You Can't Hold Hands Online
As we are quickly learning during this unexpected pandemic that is rattling our economy, community connections, and personal health: human connection is invaluable. Every security and comfort we once knew is being reexamined. All of us are quickly working to create new means of income and connection in just a matter of days.
As I attempt to lead two studios through this trying time in the Portland metro area, I’m grateful we live in a time where we have access to magical tools like live streaming. In the same breath, I’m concerned about how quickly we may lose what’s at the heart of why we do what we do: human connection.
Virtual platforms have a longstanding reputation for hurting small, locally owned brick and mortar businesses like wellness studios.
I’m struggling with the fact that I”m having to make the decision to employ the same tactics that have put many of my colleagues out of business. But here we are. We need to stay connected, by virtual means, in order to stay healthy.
Our industry has endured canceled memberships to local studios with curated, on-location daily classes to $19/month for access to an unlimited library of classes taught by teachers all around the world. We know how attractive this can be. We’ve been there. But what we quickly realized is that our community really shines when it is together, in community, in person. We can adjust, breathe, move, sweat, laugh and cry together and feel that energy in person.
We know this to be true, nothing will replace the value of in-person connection. We’ve only been social distancing for a week and people are already missing their loved ones.
After those thoughts, the next two question that pop up into my mind are
Why are studio leaders like myself still paying expensive rents and overheads if we could pay 1/1000 the cost for a zoom account?
Why are teachers still showing up at studios (3 hours of committed work when you include prep time and travel) to make variable and lower than desired paychecks due to chronic fluxuations in attendance?
The answer to my why’s? Because human connection is worth 1000x more than virtual accessibility! In the last year, I have been working to build a community and that community is all about connection, family, friendliness, and contact.
Within that community, we provide those things through the deep and dedicated studies of yoga and Pilates. My intuitive understanding that human connection is as important to our survival as food and water is strong… but no surprise there is plenty of research out there to support it. In this article the New York Times author Jane E Brody beautifully writes about human connection being critical for our health.
Businesses that are deemed as essential for survival (for example hospitals and grocery stores) are asked to stay open while others are asked to close. I support this in light of a pandemic but also pause to reflect on our importance during “normal times”.
Our small family works to keep three businesses afloat; a yoga studio, a pilates studio, and a private room Karaoke establishment (it's an entertaining home). All three businesses are considered “luxury” offers. In the world of our current severe financial divide, between the 1% and the rest of us, these services are financially unattainable for some, even though we work hard to make them accessible while paying our employees a living wage and health insurance.
However, when we look at preventative health, the proven and studied healing power of connection, and the joy of togetherness… I feel that the communities we’ve built together are incredibly important to our long-term wellness.
Community connection is a path to build change, movement, song, togetherness. All ways communities were built. To build connection and healing in our world, we need each other to make progress within ourselves. And from my heart of yoga, we are one, which is why when separated we feel the suffering of literal duality.
Consider this...
Sure, you can download Pilates Anytime and watch some videos, but is it as impactful on your pain as having a teacher give you direct and personalized feedback?
Sure, you can go to Yoga International for a quick yoga class from your office but is going to pull you out of your groves and help you really create change like a teacher who knows you and holds space for you?
And sure, you can sing it out in your shower to the app Stingray but is that really going to create memories like watching your boss scream-sing Don’t Stop Believin’?
Being with the community is what makes the difference. In yoga and Pilates, taking a class from a teacher in a studio where they can see you, follow your breath, and meet your energetic body is priceless. And then there's the critical aspect of building community and connection with your fellow students. Our studio is built on the dedication and time of our teachers, they show up and provide a healing and life changing space for students. But it is also built on the loving kindness of our students and those who gather after class to chat about movement and life.
Here is the truth… Our studio is not the only one who focuses on community in this way. In fact, there are hundreds of thousands of magical studios all around the world that create this space for change. For togetherness. For movement as a tool of preventative health.
As an advocate for the brick and mortar studios, there is still the tough reality of this pandemic. So with all of our beautiful community driven studios and teachers suddenly marketing themselves to the wide web, how do we navigate? Here are a few suggestions to the students out there suddenly inundated with live streaming classes.
Take a class from a teacher you have taken in real life. From my studies in motor learning, research has shown that our connection with the teacher, in live personal experience, helps us learn more effectively and create positive and permanent change. It is not understood exactly if it's the frequency and pace of their voice, their particular cues and phrasing, or the subtle motivation they bring from having an in person intimate experience. No matter what it is, if you take a virtual class from someone you have taken class from before, it will be more impactful than taking a virtual class from a stranger. Previous connection matters, and translates through a screen.
Sure take from a few others that you have been curious about, but stay true to the studio you want to see still standing when all of this is over, they need you during these times.
Come back! When our pandemic lockdown has passed, use the virtual tools as supplementary and return to the local studio. Your life is better for it and research has proven that statement.
Human connection is what is solving problems. Human connection is what’s springing into action to help our most vulnerable and it is human connection that is driving all of our efforts to keep our communities safe and healthy. When this is over, connect again, with humans.
Acknowledgements: I want to personally thank Maggie @havencollective for her brilliant support of getting my words on paper. She sees my truth and gives me the harder truth in return to challenge me everyday. I also want to thank the fierce Madison Page who is creating a platform that provides virtual offerings to keep the connection alive! It is with the hardwork and dedication of small virtual businesses like Core de Coeur that keeps me positive!
