I'm so excited (and a little nervous) to make this announcement and I'd like to ask for your help :) Since I became a yoga teacher, I've wanted to help people like me - the busy yogi/yogini who works full-time, has a long commute, juggles a busy lifestyle which tends to add stress, tries to stay on a budget to pay off debt, takes care of immediate or extended family members, and feels not flexible because of this hectic life. Being the busy yogini I am, I had my own reasons why I wasn't attending yoga class, but I wondered if other yoga students shared the same thoughts. So, I turned to social media as the most immediate way to collect feedback. I'm so grateful that family, friends, parents and other yoga teachers responded to my question without hesitation! I admire their bravery and vulnerability to share. I compiled the data and created a list of the top 6 reasons we don't take yoga classes.
Do some if not all of the reasons below resonate with you too?
6 Reasons We Don't Take Yoga Classes
1) LOCATION: Studio, gym or fave teacher too far, especially after a long day
2) TIME: Time of classes didn't jive with the yogi's busy schedule
3) MONEY: Tight budgets, money for child care
4) CHILD CARE: Which can definitely be a blend of money and time!
5) FEARFUL OF INJURIES: Not knowing how to modify, feeling defeated, feeling like you can't do all of yoga even if one area of the body is mending
6) FEELING NOT FLEXIBLE/YOUNG ENOUGH: Feeling out of place when everyone goes at a faster pace, seeing other yogis be "more flexible"
These are all valid reasons! Life gets busy! I totally get it. And, although I'm not a mama, I admire my mama and dada friends and know this adds on another layer to the juggling of life. The norm for the American lifestyle is go-go-go with little to time for sleep and self-care. Let's make a pact to practice yoga right now by starting with AHIMSA, or "no harm." This type of yoga involves no movement, but just an agreement to let yourself off the hook for these reasons rather than punishing yourself. YAY for first steps :)
I'm still a brainy, corporate yogini at heart, so I took my new data and, as I was pondering a solution, the solution came to me! Jen from Plank.com emailed me one afternoon to say that she discovered and loved my website (flattered!!). She invited me to be a weekly Featured Instructor on the Beta site for Plank.com, a new platform that hosts online LIVE workout classes of all kinds.
I got so excited (like a kid jumping on a bed) when I realized this could be the very solution I was looking for!
My very own first ONLINE & LIVE featured yoga class is scheduled for TUESDAY, 3/20 from 6:00 pm-7:00 pm PST. I've titled my class "R&R Yoga" which is designed to be a gentle yoga, right before bed kinda class to help you with sleep (Rest & Relaxation...get it?! Reneé starts with an "R" too! Love being cheesy.). I'll be able to see all students from my side of the computer, but students will only see me, the instructor, for privacy.
Here are my thoughts on how my particular online LIVE yoga class can help. Do you agree or have other ideas?
1) LOCATION: No commute! Stream from home or maybe your office and sign up with your favorite teacher - me :)
2) TIME: These classes are open to the world, meaning anyone anywhere can stream (see time zones below). I chose a time where I knew CA folks would be out of work and my friends on the East Coast who stay up late could join in. Have other times in mind?! Let me know :)
3) MONEY: My class is $5 for 1 hour!! (pretty cool, huh? normal drop-in's at studios these days are $20!)
4) CHILD CARE*: Kids are welcome to hang out in the room, or maybe a significant other can watch, or they can do yoga too (if it's not too late, of course).
*I know child care is still a bit of a juggle but I hope my class idea helps parents a bit. I've even started spreading the word to other teachers about childcare in the yoga studios! Thank you!
5) FEARFUL OF INJURIES: I am recovering from a knee injury and this is the best thing to happen to my teaching career! Really! Recently, I've grown to understand how sad I was at losing basic mobility like walking, the anger I felt when I re-injured my knee, the impatience at allowing myself to rest properly and the excitement in realizing I can still do a pose with modifications and feeling BETTER with yoga based in alignment (thank you Stacey Rosenberg!). You aren't alone and I want to help! If you have an injury, please talk to your doctor before taking any yoga class. My R&R Class is a gentle yoga class which will offer everyone plenty of time to move slowly, modify, and breathe! You can ask for help at any time during class in the chat mode (no one will see!) or I can chime in with modifications for you :)
6) FEELING NOT FLEXIBLE/YOUNG ENOUGH: With this online yoga class, you are in the comfort of your home with JUST me as your guide. You'll know others are taking the class, but you won't see them, so I hope that will alleviate the ego from comparing yourself to another :) Even as a teacher, I still compare myself! But my practice reminds me that we are all working on something be it flexibility or strength or both. And no 2 bodies are ever alike.
So what do you think? Does an online yoga class help some or all of your reasons? I know I can't solve all the riddles of life, but I genuinely hope this can help my fellow busy yogis/yoginis out there. Technology is so neat, why not take advantage of it and spread some love?
I'd like to invite each of you to take my R&R yoga class! Think of it like an experiment we can do together. I'd love for you to provide me with feedback about the class itself, suggest other times that may work for your schedule, if online yoga just isn't right for you and why, if you're interested in a more fast-paced class, etc. Feedback is always so important to me as it helps me become a better teacher :)
You can sign up here by clicking on the calendar and finding R&R Yoga on Tuesday, 3/20: https://plank.com/
Time zone conversion is always so tricky, so I hope this helps you out:
Eastern: 9pm-10pm | Central: 8pm-9pm | Mountain: 7pm-8pm | Pacific: 6pm-7pm | Alaskan: 5pm-6pm | Hawaiian: 4pm-6pm
I'm TOTALLY excited about this new yoga adventure. Please spread the word to friends, colleagues and family! And I'll see you on the World Wide Web!!!
Be the Light,
Reneé
