MINDFUL FLEXIBILITY

Honest Yoga’s Sheena Bagshawe is teaching mindfulness and anxiety management one virtual class at a time

How have you been able to change your service offering under Covid-19?

South Africa watched other countries respond to the pandemic and this included the yoga industry. My corporate and private students were happy to switch to online sessions early on and the transition was quite smooth.

What challenges have you had to overcome?

Teaching online is very different, and the yoga teacher training I did leaned towards describing movements and sensations rather than demonstrating. This means students aren’t trying to replicate a teacher’s poses and potentially push themselves past the point of safety. Now, I’m demonstrating and talking them through every class, two or three times daily. It takes a lot of stamina. I also watch students on the screen to give cues and prompts — it took some time to adapt to that.

What opportunities have come out of Covid19 that may help your business?

I’ve been asked to host a few Instagram Lives for brands, which I wouldn’t have had the confidence for before. Talking on video used to be daunting; now it’s slowly becoming comfortable. It’s opened my eyes to the idea of working digitally as a business model. It’s given me the opportunity to relook how I add value to clients and my online community.

5 practical tips to improve people’s wellbeing?

1. Find stillness: meditate, pray, journal, lie in a bath, even if it’s just five minutes. 2. Connect to

your body: move in a way that’s mindful and joyful — whatever kind of movement makes you happy. 3. Routine: form one that’s easy to follow and be flexible. 4. Nourish yourself: allow for nutritional meals and ones that serve you emotionally. Some days that’ll be salads and others it’ll be pasta. 5. Self-compassion: make this your priority. Wellness and healing look and feel different for everyone. Don’t force anything; it doesn’t have to happen daily.