Social Distancing? Here’s How to Setup for Your Perfect Zoom Yoga Class
How many times have you found yourself scrolling through Instagram’s explore page and suddenly realized that you’re in an endless loop of posts? Perhaps you’ve seen countless aesthetically pleasing videos of people practicing yoga and thought to yourself, “I’ve always wanted to try yoga and this pose looks simple enough!” Well Grow Mobile Yoga is here to help. With the world at a standstill and home isolation ruling the normalcy of your life, what better time to embark on the journey of yoga that you’ve always wanted to try?
Yoga isn’t just a form of exercise, but a way of existing in the world and a union among all aspects of your life. The mind loves to make excuses, whether that be thoughts like, “I’m not flexible enough,” or “I just wouldn’t know where to start,” we encourage you to take today to explore your mind, body, and soul. Connect the time you have to start a new journey and begin your mobile yoga practice at home via Zoom.
Step 1: Create the Perfect Environment for your Yoga Practice
With social distancing as today’s new normal, feel free to carve out some “me time,” and find an area in your home specifically for your yoga practice, free of distractions. Find a flat surface, preferably not carpet, as this is helpful for balancing postures. As you root down into the Earth, an area with natural light helps to light your inner fire and can help inspire you to step on the mat. Whether you walk to your backyard and are instantly surrounded by trees or cooped up in a small apartment on the fifth floor, yoga can be practiced anywhere! Indoors or outdoors.
Step 2: Establish the Right Mentality Before Your Yoga Session
Before getting started, take a moment to establish your goals and understand that yoga contributes to a greater purpose. Living in a state of union means that there is no separation between your thoughts and your present state. Practice acceptance and release the wistful thinking about the way things ought to be. As you step foot on the mat, focus on appreciating your body, life, and circumstances exactly as they are. Yoga is a practice that should be started mentally before physically. We’ve definitely been guilty of looking at Instagram and thinking, “It looks so easy for them! Why can’t I do it?” Instead, try clearing your mind of comparison and focus on the core of what you're doing. The moment you practice gratitude, expectations begin to release.
Once you get yourself into the right mindset and learn a few basic postures, your practice will start to evolve naturally. The core of yoga is simple. It’s not about extreme flexibility or contorting your spine into fancy shapes. It’s about breathing, practicing strength through meditation, and creating freedom in the body as basic yoga poses are incorporated. Let go of whatever goals you have, as those things will come. Instead, understand that yoga is a process and a lifestyle. The physical aspect is only a small fraction of the practice.
Step 3: Understand the Basics of Yoga
While the exercise aspect of yoga may seem important, we believe the most important thing to learn is awareness of breath. Even if the more complex poses are difficult to do, make the effort to notice your breathing. By carefully guiding it, it will have profound effects on your practice as one of the most beneficial aspects of yoga for beginners. With breath comes stillness, and while most of us find it challenging to sit still in today's on-the-go culture, the most basic tenet of yoga (and also probably the most difficult) is being present. As we live during a rare time when the world has been slowed down, we humans look for any possible distractions. Try to observe the urge of distraction rather than immediately give into it.
Once you have practiced mindfulness, you’re ready for the physical side of yoga. Start to experiment with yoga poses for beginners. We at Grow Mobile Yoga love to teach beginner’s classes and we usually recommend starting with postures, or yoga asanas, such as child's pose, cat/cow, downward-facing dog, and savasana. Move slowly to fully process and appreciate the movements of the body. As you keep this in mind, you will be working with each pose exactly as even the most devoted practitioners do. By following the union of your mind, body, and soul, feel free to modify certain positions. Embark on your journey slowly, as this will result in the best practice. Feel free to reach out and schedule a Zoom Yoga class with one of our fabulous teachers, where you can practice with an amazing certified local yoga instructor, from the comfort of your home. Although we have yoga teachers in Olympia, Seattle and all over Pierce County, Zoom allows us to reach an even larger audience of people, and we can’t wait to meet you!
Written by Aaliah Largusa.
