With most of us in quarantine due to COVID-19, many of us have had to pivot our business model and get out of our comfort zones to try to accommodate our current situation. As a yoga studio owner, we closed the doors of our studio and started offering live classes, which was so intimidating to me and something I had avoided for years- but it wound up not being that bad. Now that we’re really in the thick of it, and actually might even be thinking about what happens after all of this, we might’ve discovered new revenue streams, like online classes. I wanted to offer a few tips I use myself when filming or teaching live online.
Watch the tone of your voice - How you deliver the words you say communicates information about yourself. If you’re a yoga teacher, you likely want to sound confident. One thing I notice that happens to me (and I shared this on Stories yesterday), is that when I’m feeling stressed or frazzled, the ends of my sentences end on a higher note. It’s not high enough that it’s complete uptalk like the stereotypical “Valley girl” but it’s just high enough that it communicates that I am feeling unsure of myself. While I always want to be authentic in my teaching, I never want to bring my own issues into the class I’m teaching. Even though I’m not currently teaching in-person, that energy still reads online. What I try to do is speak from a lower register. That will lower the tone of the voice, keep the words round and warm, rather than speaking from an upper register which will take the tone higher, and trigger shallow breathing, which can make me come across like I’m panicky because I have to keep stopping to breathe.
Stick to your planned class - I know a lot of yoga teachers (myself included) feel experienced enough that if they walk into their studio class and the students are communicating that they want to do deep hip opening rather than the arm balance practice you’d planned for, they can switch on a dime and make it happen with ease. That’s generally a testament to how long they’ve taught and how much experience they have. But with an online class, you don’t get to read that energy the same way, so switching up your plans isn’t advised, especially because you have so many other factors to consider to ensure this class goes off without a hitch, including the lighting, background noise, internet connection, checking people in, any technical difficulties, and more. My suggestion is to advertise a very specific class so people know exactly what they’re signing up for, and then deliver that class. So, instead of scheduling ‘Vinyasa’ class, schedule ‘Core Focused Vinyasa’ and then people know exactly what they’re getting, and you can deliver what you’d planned for.
Set up early - Since people are on such odd schedules, and because there are so many new factors to consider when leading an online class, try to set up early. Figure out where your mat is going to go and test out the video prior to class start time. Wave your hands around if you’re going to be doing movements standing with arms up overhead, so that you can ensure people taking your class will be able to see you. In that same vein, if you’re planning a restorative class, or a class where you won’t be standing up, pull your mat closer to the computer so that you take up most of the frame. That’ll allow people to better see the intricacies of the practice, rather than having to squint at you laying on your mat with all this empty space around you on their screen.
Demo and sequence all the progressions - Since you’re not physically with your students, it’s really hard to see what’s going on, so I think it’s important to demo and sequence all the progressions in some of the poses you offer so that people have options. For example, if you’re bringing people into side plank, have everyone start with their shin down, and then offer the option to take staggered feet, stacked feet, and then lift the top foot up, if that’s in their practice. That way, you all go through each progression together, and stop wherever it’s appropriate for the individual student. It feels a bit more cohesive and inclusive.
Ask what they need - If you’re running out of inspiration, and aren’t sure what classes to offer, create a survey for your students. Ask them what they’re struggling with, and create around their needs. Many people are more stressed than usual, and if that’s what’s reported from your students, offer a restorative or gentle class. Many people have little kids at home so a full hour or 75 minute class isn’t feasible for them, so perhaps offer 20 or 30 minute classes. Essentially, try to identify around your students’ needs and create for them.
If you’re interested in more tips for teaching online, check out our Business of Yoga 2.0: Navigating the online space, where you’ll get a 21 page workbook and an hour long video lecture to help you audit your online presence, develop your online teaching strategy, and earn passive revenue.