Welcome, If you have found this blog then I am here to help you find and do your first zoom yoga class. If you prefer to watch and listen rather than read, scroll to the bottom to find a video about this subject!
Yoga classes in person are great, yoga classes on YouTube are also great but there’s something about zoom yoga classes. Doing it from the comfort of your home but still having the feedback from a teacher and being able to do shorter classes it’s a great way to practice. Especially if you have kids or animals to look after and just cannot leave the house.
So, Here are a few tips to help you find your first zoom yoga class
1. Do some research
Is there a particular yoga teacher you follow on Instagram or YouTube that you like? Most online yoga teachers are offering online classes. You can reach out to them and ask if they have any zoom classes. The bigger accounts do get a lot of messaged though so be aware your message may get lost. The best thing to do is to go to their website (usually there’s a link in their bio/about page) and search their website.
If you don’t have a particular teacher in mind do some research. Google is great for information but it is also bias to the bigger companies. I find it best to search yoga teacher on YouTube and find one that I resonate with. There are a lot of yoga teachers out there and they all teach so differently. If there is a particular thing you are interested in search that for example :
- Yoga for busy mums
- Yoga for inflexible people
- Yoga for gardeners
- Short yoga classes
- Yoga for mental health
There are so many options on there, but have a think about why you want to practice and do some research, once you have found a teacher that you are enjoying check out their website, see if they do zoom yoga classes. I find a lot of the smaller channels better as they can give you more attention and personally respond to you.
Don’t think that smaller means not as good, maybe they just haven’t been online for as long or they like to keep a tight community so they can give their students the best attention to help.
2. Download Zoom
Once you have found a yoga teacher and have found out they have zoom classes this is where we need to get more technical. So your second step is to download zoom. Now you can do this as an app on your phone or just open up the laptop/computer and go on the internet (in a browser)
Once the teacher has given you details on the class there will be a zoom link. Now if you click on this on your phone then the app will open or it will tell you to download the app if you haven’t done so already. If you are on a browser it will also open the zoom website. Follow the instructions on screen, it may ask you to download zoom, now if your computer isn’t up to date then it may ask you to install a plugin or update something. Follow the instructions.
3. Passwords?
Some teachers will give you a password to join, this is just to protect the class so you don’t get any zoom bombers dropping in (people uninvited who think it’s funny to do things they shouldn’t). It is rare but it can happen.
The password will be on the same invite as the zoom link. So copy it (highlight, right click and press copy) and paste it into the password box. Then you will be able to enter at the time of the event.
4. Time and Date
The teacher will tell you the time and date of the class and all you have to do is show up at the right time. If you are there early, you will get a message saying waiting for the host to start this meeting. You can stay on that page or leave until the meeting is ready (some teachers will get notified that a student has joined early).
Sometimes the teachers will create a waiting room, this means you get into the class but the teacher has to accept you into the zoom room, this is usually a safe guarding thing. Just so no one uninvited can enter so make sure your zoom name is your name. You can change this in your zoom settings or when you are in the room.
5. Videos and mics
When you join the room, it will usually ask if you want to join with your mic and video on or off. So you can change the settings here (I usually enter with it all off). Once in the room you can turn on your video. The host (teacher) can mute everyone and will usually do so at the start of the class so that there are no interruptions and you can have a nice peaceful yoga class.
Now, you don’t have to have your camera on. If you do it can be great for feedback, so if you are new to yoga I would recommend putting your camera on just so you can get some feedback but remember you don’t have to. This is your practice and this is the great thing about zoom yoga classes, the choice really is up to you!
You do not need a professional video or mic to join classes. If you don’t have a camera or mic then it just wont show. There is a chat box so you can always type to the teacher to answer any questions or to ask any. Most mobile phones are well equipped to deal with zoom classes. You are there to do the class and leave there isn’t any reason that you need a mic or camera.
6. Camera Safety
Remember when you are on zoom and your camera is on, everyone can see what your camera can see. So if you do need a toilet break, turn the camera off. If your children are running around and you don’t want them seen, turn your camera off, if you want to do your morning yoga in your underwear, turn your camera off.
This goes for your mic as well. Be kind, you never know if you accidently turned your mic on.
7. End of the class
When the class finishes, it can be polite to turn on your mic to say bye and thank you and then there’s a red button to leave the meeting. If you stay on longer then don’t worry because as soon as the teacher closes the meeting it will kick you out.
If you are on a phone, make sure that you end the meeting before doing anything else on your phone as it may still be running in the background. Always double check! (speaking from experience)
And that’s it!
I hope you enjoy your first zoom class. Go and do some research and find the teacher you would like to work with and get started now.
Leah
If you would like to practice with myself (The busy yogi mum) then you can check out my membership below. We go live twice a week and you get access to all the replays.