In a series of blogs I write and share EVERYTHING I have discovered about teaching online via Zoom.

Here you can read about the things you can buy to improve sound and image, about which settings you can view and adjust on your computer. Because I use Zoom myself, I also explain how to use Zoom for online (yoga) classes and workshops, and, teaser - that goes a bit further than inviting your participants & starting up the screen!

If you don't feel like reading all these blogs/don't have the time/focus, you can improve your online teaching experience NOW and make your clients super happy tonight by booking me via https://calendly.com/jagatprem/sessions .

Teaching Yoga via Zoom – How to Improve the Experience for Participants and for Yourself?  Blog 1/3 - why invest time and money in online teaching? How to choose the right laptop for online teaching, which camera to use. 

March 2020. Remember when spring started and didn’t care about anything. The great unimaginable had also arrived in the Netherlands. Lockdown. How did you react as a yoga teacher? In panic mode, waiting, or we’ll-see-it?

Action-oriented as I am, I immediately switched to giving online yoga lessons. All lessons, all hours simply continued 1 on 1 via wifi. It gave me something to hold on to during that special time for me and also for my yoga participants. There I was. During beautiful spring evenings in my attic, with laptop, webcam and microphone. I could not stretch my arms above my head under the sloping roof, when I turned my head away from the computer I could no longer be understood and the sound of the music I used was downright crap. These were all the ingredients for a restless yoga lesson. But it also meant the beginning of a new adventure. What is wrong where you can make room, investigate and experience new things.

Let's go back in time a little further. 

As a shy, sensitive and super fast thinking girl I always had my nose in books or was figuring out how “something” works. And maybe that is why I am so crazy about working online and I made it my profession, as a connecting technique between making bags and teaching yoga. Especially in the time that I still liked to work in my safe cocoon, at home, with small children, I only had to show myself when I wanted to and could quietly write and research in my own time, in my house and with my energy. Back in the days I started blogging about making sustainable boys clothing  and jewelry made of bicycle tire rubber when… Hyves still had to become hip. Now there is an app for everything, you can follow free tutorials (nice, you don't have to buy a book or course anymore) and there are platforms and communities for  any technical or personal problem. Back then there was almost nothing. It seems like the stone age, and in the computer world it is, 15 years of computer technology translates into a few centuries in a human life. Okay, there was HTML, blogspot and Wordpress. And ISDN, for those who still remember it! 

By writing, reading and researching I came a little further. And so I slowly but surely built up my knowledge with which I do business online with my bags and yoga: www.westermanbags.com and www.salland.yoga . 

And now back to yoga. Because fast forward about 15 years after my first webshop I was sitting in my attic, with my shabby webcam and a group of students who wanted to take online yoga classes. I thought it would be really cool to do this, because I already knew that working online gives me a lot of freedom. This also required a lot of research. During the period before Christmas in 2020 I guided the Kundalini Yoga Festival online, where I discovered that I really knew a lot about Zoom and that there were a lot of questions. As a moderator and supervisor of the online workshops I have learned how incredibly important it is that the technology works well, and that your online workshop stands or falls with that. Do you want to give an online workshop for a large group or are you unsure whether you can do this with all the technical aspects involved? I can also guide you and your group during YOUR workshop, where I can use all possible applications of Zoom for a fantastic energetic group experience, yes, even online and via Zoom. 

HELP my online workshop to Level 3.0

To save you a lot of time and energy, I have now written down all my findings for you, with the great hope that it will help you move forward in these special times, in which I believe more than ever in “ together ” and connection instead of more and better.  Are you thinking, tell me more about how you are teaching better online yoga classes now? Then I don't have to figure everything out myself? Yes, you're in the right place. 

  

I quickly found out that the camera and microphone of my 2015 Macbook pro are quite ok for video calling. The shabby gamers webcam and microphone certainly didn't add anything. But it wasn't OK enough for a yoga class where you're going to film movements from a few meters away. The sound quickly becomes too soft because if you want to stay completely in the picture you really have to sit about 4 or 5 meters away from your laptop. And apart from the sound quality it's of course also the question whether you have that much space in your house. (Where all the clutter and furniture have to be out of the picture, sigh) 

Have you also come to this point? That you notice that your yoga classes are continuing online , even though there may not be as many as before? And that you want to improve the experience for your students? Then you are in the right place. Below I will write all my findings about teaching online from home. If you have a large studio (which always seemed great to me, but since Corona I am very happy that I do not have such a block of rent on my leg, respect for all stone yoga school owners) you have more space to arrange your recordings professionally. You can leave your equipment, perhaps work with multiple teachers and have the surface area to film with different cameras etc. This article is NOT about that. 

