Important updates
Hi everyone,
I am writing to you today to share important updates regarding our online classes. However, before I address these updates, I would like to take a moment to provide you with my perspective on how our community at Yoga 170 can help to drive positive change and stand together as an inclusive community. Thank you for taking the time to read this all the way through.
For me personally, it comes back to what originally drew me to practice yoga — finding an outlet to clear my mind, body, and soul while also being challenged both physically and mentally during the time I spent on my mat. This is how I found yoga, but then I also found more than my individual practice — I found an open, welcoming, and inclusive culture among yogis. It's this combination that drives much of my decision making at Yoga 170 and Butterfly Kids Yoga — building a welcoming community and uniting people together through the practice of yoga. And, it is my perspective that it's this combination that can help drive change and build a more inclusive society. I believe that each time you practice yoga you gain perspective, clarity, and motivation that transcends well off the mat. It is my hope that through this combination we can (collectively) help drive change in our own way and become more united together.
Upcoming changes to our online classes:
Starting next Monday (June 15), we will be shifting our online classes from "live" to "on demand", and we will also be moving away from a free/contribution based system to a paid on-demand model. I realize that this is a big change, but I think it's a change for the better for both students and instructors. Here are some of the details:
We will continue to offer a weekly schedule so that you can plan your week, but our On Demand classes will have specific "watch windows".
These "watch windows" provide greater flexibility for you. Have you ever wanted to take one of our live classes, but couldn't make the time? No problem — you will have a window to take a class and start it when you can.
Have you ever been interrupted during class? Kids, dog, doorbell, work? No problem — you can pause or rewind your class during the watch period.
Has the video ever "pixelated" during the broadcast? No more — our videos are recorded in high definition and will be played at high definition.
Types of classes:
We will be offering the same classes that we've been offering online — Grassroots Hatha Yoga, Active Flow, Refreshing & Candlelight Flow, Gentle Yoga, Power Flow, and Foundations. All classes are now being filmed at our studio with your favorite instructors in accordance with NYS's reopening guidelines. And, as we continue to grow in our community, we will be looking to add more instructors and a greater variety of classes. It will only get better!
What happens to online classes when Yoga 170 re-opens in Phase 4?
Our On Demand classes will continue. We will offer both online and in-person classes.
My heartfelt thanks
Next week will mark 3 months that we've been "paused" and it also marks three months that an incredible team of instructors have donated their time to provide free online classes. I am forever grateful and indebted to Molly, Rachael, Amanda, Gina, Debbie, Heidi, and Dennis — a special heartfelt "Thank You!" and I truly hope that one day I will be able to repay them all!
And to YOU, our students — whether you've been with us for years or only just recently — my gratitude runs deep for your support, generosity, and loyalty as we keep striving to bring you a meaningful practice each and every time we meet on the mat. You are like family to us, truly. Your contributions are helping us to stay and re-open — I am truly fortunate that you've helped us during this time period!
Please consider
I am very excited about our new On Demand classes and we've been working very hard "behind the scenes" on this, but I realize that you have many, many online choices. I truly hope that you will continue to support the Yoga 170 community and that you will consider practicing with us online. The cost of the On Demand classes will be reasonable, and I believe it is a product that is worth buying!
One last note about community
Our current online classes are much smoother now then in mid-March (fewer bloopers!). But in an unexpected way, our Google Meets actually continued to build the community and allowed for our instructors to connect with you, our students. New students both local to Rochester and not (from across the county and even in Canada) have joined our Google Meets. I would be remiss to say that I will actually miss broadcasting from my re-configured basement and participating with everyone on a Google Meet. So, in order to help stay connected we are thinking about new and creative ways to "see you".
The first thing we are going to do is offer an online form that allows you to submit requests for On Demand class work that can be tailored to meet your needs (ie. tight hamstrings, shoulder/neck/back work, a great workout class, etc). You’ll be able to tell us what you need and we’ll focus On Demand classes to what you’d like. In addition, we are working on how to build live (and free) workshops where you can periodically interact with your favorite instructors. More to come on all of this, but we want to continue to build our community with YOU as our focus!
Online schedule this week
This week’s schedule is available here, though it is a little lighter as we prepare to launch Yoga 170 On Demand next week. We hope you can join us in class this week — and we look forward to next week’s unveiling of all we’ve been working on for you.
With gratitude,
Ali