Teaching a big class, assisting students, doing partner work without fear of sweat and contagious shit, giving a savasana massage, hugging after an emotional class... (I could go on forever)... are just some of the things that have changed in modern yoga since Covid-19.

Sometimes it feels like touch and close proximity are such an important part of community building, that when they lack things start crumbling.

This might have been true pre 2020. But this is a new time, where the whole world is facing new challenges and we all need to make the effort to find a new way of building and maintaining communities. Even without touch. The more work we do now, the sweeter our hugs will be later.

So let’s cut to the chase.

I have been teaching yoga since 2013 and I always chose to do so in small studios with a loyal community. I love to connect with people and I love not having to pretend I’m someone else. If you know me, you know well I am so far from a social media influencer and that my asanas are far from perfect, but you know I love what I do. And I would not be able to do what I do without the support of small studios.

Small local studios (like small local businesses) are a gift. A beautiful gift the studio owners (superheroes) and teachers (superhero sidekicks) give their community.

The difficult choice of dedicating yourself to your passion and to make people around you happy does not come without issues. And it does not come with financial security. I think it is almost a calling, scary and brave.

Since I started I have not yet seen a small studio business going smooth continuously. The amount of investment behind it is incredible, and paying rent and buying mats is just the beginning.

I have seen horrible landlords doubling the rental costs from one day to the next, more horrible location managers charging 2 hours for 75 mins classes to the point of bankrupting small studios, beautiful people offering free classes to friends to the point that there is no space for paying customers, big brands offering free classes all over the internet, social media making you think your teacher is not enough... The list can go on forever. But I do not want this to be a negative post.

What I have seen is that strong loving community can make a difference. I have seen that generosity is priceless.

So here’s my little ask, as a teacher that is not a superhero studio owner: please be present as a community in this shitty time.

Support your local studio, buy class cards for you and your friends, show up to class when you book, purchase equipment onsite when possible, spread the word.

We will need these community when the pandemic is over, and at this pace we can’t promise they will be there.

All my love and respect goes to those studios that have been the background for beautiful friendships and to those teachers that allowed it to happen.

To help support your favorite studios, go ahead and give them your best gift: show up to class.

Munich studios I love: