Move over Joe Wicks because a yoga and pilates instructor has moved her classes online.
Absolute Yoga and Pilates owner Pauline Ward was forced to cancel face to face sessions across Havering in the wake of social distancing measures triggered by the coronavirus.
But undeterred, Pauline and her team are now offering people stuck at home the chance to clear their minds, destress, keeping their bodies active with live-streamed online classes and a library of videos.
Mum of two Pauline said: “It’s really important people continue to move. We’re going to become really sedentary if we don’t plan some kind of exercise into our daily routine.
“Being confined is not healthy, although at the moment we have to do it.”
The government has introduced measures which mean most people must stay at home to help stop COVID-19’s spread.
You should only leave home to shop for basic necessities, for medical needs, for work if it can’t be done at home and to take one form of outdoor exercise a day.
But Paula said yoga and pilates are ideal ways to keep fit at home too.
“They’re good for your wellbeing. They make you feel fabulous. Everything we do is enjoyable and it’s a nice way to exercise. It’s very inclusive. It’s a whole hour where you’re no longer thinking about the situation we’re in,” she added.
The classes are for all abilities with levels ranging from gentler moves up to more demanding poses depending on experience. There are even sessions for children and people don’t have to have the equipment.
Currently, there is no limit to the number of people who can take part in the live classes with the Zoom computer programme allowing up to 100 participants.
“Some people are scared to go online because it feels unknown, but from having run three sessions now, even our older clients have come back and said it was easy. We can’t see each other, but we can still do something together that makes us feel better,” Pauline said.
The qualified instructor, who was doing a lot of classes at Havering College, is also offering tutorials to get people up and running with the software.
To more details visit absoluteyogaandpilates.co.uk or check out go to @absoluteyogaandpilates on Facebook.
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