This is going to be a long article because just listing some equipment is not going to help anyone. I will take you from the very beginning - a laptop to the settings in Zoom. Because I love projects in progress and community testing it is possible that you are reading this and not all topics have been discussed - if you have a question let me know and I can add it. 

Oh yes. If you would rather have a personal kickstart to help you get started with your online yoga class, you can book me here for half an hour on a donation basis . Let me know your questions and we will go through them, I will give you extra tips and tricks. Don't be afraid to ask this, many have gone before you.

One more thing. If you want to buy something for online yoga lessons, you can do so by clicking on one of my links to Amazon and Bol. If you buy something via such a link, I will receive a small percentage of the sales price. That is called affiliate marketing and I like to be clear about it. That way we can help each other, I you with your online yoga lessons via Zoom and you me by your support via the links. 

Start from scratch - The beginning - a laptop

When you think of online teaching, you immediately think of expensive cameras and microphones and complicated technology. And that is partly true, but it starts with the quality of your laptop and your internet connection. More about your connection later. I can simply say, from experience, that every Macbook from the beginning of 2015 is steady and workable. Yes, they are expensive, but they work without hesitation and flawlessly. To be able to switch seamlessly between data and files, even between phone and laptop, is also worth a lot of money in my opinion. My time is worth money, it's that simple. I work on a Macbook Pro 13” from 2015, yes, one of those expensive ones with all the trimmings. It is worth its weight in gold. It's just not that heavy, ha ha. Is that an advantage or a disadvantage? Uh. 

I have also taught Zoom classes with a 2015 Macbook Air and a Lenovo Thinkpad i7, they are not the cheapest laptops but they all work without a hitch. Since we are all working more and more online now and will continue to do so in the future (whether you like it or not) a good laptop is really an investment in yourself and your work. Why is online yoga class so enjoyable and why is technique so important? -> Nicolet shares her experience with my online yoga classes

The Online/Offline Paradox of Yoga Teachers

I regularly speak to yoga teachers who, as befits yoga teachers, would most, very much prefer to teach only live lessons and would rather have nothing or as little as possible to do with the computer. The paradox is that these people then choose a cheap or second-hand laptop, ("taken over from my work") because they do not want (or have) to spend that much money on it. Although 300 euros is also a lot of money, that is true. Even if you may not like it, if you delve into it you can make it your own and make it work for you.

Why does such a laptop often work against you and why would you, despite the large investment, prefer to throw it out the window after a few hours? Two reasons:

1 - such a laptop often has some limitations, in speed, in compatibility (how it works with other apps, programs and equipment) and in working memory.

2 - you don't know much about it, (100% logical, because you didn't want to deal with it) so if something doesn't work properly you have to figure it out yourself. Grrrr. That's often the moment I get a text. Or a phone call. HELP! (That's always possible, if you're already thinking, what a text man, I just want to GIVE YOGA CLASSES in front of that camera, then book me here for a Zoom kickstart session) 

If you have an iPhone, it is useful to use a Macbook, among other things because you can then remotely, from your mat, control the music via Spotify that you play on your laptop during the yoga class. More about that later. Here at home we also use the Lenovo laptop in combination with a Samsung phone, that also works very well, but I do not know if you can also control Spotify remotely with it. (Anyone have experience?)

What should you pay attention to when choosing a laptop to buy or take over: 

• Processor: minimum Intel Core i5 or AMD A12 
• RAM: minimum 8 gigabytes

Click here for an overview of all Macbook laptops.

If you only want to record close to your laptop, for example for 1 on 1 coaching sessions, you can easily use the built-in camera and microphone of your Macbook (or similar). As soon as you sit a little further away from your screen, an external microphone and camera are indispensable. 

More tips:

A few more general tips if you have or receive questions about the quality of your recording or disrupted yoga class:

* You can buy and use an expensive fantastic setup for your yoga classes. BUT if your internet connection is bad, the experience is also bad. Do you know that your wifi often falters, then consider an unlimited data subscription from KPN for example. You can then stream via 4G, which is stable and you don't have to tell your housemates that they all have to go offline for an hour. (That can also have advantages of course!!)

• Don't forget: The receiver also has a responsibility. Something that happens very often is that the sound does not come across well. There are roughly 2 things going on: 1 - the sound of your participant's phone/tablet or laptop is turned down. Yes, sometimes it is that simple. 2 - the speaker function of your participant's phone, tablet or laptop is bad. I often see the same people turn their ear to the screen while others have perfect sound. A solution for this can be to ask to connect an external speaker, most people have a Bluetooth speaker at home these days. This often already makes the volume a lot worse.
• Practice makes perfect, and so does staying calm. Hang a piece of paper next to your laptop with the step-by-step plan of everything you need to check and set up before the lesson starts. And adjust your note if you notice that more is needed.

