One of my favorite things about face-to-face yoga at my local studio is the feeling that I have arrived at my destination. Putting away my bag and phone in the locker, hanging up my jacket, and taking my mat into the room mark a transition from regular multitasking life to a single activity. Everything– from the calm spareness of the yoga studio to the quiet shufflings of my fellow practitioners, setting up their mats and props– all of this gives me permission to turn my full attention to being present on my mat, in my body, with my current thoughts and feelings and sensations.
But with Zoom yoga, there are no such cues. My destination is the living room, a place where I spend a lot of time doing a lot of different things. My mat is almost always set up (to make it easier for me to just do some yoga at any time), so I enter the zoom-yoga-space without any preamble, with no preparation. In general, I don’t even have to change my clothes, as just about everything I wear these days is yoga-compatible.
So can anyone blame me if I get distracted during Zoom yoga class and wander into something else? Let she who is without distraction cast the first stone…
Here’s a brief list of some things I’ve done during Zoom yoga classes that weren’t yoga:
6) Checked email– this is inexcusable, but also the problem with trying to squeeze in a noontime yoga class when I don’t really have the time or commitment;
5) Gave in and answered my mother’s 5th text with “Mom, I’m in Zoom yoga!”
4) Went into my bedroom and changed my shirt to one that wouldn’t fall over my head in downward facing dog (I hurried back, okay?);
3) Refreshed my beverage with more ice from the fridge;
2) Rebelled against Zoom-class mandated yoga poses in favor of ones more to my liking at the time;
and, number one:
1) Ordered pizza! (Honestly, it didn’t take me long, and it got delivered 5 minutes after yoga class– brilliant idea)
So readers, what are some of the things you’ve done during Zoom activity classes that aren’t that activity? Care to share? I’d love to hear about it.
I pretended to be doing the 1.3 min running on the spot task in Zoom circuit Pilates but I just stood out of camera shot and checked Facebook 😜
Texting… definitely texting. Try to always leave my phone in the other room now, but still often distracted if I hear it beep!
Yes, moving it to the other room is an excellent idea.
Oh yeah– definitely that, too…
I don’t zoom exercise at all but the closest for me is pausing Adriene to pet Cheddar, answer a quick text, grab a quick snack!
Definitely done this things. And dog petting is absolutely something I’d do if (or rather, when) I had a dog. Hi Cheddar– good dog!
I wasn’t in the mood for yoga one day so I left the camera view part way until the end of the class, because I didn’t want the instructor to know I left (don’t want to hurt her feelings, lol).
Yes, I totally relate. I wasn’t in the mood for restorative once, and ended up turning off my camera and doing my own thing instead for the rest of the class.
Definitely guilty of the “quick glance at email”! I’m suppressing that now by turning on “don’t disturb mode” for the duration of the class, so I don’t get any notifications. I can’t stay away if I notice an important email coming in.
My classes are kept small and are more face to face – everyone’s video is on (or at least most) and there’s a bit of chatting at the beginning as people log on. I find it really helps. That and my phone notifications being off.
Though last class I did, I paused to dig out a lipstick that I spotted under the couch. I hadn’t even realized it was missing.