The Connected Yoga Teacher Podcast
205: Tech Guide for Online Yoga with Dominique Gauthier
Description:
The pandemic has forced all of us to adapt and change how we share yoga with our students, and for many of us, that has been a shift to teaching yoga online. Figuring out the tech and equipment to teach online has been a steep learning curve for many of us. In this episode, Dominique Gauthier shares some of her tips and tricks for sharing yoga online.
Dominique Gauthier is a personal trainer and yoga teacher, as well as the Founder of Body Mind Fitness. She is a core and pelvic floor specialist who works with clients to provide specialized training to manage and prevent symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction, improve overall pelvic health and allow them to lead an active lifestyle. Dominique’s passion is helping women build and reclaim their strength and confidence from the inside out with movement, education and a body positive sustainable approach.
Shifting to teaching online can be pretty overwhelming, particularly if you’re not “tech-inclined”. Dominique opens up about the challenges she faced as a teacher and some of the struggles of her students in getting set up for online yoga, and shares the things she learned along the way. Dominique has also figured out how to stream her classes to Zoom and YouTube at the time, and if you have to teach hybrid classes (a mix of online and in-person classes) - Dominique also has some strategies to create the best experience for your students.
If you have been looking for ways to streamline your tech for teaching yoga online, or are looking for some tips on how to manage hybrid classes, this episode is for you.
Key Takeaways:
[8:39] Shannon introduces her guest for this episode - Dominique Gauthier.
[10:01] What has Dominique's experience in the Pelvic Health Professionals membership been like?
[13:16] Dominique shares how challenged she felt with having to teach yoga both online and in-person at the same time, with additional restrictions for COVID-19.
[15:36] What has Dominique's set up with for her tech to teach online?
[17:36] Dominique shares some of her initial struggles with uploading videos to YouTube and the burnout she experienced.
[21:38] Dominique highlights her priorities when teaching online.
[23:48] How did Dominique adapt when people started returning to in-person classes and she had to teach hybrid sessions?
[28:23] Use what you have first!
[29:20] Dominique highlights some considerations to keep in mind when purchasing a camera.
[32:57] Dominique summarizes her tech set up.
[35:49] How does Dominique care for her Zoom students so they don't feel left out in hybrid classes?
[38:01] Dominique shares some words of encouragement.
[42:10] Check out Dominique's website for some inspiration.
[43:11] How did Dominique ease her students into using Zoom?
[44:26] When given a choice between in-person and Zoom sessions, what were most of Dominique's students picking?
[45:39] What is Dominique working on adding to her tech for teaching yoga online?
[46:53] Shannon shares her key takeaways from this interview with Dominique.
Links:
Gratitude to our Sponsor Schedulicity.
Quotes from this episode:
"Online isn't going anywhere. I don't think ever." - Dominique
"I have cried so much during these learning curves." - Dominique
"Use what you have first! Try that as much as you possibly can before you go out and purchase something." - Shannon
"We are our own toughest critics... but our clients, our students are so forgiving." - Dominique
"If you're going to get into online teaching, now's the time to do it." - Dominique