This is my simplest online setup, for the weekly online and live breathwork session via facebook live streaming. Extra lights, microphone with pop cap, laptop and webcam. And my cheat sheet of course ;)

Camera and microphone for online teaching via Zoom:

For this first chapter on external equipment, you can make it as expensive and complicated as you want. And if you don't know much about it, it all sounds expensive and complicated, right? I'll start with the fairly simple setup that I like to use myself. So I don't pretend that it's the best, but it's a big improvement over my shabby gamers setup.

* The quality is much better compared to the built-in camera and mic of my laptop, 

* It is easy to set up, 

* It is easy to take with you or put away (if you teach in your living room)

* The investment is manageable. 

* It works with wires - so a stable connection -> no wireless bluetooth connections that drop out during class or headset batteries that do not last a whole day, for when you give a long online workshop or training. 

To the point now. My camera: 

I use a wide angle webcam from Logitec C930e but the C920 and C922 are also fine. This costs between 120 and 150 euros, there are also more expensive models. You can find them here on BOL and here on Amazon . You see this camera clicked on my laptop in the photo above. The camera has a long cord so you can also put it somewhere else.

Advantage: 

• This ledger webcam ensures that a much larger image is displayed. So you can sit closer to your laptop. This works mainly in width, and for standing exercises you will have to adjust the camera a bit and stand a bit further away. Or use a second camera, read more below.
• It is a USB camera that works seamlessly with Zoom. So you don't have to put complicated apps in between and the connection is super stable, because it is connected to your laptop with an old-fashioned wire.
• You record with much better quality (more pixels) 
• You can't go wrong with it - there are no buttons or settings (this can also be a disadvantage, but if the camera works well for you it's a blessing that the settings can't suddenly be changed, 5 minutes before your lesson or something :) 
• The camera also has a decent microphone. Depending on your voice and the acoustics of the room you are teaching in, this may be sufficient and you do not need to purchase an extra microphone. 

Disadvantage: 

* The camera sometimes has to focus when you are close to the camera and make a quick movement. Then the image is out of focus for a little longer than desired. 

Setting up your webcam camera in Zoom:

All you need to do, once you have plugged the webcam’s USB plug into your laptop, is to check if Zoom is actually using this camera. You can do this by clicking the arrow next to MUTE at the bottom left of your screen, you will see a menu with MICROPHONE, and below that is “Logitec C30e” for example, and select it. 

Working with 2 cameras in Zoom: 

So it remains a challenge, even with a wide-angle camera, to keep your arms and hands in the picture when you are doing standing yoga exercises for the webcam. My solution for this is a second, identical Logitec webcam. This is on a high tripod about 2 meters behind my laptop. In Zoom you can switch between cameras, you have to do this yourself and manually, in the same menu as when setting, the arrow next to MUTE,  then Logitec #1 and #2 are there and you can switch between them. Sometimes Zoom only sees 1 camera - then you do the old fashioned plug & play reset: unplug the USB plug of the camera and plug it back in. 

Screen, viewing angle and connecting.

Connecting with your participants is super important and the more and better you can do this, the better your lesson will be received. And I don't mean your wifi connection, but your view of the camera to make contact with your participants. As you read above, you can work with 2 cameras. Your webcam doesn't have to be next to your laptop. That's an advantage, it gives you all the freedom to place your webcam where you want. The big disadvantage, however, is that you see your participants ON THE SCREEN and not in your camera.

So if you decide not to clamp your camera to your laptop but to place it somewhere else, you have to make sure that you always look into the camera and not at your screen. And I can tell you from experience that this is very difficult, because you will miss the connection with your participants yourself, because you cannot see them. A solution for this is to connect an external monitor to your laptop, and hang it high in your room, near the camera. A simpler but more expensive solution is to use a second laptop or tablet and log in to Zoom with it, so that you can control everything from the laptop that is with you, and you can see the participants on the tablet or laptop that is further away. (I am saving up for this solution, preferably with an iPad, so feel free to click on those affiliate links if you want to buy something :)

Are you dizzy yet? Just hang in there - I'll be writing part 2 of 3 soon, including: Which microphone to choose for teaching yoga online (there's a lot to choose from, so I'm working on a decision-making guide) How to share good quality music via Zoom, how to use breakout rooms during your Zoom session, and... do you have any questions? Let me know!

Enjoy your online time.. I'm going offline now! Love Annemieke Jagat Prem