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Online yoga classes offer serenity amid pandemic blues
As more and more people focus on maintaining both physical and mental well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic, some Indonesians opt to attend yoga classes online to “escape” their isolation and stay healthy.
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Fit together: Taopik Setiawan, 34, began teaching online yoga classes through his Facebook community when the pandemic began last year. (Personal collection/Courtesy of Taopik Setiawan)
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ndrawati Widjanarko, 41, became aware of the benefits of yoga when she signed up for classes in 1998 in Bandung, West Java. At first, Indrawati started taking yoga classes simply for self-healing.
“In 2004, [I] moved to Kuala Lumpur [in Malaysia] and began my corporate career. I wanted to do something positive with my spare time and I chose yoga,” she told The Jakarta Post.
Indrawati became familiar with more yoga techniques as she continued her lessons and, after one year, she joined a yoga teachers’ training course, and immediately after that she was allowed to teach students. After teaching yoga in various countries including China and Thailand, she opened her own studio, Namaha Yoga, in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara in 2017.
Many gyms were closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and, subsequently, fitness coaches began to teach classes online. Indrawati conceded that her studio – just like other fitness centers – must obey the ever-prolonged public activity restrictions (PPKM) from the government.
For Indrawati, who has been described as “loving” and “compassionate” by her yoga students, there is a greater need to practice yoga for people during the pandemic – beyond sculpting bodies and looking fit.
“The benefits of yoga include bringing peace to our body, heart and mind,” Indrawati explained, adding that practicing yoga regularly could also train people to be more mentally flexible in any situation.
