A new beginning
And so, I stayed at home. Isolated in our apartment, tens and hundreds and thousands of miles away from those who matter and deprived from putting my passion into practice, i.e. from connecting with my clients and supporting them in finding their ‘Chi’ through Pilates.
I was puzzled. How do I transition from using hands-on cues to only verbal ones? Can virtual classes truly be effective and as good as in-person classes? I did not dare. A colleague’s friendly push convinced me to try. I initially used my mobile phone, I progressed to the computer camera and then to an external high-quality camera that helps me demonstrate my workouts and interact with my clients in a smooth and energizing way. I set my ‘studio’, I added flowers, what else can I say? In a matter of days, I was and I’m still loving it.
I adapted. I and my clients and my friends and my family and the whole wide world. We humans have an ability to adapt biologically (and psychologically) to our environment. Through billions of years we developed from hunting for dinner to relying on Deliveroo for meals.
Pandemic or no pandemic, online workout classes guided by a qualified and experienced instructor are the solution to the ever-increasing numbers of entrepreneurs who work from home, to employees who work remotely and need to be available online long hours, to those who choose to live outside of city centers and do not have access to fitness studios.
Online classes provide the safety of an injury free workout and save time, give an excuse to get up and move, to feel good and connect with other, like-minded people. Virtual Pilates are here to stay.
The pandemic had and will have devastating effects on human lives and the consequences will be felt for months and years to come. But with it, a blessing came to the western world. We paused. We looked around, we looked in, we looked at others. We adjusted.