Intramurals Coordinator Stacy Attridge is leading a few weekly Zoom classes for students and faculty. I sat in on one of her yoga classes, which she leads twice a week (12:35-1:25 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays).

As a point of reference, I would describe my experience with yoga as an advanced beginner. I know a number of the positions and have some natural flexibility, but it’s not something I’ve done more than a handful of times in my life outside of PE classes.

Pros

Multiple Difficulty Levels

Attridge does a great job of describing different difficulty levels for a certain type of exercise. She’ll demonstrate the most standard way to do a certain position, but will then usually show an easier way to do a similar stretch if the first one is too hard, such as turning the somewhat-difficult plank position into one where your knees are touching the floor. She also often shows an advanced option for those with lots of experience.

Privacy

One built-in advantage of Zoom fitness classes: there’s no one to judge you. Although you are allowed to share your video if you want, almost none of the class does. For many people, one of the scary parts of trying something new — especially something physically challenging like yoga — is being self-conscious of what others will think of your ability and/or body condition. In a Zoom class, the only thing people are going to know is the name you list yourself as.

Customizable

Attridge has her own music going in the background, but it’s significantly quieter than the instructions she’s giving, which works well. If her music works for you, just turn the volume up a little on your device and you’re set. If you’d rather listen to your own music, you can do so and still easily hear the instructions.

Cons

Difficulty Asking Questions

For most Zoom classes, this is not an issue, as the chat box and “Raise Hand” features allow for communication with the teacher (and other students) without disrupting the flow of the class. But since Attridge is focusing on leading the workout, she isn’t looking closely at her screen. It is possible to unmute yourself and ask it directly, but it breaks the flow of the lesson.

Inability to Pause or Rewind

There was a stretch early in the lesson that I missed the instructions for that I wanted to go back and attempt. Attridge does offer built-in breaks, where she’ll suggest taking a break if you need it while offering a different stretch for those who want to keep going, but they’re at specific times that may not be useful depending on your needs.