The shift from in-person to Zoom yoga has really delighted us. At the start of the pandemic we were naturally worried we’d have to postpone many of our weekly classes. So many of our clients are office and call centre workers who’ve been forced to move to home working.
We quickly found demand actually increased, for a number of reasons.
• Working from home means no commute and a lot more time spent seated, often in less than optimal positions from our makeshift desks of window sills, cupboards and worktops! Although very creative, this means an increase in back pain and general stiffness, precisely what our Zoom yoga sessions work to undo.
• Used to socialising and connecting in person, teams were finding it hard to get used to only seeing each other via Zoom etc. for meetings and ‘formal’ work. The fun and friendly element of working together was being replaced with lower quality communication and no daily opportunities to connect over non-work topics. Again, yoga came to the rescue as a way to socialise and decompress as a team.
• Many of us have had to deal with unprecedented challenges over this time. From total and extreme isolation at one end of the spectrum, to balancing childcare with work demands at the other. Add to that furlough and redundancy questions for ourselves or loved ones. All this stress takes its toll on the body, impacting sleep and, inevitably, our ability to perform at work. Yoga breaks, whether with colleagues via Zoom or in our own time via recordings, helps to reset the nervous system and offers a respite from a busy mind.
Over the last 3 months we’ve been gathering regular feedback from customers we’ve been working with for years to new starters who joined during the pandemic. We wanted to ensure we were adapting and evolving to give the very best experience for as many people as possible. From adding options to have a class recorded and shared with those who can’t make the live Zoom yoga session to improving sound quality and adapting for those without a yoga mat at home. Below are some of the lovely things are yogis are saying:
“My first yoga experience and this will now definitely be part of my life. Thank you!”
Maria, Office Support, H&M
“I have definitely seen an improvement in my core strength and flexibility. Would totally recommend it.”
Gordon, Programme Manager
“I’ve really enjoyed these weekly yoga sessions. I had no real experience of yoga beforehand. It’s nice to relax and really focus on me and my body after a busy day at work. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to try out yoga.”
Emily, Finance Assistant, Energy Saving Trust
“Great gentle exercise after a whole day of meetings sitting in front of the computer – it really helps with back and neck stiffness.”
Jackie, Senior Project Manager, LEIA
