This week, I’m participating in my first in-person yoga training since the pandemic started.
It’s reminded me that there’s no substitute for in-person gathering, especially when it comes to training, teaching, and learning.
Virtual courses have redeeming qualities, but they are a poor substitute for in-person gatherings.
There are certain elements and benefits of being in the same space at the same time that cannot be duplicated in the virtual setting.
Obviously, in a virtual setting there can be no hands-on adjustments, which is crucial in yoga to help facilitate the embodied experience in a pose.
But this goes beyond yoga to an element that applies to any training, or indeed, to virtual work in general:
Connection.
Each day during our meal break, instead of turning off screens and doing our own thing in private, we gather in the kitchen of the yoga studio to eat a meal prepared for us. During this time, many smaller conversations take place.
These conversations are organic. They might originate from one person seeking out another to follow up on a comment made during class. One woman approached me the first day to ask about a comment I made. It turned out we went to the same high school, albeit a decade apart.
Instant connection.
We might not have discovered this in a virtual setting, even with breakout rooms.
Indeed, simply the communal act of eating the same meal as everyone else creates a group cohesiveness.
The connections and conversations are more rich and can go deeper faster than they can in a virtual setting.
Love it? Hate it? What do you think? Don't hold back...