Many of us used to come to class for the social connection. To meet with fellow students and feel that energy exchange with the teacher. The power of the shared experience, the communal energy of a studio is what keeps a lot of us coming back to our mats again and again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s also something, in the wake of COVID-19, that many of us miss now. With the current shift toward virtual yoga experiences, let\u2019s look at what we have lost and what we have gained in terms of energetic connection and community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Benefits of Social Connection:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s no shortage of studies that show how social connection helps us live longer and battle diseases. It is proven that loneliness can be as deadly as obesity and smoking. It\u2019s also no secret that many people discover a yoga practice to address emotional wounds, and that the social connection of a studio can be deeply healing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The more people feel connected to others the lower their rates of anxiety and depression. Moreover, studies show they also have higher self-esteem, are more empathetic to others, more trusting and cooperative and, as a consequence, others are more open to trusting and cooperating with them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course we all know that yoga puts us in a parasympathetic mode. It alleviates stress. As such, you can naturally feel a greater sense of belonging, compassion, and connection. As you feel better, your sense of belonging also increases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So how can we recreate this sense of connection via a computer screen?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fact that virtual connection generates the same biological response as the in-person connection could be due to the presence of \u201cmirror neurons\u201d in our brains. According to a scientific American piece, mirror neurons are what allow us to \u201cfeel\u201d what another person experiences. We wince, for example, when someone else stubs their toe. We subconsciously smile when someone smiles at us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These mirror neurons are to thank for the ability to connect with something we see on screen. Our brain tells us that we\u2019ve been in someone's personal space because of the feeling of proximity to them as we are seeing them up on the screen. Interesting!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I certainly do miss the eye-to-eye contact or the human hug or the chit chat at the end of the class, but I can still feel the energetic shift when teaching through my screen. Though I admit it was a little awkward at first, it\u2019s been surprising just how well energy transfers through the screen. I have built strong relationships with many students via the screen as I never thought possible. I may even have stronger relationships with some of them because we first met via Zoom and the need for human connections was so great during the lockdown, that I feel it made my relationships with my students in some way stronger!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also I surprisingly found that I can really see energy online, and I am able to respond with the appropriate teaching for the student\u2019s benefit. I have been able to tailor my classes for students that show up, just as I would in person. I know pretty much all my Zoom students level and what they can or cannot do, I remember everyone\u2019s injury and weakness as well as when I teach in a regular studio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Better Accessibility:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pre-COVID, I was driving several hours a week between different studios. Now, I am able to reach more in a week\u2014all without the time, money, and stress of driving all over the place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition I also have more students in my virtual public classes than I did in-person at the gym. I suspect that the increase is in part because people who previously shied away from trying yoga feel comfortable doing so for the first time at home, where stakes feel less high. My own Zoom classes are donation-based also which allows more people to join.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Virtual classes allow us to choose instructors who don\u2019t teach in our city, styles that aren\u2019t available in our town, and classes at times that are convenient for busy schedules. Midnight yoga after the kids go to sleep? No problem! And it encourages self-care. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A bonus of virtual yoga is the scheduling flexibility. I attended far-flung classes and courses streamed from other countries because they\u2019re online. Virtual yoga allows to remove some of the distractions of studio classes, like comparing your posture to the student's next to you, or other superficialities. When we strip away these distractions, we\u2019re left with our breath, our body, and our mat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the yoga community recalibrates, we\u2019ll undoubtedly see a return to studio yoga in some capacity as it has already started. Perhaps we\u2019ll even see the return of large-scale yoga festivals and events in 2021. But virtual yoga seems here to stay and that may not have as many negative consequences as I first thought\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Namaste <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christel<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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