Staying MINDFUL IN A PANDEMIC
Yoga classes return — but not like they used to be
Yoga is about focus. It’s about being present and in touch with one’s body and mind. And Linda Antignani said it’s hard to achieve that level of mindfulness when dogs are running behind you, or your children are screaming for snacks.
Antignani is the owner of Mother’s Embrace Yoga in Shelton and, like many local business owners, had her practice abruptly shut down by the COVID- 19 pandemic. For months, she conducted classes virtually on Zoom. It was better than nothing, she said, but certainly not her preference.
“I can’t tell you what I saw on Zoom,” Antignani said. “Kids climbing on moms trying to exercise. Dads pulling kids off of moms. Pets running around.”
She also wasn’t able to get a good look at her students and adjust their form when needed, which made her worry about potential injuries.
It was an awkward situation and Antignani longed for the day when she could see her students in person again. Now that day has arrived. She resumed classes in her physical studio on Constitution Boulevard on June 28 as part of the state’s second phase of reopening.
However, classes at Mother’s Embrace look a bit different now. Antignani’s class preparation now includes asking students to arrive early, in a mask, for a temperature check. If their temperature is 99 degrees Fahrenheit or below, they are sent to the bathroom to wash their hands.
Each class has a maximum of eight students, all of whom are spaced 6 feet apart ( there are social distancing circles on the floor to help guide them). Because yoga isn’t considered strenuous, Antignani said the state has allowed for yoga classes to be conducted without masks.
Antignani’s students have the option of taking off their masks for class, but must wear them when entering and exiting the classroom.
The atmosphere is obviously different than it was before the pandemic hit, Antignani said. “There has been apprehension among students coming back to class,” she said, adding that she’s kept some Zoom classes for those who don’t feel comfortable attending in person.
And her Mommy’s Time class, in which mothers brought their babies, is still being held online. “I’m not really ready to bring infants into the studio,” Antignani said.
But, on balance, she’s happy to see people in person again. “I’m grateful for whoever feels comfortable enough to show up,” Antignani said.
Despite those who aren’t ready to come back, there are some who are happy the doors of Mother’s Embrace are open again.
“A lot of the feedback has been ‘ Thank God you’re open,’ ” she said.
Antignani isn’t the only one who has had to make some changes to resume classes. Terry DiGiacomo- Galla, owner of TAD- G’s Fitness for Women in Ansonia, had to close her studio due to the pandemic, and recently began holding exercise classes outside at Ansonia’s Linnet Park and on the beach in West Haven.
DiGiacomo- Galla offers a variety of classes, but primarily she’s been teaching POUND Fit, which is sort of a mix of drumming and exercise, using weight drumsticks called Ripstix. She said she cleans and sanitizes the sticks before every lesson and leaves them on the ground for students to use.
By having class outdoors, she can accommodate more students, without masks, than she could in her studio. “I love being outside,” DiGiacomoGalla said.
Previously, she had been doing classes online — a practice she still returns to on rainy days — but was not a fan. “I am a people person,” she said. “It’s a little challenging to do what you need to do online.”
But other instructors have had to keep their classes online, even as the state slowly reopens. Before the shutdown, Dyan DeCastro, of Shelton, offered classes in Essentrics, a form of stressing, in several towns, including Easton, Westport and Fairfield. But many of the places haven’t reopened.
So DeCastro’s classes are staying virtual for now. She teaches six times a week and has found that her students have been grateful for the outlet.
“Everybody wanted that movement and they wanted that schedule,” she said. “They want that structure back in their lives.”
DeCastro said she wants to return to in- person classes, but has no idea when that will happen. However, she said, she thinks some of her students are happy with things the way they are.
“Some people don’t want to go back,” she said. “They’re happy to be in their own home.”