Why Should You Take an Online Private Yoga Class?
Updated: Jan 16, 2022
If you’re wanting to receive personal guidance during your yoga practice, you may be considering to take an online private yoga class. But what are the benefits of virtual lessons? Who are they for? And what are they like?
In this blog we’ll be covering seven benefits of online private yoga classes, as well as how to make sure you get the most out of them.
Seven Benefits of Online Private Yoga Classes
So, let’s start by exploring seven benefits of online private yoga. Exploring how they can help develop your yoga practice and reach your individual goals and intentions.
(1) Free Introduction Call to Discuss Goals and Determine a Good Fit
Before you commit to your first online yoga class, it’s useful to first have an introduction call with your teacher. That way you can meet the teacher personally to discuss your main interests and goals for following online private yoga classes.
This intake sessions allow you to learn more about the yoga teacher, and for them to get to know you and your needs. That will help you both determine if it’s a good fit.
You can share any past experience you have in yoga as well as what you want to focus on and get out of the class. You can also discuss your preferred length, timing and frequency of the lessons.
(2) Easy to Fit into a Busy Schedule
Let’s face it, most of us are too busy! Often trying to find time for a yoga class—on top of everything else we’re doing—can feel like it adds more stress and complexity to our life rather than less.
Virtual individual yoga lessons allow you to take the class from the comfort of your own home and at a time that suits you. This can help you save time in your day and give you more opportunity to find time to practice.
(3) Online Private Yoga Classes Are More Affordable
One of the downsides of private classes is that they are often expensive. One of the benefits of online private lessons is that they can be more affordable than face-to-face classes at a studio. This means they don’t have to be something exclusive for those with higher incomes.
You can always opt for shorter 30-minute lessons, instead of 60-minutes. When a 30 minute class is planned carefully in advance by the teacher there is still plenty of time to work on a series of yoga poses, breathing and mindfulness exercises.
Also, at Antara Yoga our online private class prices are based on prices for one household. This means you can share the class with your partner, family or friends that live with you.
Another creative option is to opt for one-off, bimonthly or monthly lessons instead of having weekly lessons. That way you can receive personal guidance on a less frequent basis, and practice by yourself at home between classes.
(4) You Can Take Online Classes with a Teacher Anywhere in the World
Online lessons mean that your yoga teacher doesn’t need to be local to where you live. Instead, you have options to find a teacher based anywhere in the world.
This allows you to focus on finding a yoga teacher whose teaching style resonates with you. Giving you many more possibilities to find a great yoga teacher that you feel comfortable with and that directly meets your specific interests.
(5) Have a Yoga Practice Designed to Your Specific Needs
During your free consultation session, you’ll get the opportunity to share with the teacher your yoga practice goals and intentions. These needs can vary from person to person.
It might be that you want to learn the basics of yoga and focus on the technique of common yoga poses and breathing techniques. Or that you’d like to deep dive into a specific yoga style like Ashtanga, Vinyasa, or Mindfulness.
Perhaps you’re interested in having personal yoga sequences designed for you to help you reach your intentions to practice. From practicing yoga with an injury, pain or managing stress. To using yoga as a tool to support you in becoming more flexible, stronger and feel more balance.
Whatever your needs are, you can work one-on-one with your yoga teacher to have a personalised yoga practice designed to support you.
(6) Receive Personalised Guidance and Tips
Whether you’re new to yoga or have been practicing several years it’s valuable to receive personalised feedback on your practice. This will give you individual guidance on your approach and technique within specific yoga poses, breathing techniques, and more subtle aspects of mindfulness and mindset.
In group classes it’s also possible to receive direct personalised feedback from the teacher. But since the teacher is guiding the entire group, they need to spread their attention equally over the group, and ensure everyone has the options they need to get the most out of a class.
While, in a one-on-one class the teacher is able to focus all attention on you the practitioner. This makes it possible to give you direct guidance and tips to you during your practice to support you in your yoga journey.
