Virtual Connection/Virtual Yogis

It’s official, you no longer need to leave the comfort of your own home to enjoy one on one yoga instruction. The technology:  virtual yoga offered via your webcam.

India based is the first site to offer the services. For the cost of just $20 you can experience live one on one yoga instruction with a certified yoga teacher 24/7. All you need to do is register online and choose the time you want. Once you’re registered in the class you’re sent a link to begin your quest for serenity.

This new ability to take a class online could really be a God send for the time strapped student.(Expect if you’re a Mac using student, the site is still working on it’s Mac platform). Sometimes you just can’t make the time constraints of the studio.

Studio replaced?

The new technology falls somewhere between streaming online classes (like Vancouver based ) and  actual face to face interaction with an instructor. Although the ability to receive real time instruction without having to venture out may appear to be absolutely brilliant, some critics argue it’s missing an important element of the yoga experience, human connection.

‘It’s really hard to duplicate that one on one connection,” said , Founder of Semperviva Yoga and the Director of Semperviva Yoga Teacher Training in Vancouver.

To Latham there’s a human element that can get lost in the online world. Latham argues that in today’s day and age, coming to a yoga class is sometimes the only human contact people get.

For Latham the sense of community found in the classroom is part of the yoga experience. She also believes that the small interactions made with other people in a group setting can be life training.

“It’s really easy to be peaceful on your own, but can you be peaceful when you’re with other people?” she asked.

But Latham admitted that the online platform does hold value. She sees it as most useful for the constant traveler or someone who really can’t make it to class. The webcam interaction does allow the teacher to give verbal cues to make the proper adjustments, they just can’t make the physical correction.

However for her, nothing will ever replace real human interaction. “I really enjoy working with a group… there’s just a lot to be learned in community.”

Namaste