As of March 2020, most of my work shifted to online yoga teaching. In addition to the steep learning curve of technical equipment like microphones and software like zoom, there was deep concern about how to authentically deliver the nuanced teachings of yoga remotely. I wanted to share with you an experience I had yesterday to illustrate the power of online yoga teaching.
Wellspring, a cancer support program, has also shifted programming online during the pandemic. Yesterday afternoon was a workshop on Yoga Tools for Anxiety. The lecture component contained details about the autonomic nervous system, differentiating depression from anxiety and how to manage symptoms. The practice was complex, interweaving contralateral yoga movements, breath adaptations and chanting Sanskrit. I’ve taught this protocol in person many times and it’s challenging enough then! The 40+ people in the zoom call were all at various stages of their cancer journey and some had almost no yoga experience. Whew!
It was a gamble that these teachings would land safely and effectively but I believe very strongly in the practice and know that this population really needs the support.
Guess what! The feedback afterward was overwhelmingly positive. One woman’s comments illustrates why it’s so important for us to keep forging new paths to deliver yoga wisdom.
After the formal class, this woman unmuted herself to shyly ask if she could share her experience. Was her experience wrong? During class, she had noticed a welling of emotion, “tears filled up my eyes” she said. She resumed the suggested movement and breathing rhythms and felt the emotion pass. At the end, during reflective time, she experienced a “glimmer of joy in her heart”. She was amazed that she felt joy, even a glimmer, as the stress of life lately had caused her to forget she was capable.
That’s why I teach. To remind people that their true nature is joy.
Maybe you teach yoga too. Maybe you feel stuck in the mire of technology glitches and uncertainty as to how your teachings are landing. Soldier on, my friend. The world needs your gifts more than ever and that is the way we have to currently work to a great degree – online. I’m happy to share any advice I can to help you continue working. It’s going to take your light and my light and all the lights of yoga teachers everywhere to guide us through this.