Learning and Lockdown, Norah Phipps, Mark Isaacs, Sara Ledwith, Noelle Riggott

&Learning Lockdown

The Covid pandemic has changed lives worldwide. Lockdown has also changed the way we learn, teach and practice yoga. Here, some of our students and teachers reflect on their experiences with Zoom, teacher training, props for home practice and taking yoga outside and into the woods.

Yoga Online: A teacher's perspective

Norah Phipps

When lockdown happened in March 2020, I was as unprepared as many others. I did not imagine I could teach online and, if I did, I thought that no one would come. Some students kept saying it’s easy with Zoom – which I had never heard of – but Uday Bhosale’s information on how to do it gave me hope.

An IT-savvy friend and I spent a Sunday afternoon on the phone to each other trying to sort it out. Then I trialled a session with three guinea pigs, quickly learning that the room I thought was ideal was anything but. The new springy carpet, which was great to walk on in ordinary life, was hopeless for balance. The next room had an ideal wooden floor but a hopeless wi-fi connection. I was left with the main living room.

Those first few days and weeks of trial and error of where do teach were matched by the challenge of teaching online, being able to see people, wi-fi working at their end, realising that muting everyone is much better for the classes than hearing odd noises from their screens. Best to say it was all a steep learning curve, but one that many of us were making. The students at the other end were also struggling to come to grips with it all.

My own props were enhanced a great deal by a student sending me a much better lamp for the room, which helps students to see me. I’m very grateful to her for seeing a need I did not notice.

Norah Phipps is a Level 2 teacher who qualified in 2006 and has been teaching various classes since then in West Northumberland (yogawithnorah.com).

On being taught online:

"My lessons from lockdown: 1. How much we rely on the teacher to correct us in simple things like the position of the feet or hands when we should take responsibility for this ourselves – and absolutely need to in a Zoom class. 2. How much a timer helps in self-practice to ensure even use of both sides of the body. The temptation to cut it short on the more difficult side is huge. 3. How important it is to listen properly to what the teacher is saying. 4. How distracting it must be for the teacher when animals wander around during class. 5. How much time Zoom saves, both in travelling and in all the little distractions and social interactions that happen in class. I find an hour’s concentrated yoga is very appealing."

"Prior to the first Zoom lesson I thought it would not work compared to a face-to-face session. However, Norah’s planning and professionalism ensured that session and many subsequently went well. Last week was the first face-to-face session and, guess what, I thought it would not go as well as Zoom classes. Wrong! Being back was excellent, with funny repartee amongst the all-lady (except me) group. Roll on the next ‘normal’ class!"

"I miss the company [of a face-to-face class] but have got used to being busy with work at home so Zoom sessions work for me."

And from someone who did not join online classes but worked on her own practice: "I needed to make an effort in lockdown as we could no longer have face-to-face classes. Keeping to a daily routine can be challenging – one can easily slip into the thinking: I will do that tomorrow, I’ve got stuff to do. So giving yourself space in the day for yoga that suits your work schedule."

Norah's class returning to face-to-face lessons in the studio.

On household props:

"I have a variety of cushions and can always find a suitable one; a throw that’s just the right size; books to use as blocks (my two volumes of the Icelandic Sagas are ideal, with the Greek Legends useful for a thinner block); also, instead of a belt, a “Halti” dog lead – I can make the end into a loop."

"Since I got my yoga bricks I am more inspired to practice yoga at home. I think I’m going to treat myself to the Iyengar yoga book for my birthday!"

"Lockdown made me realise I can use door frames and walls easily and quickly for ad hoc practice."

"I have a lovely new mat made of eco-friendly rubber. It has lots of markings which help me use my body evenly. If I position my hands or feet without looking and then check, I am often a few millimetres out, so it helps my practice when Norah is not present in person. My doorway has also been a help, standing in for the bar."

"I improved my balance via a piece of the house – the top of the stairs! Our computer is on a desk on a landing, but for the two of us to see the screen it meant me being at the top of the stairs. Norah regularly suggested I be careful and I can proudly say that over 15 months of Zoom lessons I never once fell down the stairs!"

Teaching during the Pandemic

Mark Isaacs

Once lockdown started, I was lucky enough to get right onto using Zoom – with an old TV and my laptop. I eventually found an HD webcam, although they were like gold dust! Later on, an LED backlight helped too, in my colder, darker dining room.

I soon realised that teaching would be very different as people’s rooms, camera angles and spaces all meant new considerations and very clear, precise instructions. Similarly, some students needed more supports, so household items replaced props initially, with books for bricks, tights for belts, etc. Not being in the room together was as strange for them as it was for me.

