Dive Deeper into Online Yoga Classes
As yoga teachers, our industry suffered a tremendous loss during the pandemic. We lost our clients, studios, parks to teach at, even the ability to physically assist our students have been compromised. The wellness industry didn’t just take a hit, it took a meteor crash. What can we do? Nothing. We can only move forward from here and face the future as we’ve always done as a species. The only thing left to do is adapt.
This is what the new normal is about. Adapting to change is about making do with our current resources and making them work for us. As wellness professionals, what do we have at our fingertips? The internet. Going online is the logical next step for us in this industry. While there are other out-of-the-box ideas out there, going virtual speaks to everyone. So let’s start talking!
The most important thing you have to remember is: Being online is a handicap in itself.
Earlier, we published an article about courses and workshops as a general crash course on the subject. It was applicable to both live and online settings. This time we’d like to focus our efforts on going digital. What do you need to do to make a successful online—well, anything? Is it all about the image quality? Sound? A serene setting? Moreover, Where do we find it for ourselves? In this article, we will talk about a few dos’ and don'ts for online content. We’ll give you some pointers on Content creation, Marketing your image and some software tools to help you transition as easily as possible on this new format for your Yoga.
Online Content Creation: What It Takes and What You Need
Double the Energy
When You’re creating any sort of web content, The most important thing you have to remember is: Being online is a handicap in itself. The lack of physical presence means that creating rapport and camaraderie will be that much harder. You will have to double your energy to cross-over the screen because it is a pre-recorded video. This does not signify resorting to visual gimmicks to capture your audience.Transmitting sincerity is tough in a virtual setting. You need to show excitement for the product you’ve created, your belief in the contribution you made, and the promise of that end-result. So how do we impart earnestness? You need to care about your product. Taking the time to create something professional, well-researched, logically arranged, with your potential students best interest at heart will exude from your product to your clients. When you start outlining your online class, course or workshop, keep in mind that you are creating to help your students, not solely to turn a profit. After all, a video camera is a mirror, no matter how many filters you use.
Organization is more important than ever
One of the most common mistakes new online teachers make is getting side-tracked. I know we all have a story and a good one sets the tone for you as a teacher, but since you don’t have anyone giving you a signal to cut it out, or maybe you are winging your script. It will be so easy to transform into Chatty Cathy. Online classes, pre-recorded lectures, and an ETA countdown on every video clip should tell you that you cannot give in to rambling. Have a clear curriculum of lessons. Make a storyboard if you have to. Arrange them progressively so that there is concrete advancement of each lecture––find your “why” for each video. Create all your supporting learning aids, most importantly, Time yourself when you recite your script. Remember, as a teacher, imparting lessons come from your heart but arranging those lessons in an effective order is a reflection of your skill.
The 4 Types of Learners
Having the internet at our fingertips will attract students from all over the world. People of all ages, agendas, with different strengths in assimilating information. As a teacher you need to cover every type of learner. Let’s talk about that:
Visual Learners - These learners prefer imagery to connect the dots in the concepts they absorb.These students require a powerpoint presentation, infographics to capture your lectures. Doceri, Educreations, Tummee, and Canva should help you in creating content for these individuals.
Auditory learners - These students rely on your voice to assimilate information. To them it’s like their being told a story. This is where your tone, cadence, humor, ability to create analogies, word choice play a big role. Little details that are maybe an afterthought to you is priority for these students.
Kinesthetic Learners - These are your hands-on pupils. They will need demonstrations, assists, to properly learn the asanas. They need a lot of attention and interaction. In an online setting, this calls for live follow-ups, short demos using social media, even creating a network so that your students can connect with each other.
Reading and Writing Learners - These individuals value lessons in black and white. It is necessary for them to have reading and writing material in their process. The act of note taking, sitting down with your readings, tackling written activities, transmit a concrete interpretation of the acquired knowledge through each page filled. Providing a manual, workbook, journaling activities is where this student shines. Canva is king in printable apps. They even have an online worksheet maker.
The boom of web teaching during a global lockdown was professionally bittersweet. We lost our physical classes for a time. On the other hand, this moment indoors proved that teaching online is not perfect but it is effective. All this paved the way for both teachers and practitioners to acquire education at reasonable rates. This trend is here to stay. I hope you don’t feel like you missed the boat on online classes. Create. People will sign up because there will always be students for your yoga.
