When he was forced to close the physical doors of Sharing Yoga in the middle of March, owner David Breen noticed an increase in his virtual business.
“It’s been a 278% rise,” Breen said.
The statistic was more joke than math fact, but the point is clear – even though studios are closed due to the novel coronavirus pandemic and the need for social distancing, people still want to practice yoga.
The need to get on a yoga mat makes sense right now. It’s a workout that doesn’t require much space or equipment, it can vary in intensity and it also stretches all those muscles that may have been getting tight with too much time on the couch. Just as importantly, yoga is designed to still the mind, which can help reduce the understandable anxiety of this moment.
Breen started noticing an online uptick about a month ago, before he closed Sharing Yoga but as understanding about the coronavirus was growing in this country. That first bump came in the online business Breen had been doing for the last six years. He would record himself or another instructor teaching a class, either at his Concord studio or somewhere else in the world, and upload the recording to a catalog at sharingyoga.com that customers could access for $10-15 per month, depending on when they bought the subscription.
Soon after he closed Sharing Yoga last month, Breen heard about studios in Boston offering live online classes and he wanted to do the same. So, despite the sudden stop of income from his Main Street business, Breen decided to invest in upgrades to the online options.
“We’ve spent the last couple of weeks buying new laptops and cameras and mics and updating the internet connection at the studio so we could offer these live classes for people,” Breen said.
After a test run to make sure all the new technology worked, Sharing Yoga offered its first live online class late last week.
“I thought the class was good,” said Judy Faulkner, a long-time member at Sharing Yoga. “It felt gentler than a regular studio class.”
Faulkner was one of seven people at that first virtual class, a number that would work for Breen and his teachers.
“If we can get about that many at the online classes we should be able to keep paying rent and our instructors,” Breen said.
The live online classes cost between $10-15, depending on what kind of pass you buy. There’s also a tutorial on how to sign up for the live online classes at sharingyoga.com. If that cost is too expensive right now, Breen is still offering unlimited viewing of the online catalog of classes for $10 per month.
Blossom Yoga & Wellness in Concord is also offering more online classes at a range of prices. This recent post from blossomyoganh.com gives more detail:
“If you are able to participate in these classes as if they were live (i.e., using your existing class pass or paying for a drop-in), then please do! This will help the studio bounce back a little faster when we are eventually able to open our doors again. However, if social distancing has affected your finances, don’t worry! Feel free to pay what you can (between $3 and $12, because I couldn’t figure out how to make the options more dynamic) using this secure PayPal button instead. And if you just don’t have the means to pay right now but really need to practice, that’s okay too – please just be sure to sign up ahead of time (via the “Classes” tab) so we know to send you the Zoom link when it’s almost time for class to begin.”
Ohana Yoga in Contoocook has a few free classes posted on its website, ohanayoganh.com, as well as some guided meditations. The studio is also offering classes on Zoom and encourages everyone in the house, pets included, to take that class since the member will only be charged one fee no matter how many hands, feet or paws are on mats in front of the computer.