Bloomington yoga studios and businesses that closed their facilities to limit the spread of COVID-19 are now conducting online sessions. Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb passed a stay-at-home order March 23 and gatherings are limited to 10 people.
Yoga studios such as Know Yoga Know Peace, Vibe Yoga Studio and Yoga Mala are using Zoom to teach classes. Gentle Heart Yoga and Wellness is also using Zoom and Facebook Live.
“I wanted to drop a light into the darkness and see if I could connect with the community,” Owner of Know Yoga Know Peace Laura Swinford said. “None of us expected to have our livelihood taken away from us.”
Know Yoga Know Peace
Know Yoga Know Peace is leading free one-hour virtual yoga sessions 10 a.m. Sundays and 6 p.m. Wednesdays. The yoga sessions will feature Hatha yoga, which focuses on 26 different postures and 2 breathing exercises. Participants should use mats for these sessions.
Swinford, owner of Know Yoga Know Peace, said she came up with the idea of leading free online yoga sessions because she wanted to keep connecting with her community even though they can’t be in the studio.
Emily Plazek, a teacher at the studio, said this could be an opportunity for for people who couldn't afford the classes before to try them out.
“Yoga is not just a physical practice, it’s also philosophy in the mental side and seeing life,” Plazek said. “It’s about something bigger than just a workout.”
Plazek said even though everyone is not physically together for the classes, she feels a sense of connection with everyone who participates.
“We are all connected for that hour, that one precious hour,” Plazek said. She also said there are other people who are not from Bloomington joining the class.
Vibe Yoga Studio
Vibe Yoga Studio also offers classes via Zoom. The price rates for drop-in class is $18, and different rates for passes and memberships can be found on their website.
New participants can go sign up online or through the Vibe Yoga app. They can follow the instructions through this link. After signing up, participants will be given the Zoom’s link 15-25 minutes before a class starts. Participants should prepare mats for these classes.
Power Vinyasa, Slow Flow and Sculpt are just a few of the yoga classes that are offered via streaming and have different of time schedules.To learn more about the classes, participants can visit this website.
Yoga Mala
Yoga Mala’s price for drop-in is $16, and a 10-class pass is $110. Payment can be made online, and the instructor will provide the Zoom link via email. Anyone can view a free audio and a video lesson about Ashtanga yoga that’s posted on the website.
The studio offers Slow Flow Vinyasa, which focuses on the smooth flow of postures, at 4-5 p.m. Wednesdays, Sangha or meditation at 9:30-10 a.m. Tuesdays and Iyengar at 6-7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, 4-5:15 p.m. on Fridays and 2:30-4 p.m. on Sundays.
Nancy Lethem, one of the Yoga Mala studio’s teachers, said she is teaching Slow Flow Vinyasa practice. Participants should have mats during the exercise.
“It helps people to be able to relieve any stressors that they’re feeling in their life,” Lethem said. “That’s even more true now.”
Gentle Heart Yoga and Wellness
Gentle Heart Yoga and Wellness offers a free Zoom sessions at 2 p.m. on Sundays. People can register through this website. The price varies for sessions an hour and longer.
Gentle Heart Yoga and Wellness also organize a four-session series on Tuesdays and Fridays. The sessions will talk about the practices of meditation and motion, and passages from yogic scriptures. The series cost $149.
Yulia Azriel, owner of Gentle Heart Yoga and Wellness, said she wants to have people be able to present themselves in their own way and to be fearless.
“It’s about self-acceptance and deeply relaxing into themselves and releasing those internal and external pressures," Azriel said.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article incorrectly indicated that the Sunday sessions offered by Gentle Heart Yoga and Wellness were one-on-one. The IDS regrets this error.
