Online versus Studio Yoga — which is better?

Up until six weeks ago, I never contemplated teaching yoga online.  Every Tuesday night, I happily drove to my home studio and enjoyed the best part of my day with the lovely folks who came to my Gentle for Everybody class.  But, since the shelter in place order went into effect, my home studio converted over to a virtual environment and we are teaching and practicing online.  We are all grateful to have this option.  But, I wonder, what is on the other side for us when we go back to having the choice of going back to practicing in the studio — will many of us decide that we actually prefer the online offering?  In this post, I’m going to explore which, in my opinion, is better?

Let’s first look at studio yoga (not to be confused with “gym” yoga — that’s a topic for another time).  At its best, going to a studio gives you the opportunity to make connections.  After you go on a regular basis for a little while, the teachers get to know you and you get to know the other participants as well.  It is very satisfying to have a connected relationship with the teachers.  It can really feel like home.  You establish your favorite spot in the room to practice.  The teachers have the opportunity to see what you are doing and, hopefully, give you additional instruction to help you.  There are no distractions once class begins.  You are there to practice and you can mentally and physically really sink into it.   Afterwards, if it was a good class, you feel renewed.  

On the other hand, studio yoga has drawbacks.  The class you want to take or is best for you might not be at a convenient time.  Studio yoga can be VERY intimidating in the beginning — so much so that a lot of people won’t even try it.  It is almost impossible not to expend a lot of mental energy comparing yourself to others or feel self conscious.  Going to practice at a studio also takes more of a time commitment.  

Online yoga is offered in a number of different ways.  There are options which involve pre-recorded classes with just the teacher demonstrating.  There are pre-recorded options of teachers teaching actual classes.  There are one on one options to practice live with a teacher and then there are live group classes with a teacher.  For purposes of comparison to studio yoga, I’m just going to discuss the last one:  live group classes with a teacher as it is the closest in nature to studio yoga.  

Let’s get the obvious aspect out of the way:  online isn’t as intimate as in person — which for most people isn’t as satisfying.  It depends upon technology and knowing how to use it — both for the teacher and the student.  Both teacher and student need to consider having their camera set up in a way that optimizes being able to see one another.  It is much harder to get as deep into the flow for both the teacher and the student.  There can be interruptions, again for both the teacher and the student if either is logging in from a home environment.  

Furthermore, it is harder for the teacher to see the students’ bodies and therefore more difficult for the teacher to give additional cues to enhance the practice (i.e., “everyone:  bend your left knee a little more”).  It’s harder for the teacher to see the students’ faces during practice to get a read on how they are reacting to the practice.  And, many teachers are just learning how to teach online.  Overall, I think all of these limitations make it hardest for beginners to successfully practice.  

But…It is easier for students to drop comparing themselves to others in the room.  This is very valuable because getting a healthy dialogue between your own body and mind is one of the most beneficial parts of a yoga practice.  Also, the student does have the option of turning off their video if they don’t want to be seen.  This isn’t great for the teacher but it might really help a student to feel more comfortable.  Thus, for students who might have been intimidated about being new or shy about their body, there could be less apprehension.  It’s convenient to just roll out the mat and jump into class versus having to drive somewhere.    And, the world of online yoga options, which was already pretty vast, has become incredibly more vast in a very short period of time.  Top notch teachers that were inaccessible due to geographic location are now teaching online at very affordable prices.  This provides an incredible opportunity to expand and deepen our yoga practices.  

So, which is better?  I’m going to throw a curve ball here.  Going to a studio can give the richest experience, but not if the teacher isn’t very talented.   Talent in a yoga teacher is a combination of quite a few things:  skills, experience, presence, preparedness, understanding of movement in the body, a clear love of yoga, attention to detail, and the ability to adapt the practice that was planned to the people that are in attendance.  And, if we’re talking about a virtual class, the teacher needs to be skilled in online teaching.  The talent of the teacher is the make or break factor.  

When our shelter in place orders are lifted and we have the choice to go back to studio yoga, assuming our studios survived this incredibly difficult time, we will return to them.  And, we will be thrilled to once again feel the energy of the room with people practicing in person with us.  But, with the leaps and bounds many teachers made with their online offerings as well as the advantages they offer, the ancient teachings of yoga in the virtual environment are solidly here to stay.