Accessible Yoga for Physical Disabilities Classes on Hold until 2021

Hello friends in the Accessible & Abilities Yoga community.

Many of you expressed interest in joining our online chair yoga classes (originally on Tuesday/Thursday, changed to Monday/Friday). However, as with many things during this unusual time in our society, events and classes start and sometimes attendance dwindles; people get “Zoom fatigue,” their lives fill up with a myriad of other activities, jobs come back online, or sadly sometimes health issues take precedence.

I have offered these classes as a community service and would like to continue to do so, but I think we need a break from “another online class” for now. Many thanks to those that tested the waters; please know that I intend to start the class again in the new year. Classes will STILL be free (donations always accepted but NEVER required), but we will pre-register folks for 4 (maybe 6) weeks at a time, have just ONE class per week, for about an hour. Still accessible, still adaptive, and when there are more regular students I can more readily tailor the classes to your needs!

If you have a vested interest in the classes, please respond to this email and I will keep you on the list for January. Please know you are welcome to join my free Daily Chair Yoga classes that occur Monday through Friday at 11AM PST that are gentle (they are Silver Sneakers sanctioned) with a fitness as well as mind/body approach. Just email me and I”ll send you the link.

Just so you know, The Abilities Expo has another virtual event November 20-22 (https://www.abilities.com/virtual/ sign up for free), and I will be showcasing Accessible Chair yoga as an event there again. 

Wishing you well this Autumn, in the Jewish New Year, and well into 2021 friends. 

ZOOM help for our live streaming

• Please use Chrome or Internet Explorer to launch Zoom (Safari does not support it). Firefox seems to have problems, so consider switching. Get more help here: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362593-Launching-Zoom-from-a-web-browser

• Make sure to select CONNECT TO AUDIO when logging in for the meeting

• Still no audio? Check that you have your speakers enabled.  https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362283-Testing-computer-or-device-audio

• Can't see the host (me) in a large window? Click on the three dots on the box with my name and select Spotlight Video. 

• Don't want to see other people's video images, or only see huge tiles of them
• Click the Participant icon at the bottom of the screen to Show/Hide the list of people. 
• You can also show just your name, a column of participants, a grid of participants, a list across the top of the page, or none by clicking the icons at the top (or left) of the participant grid.

• See huge tiles of people and want to minimize them? Click Speaker View in the upper right-hand corner.

•  Click Can't see the chat? Click the "talk bubble" at the bottom. 
  

• You can (and should) invite anyone you want to join - just send the the link. They will need the meeting password.
• To change your name after entering a Zoom meeting, click on the “Participants” button at the top of the Zoom window.

Next, hover your mouse over your name in the “Participants” list on the right side of the Zoom window. Click on “Rename”.

Enter the name you’d like to appear in the Zoom meeting and click on “OK”.

• Still having issues? Reach out to me via email and we can set up a test Zoom meeting to troubleshoot.

Chair Yoga Live Streams via ZOOM Weekdays 11:00 -11:45AM

Link and password required to join. Email your name and a little bit about your interest in our class to byomyoga@gmail.com in advance, then I can send you the free link to our class! 

For all of us living as productively as we can in the confines of our own homes during this health crisis, I've set up via ZOOM a live stream class a Gentle Chair Yoga class, from March 24 through the foreseable future. 

I'll be there about 10:50 to greet people, and will start right away at 11. We will practice for about 40 minutes. You have an option to enable your own video (so others can see you; I have this disabled by default but you can enable it). You will be able to talk (if you have a microphone on your PC, or you are using your phone/tablet), and you will be able to text chat (there will be a chat icon at the bottom of the screen). Once the class starts I will mute everyone else for quiet. 

The app is free, the website is free, the class is free - this is a service to help keep us all a little more sane during our time of self care (quarantine) and healing. 

If you are a Silver Sneakers member (Tivity), please make your presence know before or after class so I can mark your attendance! You can check your membership eligibility here (here's a list of health plans that carry it https://tinyurl.com/y57c6duc).

Be well, see you this week. Your feedback humbly requested.

For previously recorded classes, click this link: https://www.byomyogavideos.com/

For some basic ZOOM troubleshooting, click here: http://byomyoga.blogspot.com/2020/04/zoom-help-for-our-live-streaming.html.

Kids Yoga Live Stream Restarts July 1 Every Wednesday 10AM PST

I am going to restart our popular all-ages Kids Online Yoga classes starting this Wednesday July 1, at 10AM PST. 

There will be a new link with password required - so be sure to email me byomyoga@gmail.com me to sign up for this free class!

Classes will be between 30 and 40 minutes, and as always will include favorite music, movement and occasionally crafts! Have a mat, a favorite "snuggle toy" and water nearby, and log on by 9:55AM to make sure everyone is ready to go by 10. I heartily encourage caregivers to hang out with us to learn the moves, model the behaviors and show the children how much fun yoga is for kids of all ages.

Anyone from any part of the world can join; classes have a password and we will use the Zoom waiting rooms to ensure your privacy. As always, they are free of charge; donations are welcome but not required.

Questions? Contact me at byomyoga@gmail.com or read more at http://www.byomyoga.com

To view previous class videos follow this link: https://www.byomyogavideos.com/p/kids.html

For basic ZOOM troubleshooting click here: http://byomyoga.blogspot.com/2020/04/zoom-help-for-our-live-streaming.html.