(7) Be Supported in Your Personal Home Practice
As you probably know, the more often you practice yoga the more progress and benefits you’ll receive. Therefore, it’s important to have the tools in between private classes to practice yourself at home.
After every online private class at Antara Yoga, you’ll receive a personalised practice sheet. This includes pictures and descriptions of the sequence of yoga poses, breathing techniques and mindfulness practices that we covered during class.
If you’re new to home practice and find it hard to practice on your own with practice sheets don’t worry! Irene can also recommend YouTube videos. These will help you be guided through your home practice if you aren’t sure how to go about it.
You could also choose to have your online class recorded, and use that recording as a resource for home practice. Or ask your teacher to recommend books, blogs, podcasts and free video resources for you to use that you might find interesting and useful.
All of these tools will help you to integrate and consolidate your learnings in your own personal practice. Resulting in you getting the most out of your lesson and supporting you to continue practicing yoga on your own at home.
How to Prepare and Get the Most Out of Your Online Private Class
Take Time to Set Up Your Online Class in Advance
When planning your first online yoga class check with the teacher which application you’ll be using to connect—is it perhaps Zoom, Teams or Skype?
If it’s the first time you’re using this application make sure you have it downloaded on your device before class. And do a test run to check your sound and video.
To get the most out of the class it’s best if you can use your laptop or tablet rather than a mobile phone. This is because the video screen will be bigger and sound quality better, than if you’re using a mobile phone.
If a mobile phone is your only option, don’t worry! Your teacher can give you advice on how to get the most out of the device you have available.
Play around in advance with the position of your laptop, tablet or web camera. Allowing the camera angle to show as much of you as possible during the class. The best option would be to have the camera length ways to your mat or chair, and for it to be possible to see most of your body.
If that’s not possible just place the camera at the best possible angle for the teacher to be able to see how you are getting on during class and give specific guidance.
Wear clothing that’s comfortable, gives you a wide range of movement, and doesn’t restrict your breathing.
Avoid eating a heavy meal one to two hours before class, so that you feel energised and not sluggish.
What to Expect During Your Online Class
Based on your introduction meeting, the teacher will have prepared in advance an outline for your private class. Depending on your wishes, this may result in a full yoga practice with individual guidance, or might be more focused on technique of specific poses and practices.
At the start of class, the teacher will check in with how you’re feeling on that specific day and if there are any parts of your body that need special attention due to pain or injury. If you’ve had any extra thoughts about what you want to cover during class, now is the time to share your wishes!
During the class you’ll be guided with verbal cues and physical demonstrations of the poses. The teacher will practice along with you most of the time, while also giving verbal instructions and watching to see how you’re getting on.
From time to time the teacher may ask you how you’re getting on with particular techniques and postures, and if you have any questions. This is a particularly important for online classes, since more subtle body language is hard to see on camera.
Depending on your personal preference you’re able to ask questions before, during or after practice. This is a bit different to a group class where there isn’t space to ask many questions during class.
What to Do After Class to Consolidate Your Learning
Take time to notice how you feel directly after class and the next day. This gives you great internal feedback on how the class benefited you, and if any part of the practice was too much.
Use the practice sheets and other home teaching resources to integrate what you’ve learned in your private yoga class into your home practice.
If you’re having a series of private classes, take a moment to reflect after each private class. Think about any questions you might have, or things you’d like to focus on for the next class.
Keeping a journal where you note down a few key learnings from each class can be a great way to track your progress.
Happy practicing!
X Irene
#yoga #privateclass #onlineyoga #homepractice #personalyoga
Receive Personal Guidance from Irene
Would you like personal guidance to help dive deeper into your yoga practice?
Email Irene via info@antarayoga.nl to book your free consultation call and discuss what type of private class would best suit your needs.
Start a Home Yoga Practice
Do you want to develop a home yoga practice but not sure where to start? Follow the three steps in this free guide to start practicing yoga consistently at home.
Complete your details below to receive your free guide with tips for a home yoga practice. In this guide you'll also receive cheat sheets and links to guided videos for seven short sequences, as well as a practice calendar to get started.