Online classes, online community

Year 2020 brought my classes to the online scene which is something that I would never have imagined when I first began teaching DDP Yoga. I can actually remember my last face to face class in the community centre and things were starting to shut down one by one and myself and the people in my class at the time were all laughing at the idea of doing classes online in the future, little did we know then that would be the new reality!

When classes had to stop I was initially relieved for the break as I was starting to feel run down so a period of rest was well and truly needed. During this time I started to see other people make changes and move to online. I was not so keen, as I had just started teaching classes 6 months ago I was just getting used to that never mind having to go online and start dealing with the technical issues that come with that! But slowly and surely I started to hear from some of my clients who were missing the classes and enquiring about online classes. So this is when things started to change for me, I am such a big fan of DDP Yoga and knowing how good it is for you and how needed it was especially during a time of uncertainty and fear I knew I had to shake off my own insecurities about going online and get into that place just outside my comfort zone which is becoming a more and more regular hang out for me recently. This was no longer just about me, there was now other people in the mix and nothing will motivate you more than when you can show up for others and add value to their lives.

Venturing into the unkown...

Next came the practicalities... setting up a home studio, learning about zoom, making a facebook group for online classes. I remember the night before my first online class setting up a test run with family and friends, thinking back to that now I feel so grateful for all the people that show up for me and gift their time to help when I really need it. It is really never a one man show when you think about it, it took a team of people to give me the confidence and encouragement I needed to get to where I am now, which has taught me to value community so much more than I ever did, communities give us a sense of belonging and help you to realise your potential when you sometimes can't see it for yourself.

I can still remember my nerves before that first online class, I felt like I was about to go on live television, most of the people tuning in where people that I knew and that knew me but being quite an introverted person I just found it uncomfortable! However I am so glad my DDP Yoga workout always starts with a breathing exercise because once I got into that I began to feel more grounded and focused on what I was actually there to do and I was soon enjoying myself and finding that it wasn't that much different from what I was doing before, I was still delivering a workout that I love to help others get energised in their own lives.

Now 10 months later my online classes are still functioning and my confidence with them has grown and grown and now they have actually become something that I treasure. For me it has been the best thing that has come out of 2020 it has allowed me to create an online community for my clients and also for someone who has friends and relatives in different countries being able to meet with them on a regular basis and bond over something that keeps us healthy and energised is an added bonus. I have loved hearing other peoples experiences of classes and what it has meant for them it motivates me to keep creating new workouts and making them progressive so that people are challenged and seeing improvements.

A year like 2020 makes you realise what is important and keeping our body and minds healthy and active is the one thing that we can take control of just now and I feel proud to be part of a community that encourages and inspires this. I understand online classes are not accessible for everyone and I still look forward to the days when we can get back to face to face classes where people come along with their buddies and have a chat before class and share the experience of exercising together in the one place with the music on... but until then we need to continue to reach out our kindness and make sure everyone does still feel part of a community. If you are missing your gyms and fitness classes and want to keep up your exercise get in touch about my online classes, because they are inclusive, fun and energising and the other benefit about being online is there is always room for everyone wherever you are!

Healthy Wishes,

Laura

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