Global Health Asia-Pacific July 2020 July 2020 | Page 24

Holistic Health Yoga instructors Zoom into web yoga to beat lockdown Online yoga can also give you a better picture of your technique Zoom lessons have proven to be convenient Lockdown in some countries has seen millions of people struggling to maintain their fitness levels under home isolation. �ome countries, like the �nited �ingdom, have built exercise into their lockdown plans, first allowing people to leave the house for one session of exercise daily, then upping it to two sessions after the COVID-19 infection rate started to fall. Malaysians have not been so fortunate, however. Official regulations prohibit Malaysia’s locked-down population from taking any exercise outside the home. �ut this has not stopped residents from finding new ways to keep up with their exercise routines. �uala �umpur yoga instructor Melanie Matulka has taken to �oom to continue lessons for about half her clients. The format has proven to be convenient, and the expat teacher intends to keep using it after the pandemic restrictions are lifted. �he had been planning to start using �oom even before the lockdown, which began on March 12. And though the lockdown could come to an end soon, an expat client who had returned home asked her to keep the training sessions going over �oom. �Then people were suddenly locked down in Malaysia, so I decided to �ump in. It was either that or lose my clients,� Matulka told �lobal Health Asia-�acific. �There’re loads of classes, lots of yoga teachers doing online stuff. It works out well one-on-one with �oom because you can see what your body looks like,� she said. �While teaching a class in person will always be best, �oom has been pretty good.� In locked-down �ingapore, the government’s Active�� Circle sports club platform is similarly encouraging residents to practise yoga. �aunched in April, the platform connects 88 private fitness instructors and freelancers with its members, who can also access online fitness classes for pilates, �umba, and strength training. Membership is free, as is some of its content, though some programmes must be paid for. �rom an instructor’s point of view, online yoga can be more challenging, but some students prefer the convenience of not having to travel for a session, says Matulka. ��ogistics-wise, it’s great. �eople keep better timings for appointments because they aren’t going anywhere and being late because they have over-run. �I wouldn’t say it’s more fun though. My wireless headphones have cut out on me before, and tech stuff you have to deal with can be a pain. If their computer is far away, you might not be able to hear what your client is saying. It can be tedious and challenging� she said. �ut with a stable Wi-�i connection and a well-placed laptop or i�ad, Matulka’s sessions can go seamlessly, and she can fit more into the day. �My longterm goal is now to do more classes online. Typically I would have up to 40 in-person classes a week, which is pretty full-on. Moving online would allow me to do more classes with no running around in between them,� she added. With a stable Wi-Fi connection and a wellplaced laptop or iPad, Matulka’s sessions can go seamlessly, and she can fit more into the day 22 JULY 2020 GlobalHealthAndTravel.com