? Yoga is static – compared to any other sports we’ve done in front of a screen during lockdown, yoga is the only one where you are bound by a mat: no running, jumping or moving away from the screen like you could with martial art or dance. Also all you need is a mat, as opposed to the gym where you need expensive and heavy machines to work out.
No Commutes, No Problems
31% of yoga students enjoyed being able to practice without commuting. In a city like London that is very spread out, going to a yoga studio can take 30 to 45 minutes, making it difficult to fit more than 2 to 3 sessions in a (already) busy week. Reducing the time in commuting allows more time for the practice.
Spontaneity, Focus & Dedication
18% of the students like to be able to decide to go to class at the last minute. With teachers managing their own Zoom account and their own classes, students can log on just before the class without having to book ahead or having to even get out of they pyjamas, making classes very easy to attend.
13% of the students said that having a teacher watching them practice helped them get more out of their practice. With livestream yoga you hold poses longer, you keep the momentum with the class, and you practice every pose instructed by the teacher. With recorded classes, you tend to give up easily and only practice the poses you like!
13% of students said they enjoyed livestream yoga because they can be more focused on their own practised and less disturbed by other students. Yoga studios can get very busy at weekends or in the evening, so being able to practice with nobody around you helps you stay focus and practice more deeply.
Results of the survey can be found at: https://liveyogateachers.com/news/is-online-yoga-here-to-stay
