It’s been a steep learning curve, no joke, but thanks to the feedback and trust of my clients, and the help and support of my family, I have just completed my first official online class!
After initial trials last week, for which I had used my rather small laptop and some self-training, I gathered valuable feedback from friends and clients resulting in some small and big adjustments (like saying goodbye for now to one of 2 reformers to make space for my husband’s big screen iMac). I can now happily say I am starting to feel in control and confident in this new way of teaching. It took a bit of “camera awareness” room re-adjustment, colour palette changes i.e for my outfit to stand out clearly against my white walls and black Cadillac etc.
Having successfully moved from studio to online takes away some of the sadness and frustration I first felt when, based on government advice, I reluctantly made the decision to close my studio doors last week Friday. I had worked passionately to build a small but highly cherished Pilates community and I really did not want to lose touch with all of these fantastic people that have been with me since I launched Pilatestudio.
I am finding Zoom a very reliable conferencing tool and purchasing the subscription allows me to offer a full hour class with the ability to gather feedbacks afterwards. I am also capping my online classes at a maximum of 6 people to retain the ability to give corrections. A large screen allows me to see my clients clearly and provide verbal adjustments and encouragement in the tougher exercises.
I definitely think that keeping up with exercise can help us though this period, especially if we are forced to adapt to a life behind closed doors. I firmly believe it will keep us strong and positive and release some of the stress we all feel, and also add some normality and fun keeping in touch with one another and doing the things we usually do albeit in a more unorthodox manner.
So upwards and onwards and let’s keep moving forward!
