Tracy Murdoch has been teaching community yoga classes in the Mahone Bay area for ten years, and like many she had to find a new way of doing things as the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
She and her family had gone to Florida to vacation with her parents over spring break when all the restrictions surrounding COVID-19 began. She knew she would have to self-isolate for two weeks upon her return so she began to think about how she could continue teaching. She knew that yoga would be beneficial for people as they had to practice self-isolation and social distancing.
“Most people associate Yoga with the physical aspects but it is very calming both emotionally and mentally for the mind,” she said.
Students were asking her what was going to happen so she familiarized herself with the video call platform ZOOM so she could teach online. It made for a pretty stressful first week until she got the hang of it.
Murdoch offered a couple of free classes so she and her students could work out the kinks and a lot of her students moved online with her, including Johanna Lowman.
Lowman was living in the Mahone Bay area and taking yoga classes but moved to Bedford a year ago.
“When I moved here I was kind of in the doldrums because I missed my connection with the gals so this has tied us all together again,” she said
Murdoch says that being able to offer classes online has given people a sense of routine and something to look forward to which is especially important for mental health
“There is so much going on emotionally for people wondering when this is all going to end and when they are going to be able to see people,” she said.
Online learning was never something she considered but it has been going so well that she is thinking about continuing it even when restrictions are lifted.
For more information visit her Facebook page Balance to Bliss Wellness With Tracey Murdoch.
