[GUEST BLOG by Steph Northcote]

When it became clear that COVID wasn’t going away and MCY closed its doors, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about practising yoga online at home. I was incredibly grateful there was another option but I already had my own home yoga practice. Was this not just the same thing?

MCY is my home studio but it isn’t exactly my local yoga studio. I live a short trek away beside the sea in ‘sunny’ Saltcoats. It’s a 45 minute commute each way, if I get an express train and walk fast, so coming to yoga class requires a bit of planning and a commitment in advance to go. I like to think my yoga practice starts the second I step on the train. I can be still, start to relax, tune in to how things are and press my reset button.

In-person classes at the studio help me set the tone and intention for my home yoga practice. I value this time, the community, connection and space it creates in my life more than I can explain with words. And the reality is, home yoga practice is hard. How was I going to make it work without the support of in-person classes?

I’m happy to report I’m genuinely surprised by how well online yoga classes work for me. I immediately felt the connection with the community and the support of practising with a teacher I love. I join my regular guided classes and Mysore style class every week on zoom. Obviously it’s not the same as practising in-person but it’s surprisingly similar and the qualities I value most are there in spades.

Practising yoga at home does come with its challenges though. WiFi and tech issues aside (they need a blog post all of their own), distractions happen. Your neighbour’s loud music, the TV in the other room, family chatter, dust bunnies under the sofa, the giant stack of laundry in the corner and pets taking over your yoga mat can all put a stopper in the zen you’re channeling. Never mind your internal to-do list that likes to disturb you as you practice. “Did I turn the oven off?” “Oh, I forgot to send that email!” “When is the engineer coming to fix my WiFi again?”

Here are a few tips that helped me get that studio vibe at home…

Put all your devices away, especially your phone!

You wouldn’t bring your beeping, buzzing, flashing phone into a studio class with you so why would you do that at home during an online yoga class?

This is one distraction you have control over. Switch off your phone or turn on airplane mode and put it in a drawer or in another room out of sight and sound. You are allowed not to be instantly available for an hour or so.

Think about your practice space

There’s a reason MCY is such a lovely space to practise yoga in. It definitely didn’t happen by accident. It’s been designed to be welcoming, bright and beautiful; a space where you can relax, focus on your yoga and let go of distractions.

You’ve got to work with what you have but you can design your practice space at home too. It may take a little trial and error to find the perfect spot but it’s worth spending some time to get it right.

Setting the right ambiance could be as simple as dedicating a room in your home to yoga, lighting a candle and rolling out your mat. It’s not been quite as easy as that for me unfortunately. I’m sure many other people are the same.

I have two places I like to practise. They’re both bedrooms, one is quieter and the other is bigger, so I have to choose depending on what is going on in our busy, mostly noisy, family home. I start setting up early for class to move furniture out of the way, make sure the space is clean and clutter free, and gather my props together. It’s not a patch on MCY but it’s what I’ve got and it’s beautiful in it’s own little way.

The point is it matters what’s around you, so look! Notice what you find distracting and then make it less distracting if you can or just accept it as it is and try to see the beauty in it. Thinking about who made the mess, why it’s funny and that I still love them works for me. I’ll still do my yoga practice even if conditions aren’t perfect because nothing is perfect.

Connect with community, the MCY family

Just because we’re not physically together doesn’t mean we’re not together. Online classes have allowed us to practice with people from all over. People who may never have been able to come to MCY because they live so far away, beginners practising for the first time, people who were too nervous or embarrassed about coming to in-person yoga classes. We’ve reconnected with friends who moved away from Glasgow in our online classes too! We are together and we are a community, online or not.

My favourite thing to do is switch on gallery view in zoom instead of speaker view. This only works if you know the sequence or know the teacher’s style and instructions well enough that you don’t have to look at them on the big screen. In gallery view, you can glance up any time you feel like giving up and see that you’re not alone. Other people are practising with you. The energy and community is there, you just have to change your view.

Take the pressure off

MCY isn’t one of those places where I’ve ever felt I was competing or less than because I couldn’t do a particular posture. That’s not how we roll at MCY.

However, my mind plays all sorts of tricks on me and tells me stories. I’ve discovered riding the energy in a studio class is different than feeding off it to make ourselves feel big or small, good or bad. Exploring this has been important in my practice but I’ve enjoyed the mental rest that’s come with online classes too.

We can put pressure on ourselves anywhere whether someone is watching us or not but I’ve found my practice can be more relaxed at home, more intuitive. It’s what I’ve needed in these last few months.

So it’s ok to do your own thing and free your mind up a bit to explore what yoga is for you. How do you want to practise? What’s your intention? If you’ve ever put that pressure on yourself in an in-person class, you may find online classes help you reframe it.

Dedicate the time

If you can, don’t rush to an online class. I guarantee that zoom won’t work if you rush or you’ll have tech problems. So best not to risk it and give yourself time to set up and settle.

Generally I had an hour to unwind after work as I made my way to MCY for in-person classes. So initially when I started doing online classes I felt something was a little off. It took a few weeks but I realised that I didn’t have that decompressing time in my commute that I was used to. What I was doing was finishing work at home, walking a few steps and going straight into my yoga practice, at home. Now, when I can, I like to set up early and take 10 minutes to sit quietly on my mat before I join the zoom class. It works for me and makes all the difference.

Dedicate the time. If you’re joining an online class, really BE there. Try not to jump in and out and leave your mat to check your phone or to move the mug you’ve just noticed under the bed. Give yourself the time and the best chance of getting the benefits you need from your yoga practice. You deserve that. Don’t cheat or short change yourself.

Keep it loose, it’s ok if things don’t go to plan

Sometimes things don’t go to plan and that’s ok. When they don’t, try to relax with it. It’s ok if your WiFi stops working and you lose connection in the middle of class. It’s ok if you have to answer the door, check the kids are ok, let the dog out or answer an important phone call. It’s ok. Just do your best. Yoga will still be there waiting for you when you get back.

There’s no place like MCY

I can’t wait to get back to the studio when things are safe again. I miss in-person classes but have unexpectedly developed a respect and love for online classes that I didn’t have before. I’d encourage anyone to give them a try.

If you have any tips for practising yoga at home we’d love to hear them. Please share your tips in the comments below.

Steph x

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