Oct 13, 20205 min read

The Effects of the World Pandemic on my Yoga Business

Updated: Feb 21, 2021

It was around the beginning of March 2020 and we started hearing news of a world wide pandemic (Covid19) There was lots of talk about it with everyone having different questions and conspiracy theories on it. For me personally I never make assumptions until I find out the facts and I just wanted to make sure that my students were as safe as I could possibly make them.

Then on the 23rd of March 2020 we heard news that the country was going into lock down. What did this mean for us? I was so proud of my studio and had been able to teach everyone something that I loved, that for me I had to find a way to be able to carry on teaching in the situation that we were all in together.

I managed to set up teaching online yoga and meditation classes as soon as possible but wasn’t prepared for all of the beautiful messages of thanks that I started to receive from everyone, for giving these classes but none of them could have known how rewarding it was for me also. It was like a lifeline to me. I was still able to teach people something that I loved but also be able to help people in this awful situation as well as have a connection with them all which stopped me feeling as alone.

In June I started to notice that not as many people were able to attend as many of my online yoga and meditation classes as they had been doing over the weeks, down to them gradually getting back into part time work commitments or even loosing their jobs and this effected me greatly as it was me who was missing them.

I decided to ask if anyone would like to attend an outdoor social distancing class if I put one together and straight away it was an absolute success with everyone. I turned my own back garden into an outdoor yoga and meditation area, putting up a shooting range camouflage net for shading for classes from the hot sun by suspending it from bolts that we drilled into the back of my house and any tree that we could get an anchor off including my generous neighbours.

Then I covered the camouflage net with beautiful floaty fabrics in all different colours so that everyone would feel like they were in a space free from their worries that was a happy place and a place that felt lovely to be in.

The first two classes that I trialled, happened to fall on a scorching hot day, so I went out in the morning and bought lots of ice lollies for everyone for after the class. It was so amazing not only be able to teach again but to see everyone face to face and sit around chatting with each other after the class, all feeling a bit lighter for it and realizing how much of an impact that the lockdown had had on us all.

I was asked to do more classes so a few days later I put another two classes on but this time the weather had forecast rain. Nothing was going to stop this lovely lot, they all wanted to carry on, no matter what and yet again the classes felt amazing to teach and everyone was getting so much out of being able to do something together during the lockdown.

The classes were amazing and as the classes grew, I then erected gazebo's to work with the weather, hoping that these would see me through to a time where we could all get back into the studio. That time came but with social distancing still in place I could not fit all of my students into the studio for these classes unless I put on three times as many classes to fit them all in and upon asking all of my students what they wanted to do, all of them said that they were loving the outdoor yoga, not just because they felt safer but mostly because of how much they were enjoying their practice outdoors and the benefits that the outdoors was giving them.

As the pandemic went on, so did the months in the year and I reach a point that because of the changing weather conditions plus the decrease in temperature I was now at a stage where I had to erect more substantial marquees to keep everyone warm and dry, which again worked for a period of time until once again the weather was changing, not only that, my once beautiful manicured lawn had now become a dead, muddy bald area which everyone was starting to get cold on, when the practice slowed down to the mindful breathing and meditation part of the class.

I couldn't let them down here as the pandemic had once again reached a dangerous level and to some of them, the classes were a lifeline as well as for me, so I thought of a solution that could work and came up with moving the main marquee up onto the top decking area and attaching the other marquee onto it, which I then floored with insulating mats to keep the cold and damp out and added heaters all the way around.

I also added new classes to move with the changes in darker nights by adding candlelit classes and I also noticed an increase in peoples anxiety levels so I added a mindful, restorative class to provide coping methods and and also relaxation to help people learn to cope and regain a balance in their lives.

I then also added cacao yoga and meditation ceremony classes which were a beautiful addition and I was so excited each time the situation presented me with something new in my journey, as each new pathway that it has taken me on, has introduced be to even more new beautiful people that I would have never met before.

If you have a passion and love in your life, then nothing can stop you!

Forever grateful

A very happy and lucky teacher!

Leise