Unfortunately, many students couldn’t work the technology, didn’t want to be on screens further, or just disappeared into the ether. Luckily, some preferred just to take a recording of class, practising as many times as they wanted at home. This also proved a great resource if someone missed a class.

"One of the great pros was that students who might not have had a home practice now were practicing in their own space."

At first, I ran shorter 45-minute and one-hour classes, until we were all used to the format and the lockdown, with both morning, evening and a later evening class to suit all students. As it became the ‘norm’, I moved classes back to the usual 90 minutes, so we all got our full practice back gradually.

Many students actually preferred not having to travel or leave in poor weather, enjoying being taught in the comfort of their own homes. For myself, it was certainly a lot less expensive too, being located far from my senior teachers.

One of the great pros was that students who might not have had a home practice now effectively were practising at home, in their own space alone or with their partners. Many loyal students kindly invested in my old bricks, blocks and belts where needed, and even my older Habitat chairs, so they could continue supported inversions.

For my own practice during the pandemic some days I felt more motivated than others, but I was lucky to be able to practice my weekly senior teacher’s class on Zoom, resume Junior workshops and watch some Vimeo recordings from other teachers too. One of the amazing things was not only being taught by Abhijata [Iyengar] and Jawahar [Bangera], streaming straight out of Pune, but the opportunity to be taught by Prashant [Iyengar]. I don’t know when I’ll ever get to Pune, with my kids still young, so this was a blessing indeed. For many teachers, the world is your oyster in accessing teachers from across the globe, connecting via the power of the internet.

Perhaps most rewarding was the kind, positive feedback from my students about how online teaching had helped them, as we practised more together than in any other time. The regular routine of classes and the consistency of yoga provided a sense of normality for many to keep going, stay positive and manage stress. For my own sanity too, teaching online restored my sense of purpose and a way to connect with many students regularly, alongside my teacher’s class.

I’m lucky enough to be back teaching many face-toface classes, but we still Zoom on Friday mornings for those shielding or not ready to return, with regular access to recordings. I've really missed my fellow teachers, having taken for granted the privilege of being able to practice alongside them. This October, I'm finally attending my first live teachers' class since lockdown and am looking forward to reconnecting with good friends.

Props

The props I invested in over lockdown were a set of wall ropes.

I'd always known it was tricky trying to get my partner to agree to putting ropes up on our dining room wall! However, with this becoming the Zoom room, and so many teachers with ropes online, I finally managed to persuade her.

Ironically, they were out of stock. Joke: A: Do you have all the yoga rope wall kit pieces in stock? A: Sorry, I'm a frayed knot! (afraid not!).

Once back in Yogamatters, my wall rope kit arrived and I borrowed a rather long 20mm drill bit. I don't know what I most scared of – drilling on a ladder into my soft stone walls and the huge long drill bit, or whether the mortar glue would hold!

Finally, I tested them and success, all was fine. This gave me the opportunity to do supported asanas like Adho Mukha Śvānāsana, Uttānāsana and Śīrṣāsana, as well as developing my understanding of rope Kuruṇṭa (see photo).

I also invested in Yoga Kuruṇṭa: Learning the Ropes by Patricia Walden and the Boston Ropes Collective (sounds like a pop band!), to further develop and deepen my practice. It has been fantastic to be able to experiment further. In Covid times, these supported rope āsanas have also really helped when energy levels are low or the mind just needs to be quiet.

Mark Isaacs is a Level 2 teacher. Mark trained with Sasha Perryman in Cambridge and teaches in the villages north of Peterborough.

Adho Mukha Śvānāsana with rope support

Rope Kuruṇṭa

Teacher Training in Lockdown

Sara Ledwith

Lockdown fell as about half a dozen of us were thinking of starting teacher training. Our mentors, Sasha Perryman and Shaili Shafai, got creative. Eighteen months on, we’re studying hard, even though we’ve yet to experience a class in real life. After months of “O-o-oo-hiss-crackle-mmmm,” “You’re on mute,” and “I can’t see her feet,” I’m surprised by what we’re learning.

Learning together on Zoom.

Sharing sequences once a month.

Once a month, we share and run through sequences, and practise demonstrating down the screen. We’ve had regular āsana study, and studied anatomy by giving our own presentations and sharing the screen, rather than relying only on books.

From time to time in Zoom Q&A’s, we’ve had a chance to clear up misunderstandings and get to grips with things we didn’t initially follow, so it feels we’re making some progress. One of us moved to Germany – she can still join in. We can record the sessions, so if we miss one, it’s possible to catch up.

