5 Tips for Better Online Yoga Classes

By Katharine Bierce

I’ve been teaching yoga online since 2014, well before the COVID-19 pandemic. I’ve taught online classes with one student, with multiple people online, online and in-person, and in-person only classes, and have learned a few things about online yoga classes that may be helpful to you, your company, and your local yoga studio.

1. Make sure that remote participants are visible from the neck down

   While it’s nice to see faces, for yoga, the instructor needs to see the alignment of joints: shoulders, hips, knees, and feet.

2. Make sure audio is clear

   Even in major cities, WiFi can sometimes mean choppy audio. I recommend having a phone line for audio and a webinar tool for video. If you can, don’t use VOIP by itself. You may want to use AirPods or earbuds with a phone and dial in with your phone as an instructor, so that even if your wifi is choppy, people can still hear you clearly.

3. Set up lighting for clarity

   If remote participants are in a conference room with windows, make sure the camera is not facing the window. If possible, have two sources of light.
   Overhead ceiling lights in an office are not very conducive to relaxation, so if you have an extra floor lamp with a warmer glow, use that for in-office classes.

4. Use two screens for video, with a front and side view (if possible)

   For example, in Warrior 1 and Warrior 2, the knee should be over the ankle - but not in front of it. (If the knee is behind the ankle, it is easier, but generally won’t harm the knee.) A side view along with a front view can help the instructor see proper alignment more easily.

5. Avoid music with online yoga classes

   It’s most relaxing for yoga participants to have clear instructions. If audio is choppy (e.g. on VOIP), then music can be distracting. If you must use music, use a different channel: such as Twitch.tv for streaming music and Zoom, Skype, Google hangouts, WebEx, etc. for the class.

I hope this helps! Email me at info@businesscasualyoga.com for any questions or if you’d like to schedule an online class.

P.S. A note on security for online yoga: Don’t share your meeting link publicly, such as on social media. It’s better to have people sign up for your email list and you can email them the meeting link and password directly. Zoom is apparently now encrypted and has meeting passwords to address earlier security concerns. For additional security, you can have attendees join a “waiting room” so that you as a teacher can approve each person who arrives in your class. You can also change your settings so that only you can screenshare. This should help reduce the incidence of hackers “Zoom-bombing” your online class.

(c) 2015-2020 Business Casual Yoga & Katharine Bierce.
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