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TORONTO, CANADA

The coronavirus pandemic has forced people across the planet indoors and away from their favourite pastimes. After months of quarantining, gyms are finding innovative ways to reopen while keeping clients as safe as possible. In Toronto, Canada, a pop-up yoga studio recently offered classes in an outdoor setting inside 50 private bubble domes that were just over two metres high and three-and-a-half metres wide. The touch-free yoga sessions, run by LMNTS Outdoor Studio, offered participants a chance to exercise whilst taking into consideration their mental health, given the stress and uncertainty brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and fears of becoming infected. The domes were erected just in time for International Day of Yoga on 21 June, with classes running to the end of July. Instructors led the yoga sessions from a raised podium so participants could follow along and they provided instruction through an audio system. Participants had their temperature taken prior to the classes to screen for symptoms of COVID-19 and naturally, professional cleaners sanitised the domes before and after each session.

A recent South Korean study, published on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, found that high-intensity aerobic exercise, such as dance fitness, may be more likely to spread COVID-19 as a result of the heavy breathing and humidity of people sweating in a small room than the likes of lower-intensity yoga and Pilates.

VISIT MiNDFOOD.COM

Yoga boasts multiple health benefits including greater flexibility, stronger muscles and increased mindfulness, but what many don’t realise is that yoga is not just about flexing and bending. mindfood.com/health-benefits-yoga