"Some memories – students disappearing behind their sofas, or getting a leg-stroke from a passing cat’s tail, or a hug in Śavāsana from a daughter – will stay."

We’ve also observed Zoom classes, screenshotting poses for later. This has taught ways of looking. For instance – a Baddha Koṇāsana positioned square on the camera. Check the shape of the space between the hem of the shorts and the upper thigh – is there action in the outer hip? Or maybe we can’t see a foot, but can we see from the shorts what’s going on with the pelvis?

Focusing on how students’ habits evolve also helps us understand where someone has stiffness, hypermobility or dullness. Watching a teacher coach a new practitioner into her first ever Ardha Halāsana in the confines of her back room – and observing how the teacher leaves the student to get on with it when the will is on fire – is illuminating. It’s not all good. We have zero experience of handson adjustment. After a day looking at screens, those of us with desk jobs find it gruelling to scrutinise yet more screens. It’s a challenge to discuss anything with the microphone cutting out or the screens freezing. There are many non-verbal cues that we can’t share or see.

Added to that, we already find it hard enough to describe our actions. To help, Shaili suggested a shared practice where we all take a pose, then take it in turns to describe out loud an action and sensation to focus on. This obliges us to share the experience of others. Looking at the recording, we can also observe our own habits. And the length of time it takes each of us to work out what it is we exactly want to say about what we’re actually doing while balancing on one leg ensures we practise endurance.

So, it’s progress. And I’m certain some memories – students disappearing behind their sofas, or getting a leg-stroke in Utthita Trikoņāsana from a passing cat’s tail, or a hug in Śavāsana from a daughter – will stay.

Sara, an editor based in Cambridge, is in her sixth year of Iyengar practice.

Woodland Yoga

In May 2021, I was approached by

Buxton Civic Association (BCA) who asked if I’d be interested in providing free yoga taster sessions in the woodland which sits within the town. BCA had received funding to set up the

Stronger Roots initiative which aims to encourage local people to improve their health and wellbeing by connecting with nature. I jumped at this opportunity, and soon I was scheduled to provide an initial six sessions alongside other events such as theatre, crafts, tai chi, Nordic walking, forest bathing and kids play. This was right up my street! "There’s a growing body of research demonstrating the positive effects of yoga and connecting with nature on our health and wellbeing."

I retired last March from working as an occupational therapist in mental health services and this project offered the potential of pulling together the skills and experience I’d gathered over the years. I’d set up and run an allotment group for people experiencing long-term mental health issues and could see the benefits of working the soil alongside others, and I’d run simple yoga sessions on the acute wards and seen how people could maintain some focus, begin to connect with their bodies in space, and feel some sense of contentment and relaxation at the end of the session. And of course, whether teaching or practicing, I personally experience these benefits as well, and I want to spread the word! In addition to this, there’s a growing body of research and evidence demonstrating the positive effects of yoga and connecting with nature on our health and wellbeing. Could combining these two activities produce an extra powerful impact? Maybe ... Noelle Riggott Once I’d agreed the task in hand I had to work out how to make it happen. The risk assessment was a bit different to building based ones (dog poo checks were a first!). I wanted it to be as accessible to as many people as possible, but what’s in the Iyengar teachers’ standard toolkit? Mats, bricks, blocks, belts, walls, chairs, ropes.... This challenge really got me thinking creatively, and now I’m happily incorporating nature’s props – tree trunks, logs and the even the gradient of the site – into the session. So far, there’s been a good number of people who’ve never done yoga before coming along to the taster sessions, as well as some welcome familiar faces. I don’t think some of those people would have turned up at a studio or gym to try out yoga, but they might venture into one now. There’s been lots of interest and so we’ll be adding more dates over the summer, and BCA have encouraged me to continue independently after the project finishes. It’s still early days but it does seem that after a session people seem to be glowing, and genuinely surprised at how relaxed they feel. There’s something awesome about lying in Vīparita Karaņi with your legs resting up against a gnarly old tree trunk, staring up at the canopy above you with a chorus of birdsong all around. I’m hooked! Qualifying in 2017, Noelle is a Level 1 teacher based in Buxton and the surrounding area. She would love to hear from others who teach in natural environments and welcomes your thoughts and queries about woodland yoga via her Facebook page Noelle: Iyengar yoga classes (@noelleyogaclasses) or by email noelleriggott@gmail.com.

Noelle with students in the woodland; poses include Vṛkṣāsana, tree posture, among the trees and Ustrasana.