Teaching Yoga Online with Zoom

What a shift we have gone through in a matter of a few weeks!

With the outbreak of COVID-19 the yoga community has experienced our usual way of offering classes come to a crashing halt. Before Coronavirus, in my mentoring sessions, teachers would often speak to me about the fear of using technology but wanting to try online offerings. I am so impressed with yoga teachers creativity and diving into teaching online.

Zoom is a great way to have a virtual yoga class and it is very special to see students and say hello. An extra silver lining is that students who have moved away can practice with you again.

There is a lot of advice available on google about setting up zoom and the kit you might want to use. I use zoom integrated with Acuity + Stripe to take online payments and the zoom link is sent out automatically.

Don’t worry about getting things really slick when you kick-off. Find the simplest way to get started and you can upgrade things later on if you want.

Here are some tips on setting up and managing your class:

Before the class

Ideally, ask students to set up their device to allow you to see them well but the main thing is that they can hear you and see you.

When students click on the zoom link they are directed to a waiting room. I am in the zoom room 10 minutes before the start to admit students and welcome them.

If there are new students, they will have completed a registration form on booking and I will check in with them before class.

All students are muted to avoid background noise. If a student needs to speak to me during class they can unmute themselves or write a private chat message.

I explain that I will be teaching a combination of demoing and looking at the screen to check in on the students and give any extra cues.

During the class

Be audible and keep cues concise. Be mindful of whether you actually need to be in Downward Dog and talking.

My sequences are slower to give students more time to explore the movements and they can repeat them while I observe.

Closing the class

Some teachers like to close their class by leaving people in savasana.

I tried out a few different ways of closing the class and asked students for feedback on their preferences.

The vote has been to come to sit together and then I unmute everyone for those that want to, to say goodbye to each other which is delightful.

Right now, we need ways to helps us stay connected, deal with stress and keep moving well. I have no doubt that people will appreciate your offerings!

If you’d like help with your yoga business then contact me for a chat about mentoring

Join the Yoga Teacher’s Space newsletter for weekly advice and get the FREE workbook on filling your classes & creating a sustainable yoga business.