Reflections on Reopening
It has now been two months back in my studio after teaching solely virtually for 18 months. As we trudged through the lockdown for over a year and a half, uncertain of what the future would bring, we settled into a rhythm and schedule that worked for us. I was grateful to have many of my clients follow my business to an online model, and we helped each other through the anxiety and uncertainty of the time. Many of my clients shared with me that the weeks of the pandemic felt endless, each day merging into the next, only realizing what day it was when they had their Pilates sessions scheduled. It was so gratifying to hear how their weekly sessions helped them navigate through those challenging months. Similarly, my clients helped me through it all by continuing to want me to teach, allowing me to feel purposeful in continuing to do what I love.
During the time of working from home, I kept myself on a regular schedule, teaching my sessions starting at 7a, taking breaks during the afternoon to walk and exercise, so when it came time to start planning to reopen the studio it wasn't difficult to slide back into a schedule. During the lockdown, I greatly enjoyed my time working from home and having more available time to work on projects. For about 15 of the 18 months teaching virtually I was convinced that we had found the new way of living, that everything should be virtual forever. It was so convenient eliminating any commute while accessing endless lectures and classes across the world!
However, after a year and a half passed, I, along with many of my clients, was beginning to feel fatigued from the computer all day, and tired of being tied to the desk and the WiFi connection, not able to walk around my client to see them working from different angles, not able to manually adjust them if needed. I was also missing utilizing various other pieces of equipment like the Cadillac, Ladder Barrel, and Wunda chair.
Some clients started questioning when we could get back into the studio as the vaccine rates increased and the infection rates decreased significantly. Initially considering re-entry to the studio I was anxious about the upcoming changes. After the initial trepidation, I slowly began feeling excited about the possibility of getting back to my studio, of seeing clients again in person, of reconnecting to some I hadn't seen all year and to be using the equipment again.
Some clients who had not been taking classes all year were waiting eagerly to have sessions back in-studio to return to Pilates. Other clients who had been taking sessions regularly all year felt comfortable in their schedule, appreciated the convenience of zoom classes, and wanted to stay virtual. Others who had been taking zoom privates during the year were ready to get back in the studio. In my current schedule, I still have a mix of virtual and in-person sessions each day. This has continued to be a fantastic tool allowing for clients, even if they have returned to sessions at the studio, to be able to do their session virtually if they have a scheduling conflict that day, if they don't feel well, or if they're traveling, instead of missing their session that week.
My initial anxieties around reopening largely stemmed from uncertainties in safety protocols, how to best ensure safety for everyone, figuring out best practice protocols in various scenarios such as in the possibility of a client testing positive or not being vaccinated, false positives, enforcing mask guidelines, sanitation, and airflow. Many studios and gyms have had to include new covid guidelines in their client health and liability waivers to ensure everyone is aware of the possible risk of infection from being in close spaces with others, and to acknowledge clients and teachers must follow guidelines and not come in for their sessions if they were experiencing any type of symptoms. This also impacted most studios' 24-hour cancellation guidelines, expanding the policy to allow clients to late-cancel without charge in the case of feeling ill or having recently been in close contact with someone who tested positive in order to keep everyone as safe as possible while still re-opening the studio.
At this point we've all figured out how to strategically place fans and air purifiers around the room, open doors and windows to increase airflow through the space, minimize hands-on corrections, limit the number of people in the studio at any time, space reformers farther apart around the room, as well as ensuring constant use of masks and hand sanitizers.
As I reopened the studio, in addition to all the health and protocol anxieties, I wondered if clients would even want to come back due to either safety concerns or because of changes in their own scheduling and habits over the past year. Then, after emailing clients I quickly realized a majority of clients did want to come back, so the next hurdles were twofold- how to schedule everyone back in, and how to balance the new hybrid work mode. I decided I would bring my computer to the studio daily to be able to alternate virtual and in-person sessions depending on client preferences. For scheduling I then determined the clients who previously had weekly sessions before the lockdown but had not been training virtually during the past year would only be scheduled in as my new schedule allowed, prioritizing clients who had maintained sessions during the lockdown. Previous clients couldn't expect to regain their old times if a virtual client had committed to the slot all year. Clients who had been using the slots had first priority, and everyone seemed to understand and agreed that was most fair for everyone. Daily scheduling for a studio like mine where I only do private sessions, no group classes, is always a bit of a puzzle, but trying to reset dozens of people's schedules was a giant jigsaw!
Quickly we returned to our new schedule and adapted again to being back. While we all tend to fear and resist change, it's amazing to see how adaptable we can be when necessary.
When we first went virtual I was surprised that clients who I didn't think would like doing a virtual session or the mat work ended up loving it and stayed consistent all year. Others who I expected would definitely do virtual sessions never tried or didn't like doing the zoom thing. Then I was again surprised to have so many clients who hadn't been training wanting to return to the studio, having been missing their Pilates sessions from their weekly routines. Upon return, I noticed that clients who had continued consistently with the mat work all year were now stronger and more connected to the work and their bodies. Many other colleagues of mine noticed the same in their clients as well. It made me think about the connection and difficulty of the mat work and its purpose in centering the body and mind, meant to help clients understand how to work through the body without the need of the equipment or added resistance.
When we first went virtual I was physically and mentally exhausted after teaching just a few sessions, not acclimated to staring at a screen for many hours, when in-person I had been used to many hours of back-to-back teaching. Similarly, when we returned to the studio I was wiped out by the end of the day after standing in the studio for many hours. And in each instance, it took a few days of the new normal to adjust to that schedule and allocate the necessary energy that was needed to connect to clients in that way.
This whole process has allowed me to center myself, reset my schedule, take the space to realize what works for me moving forward and see the importance of the work that we do as Pilates teachers. As we continue trying to push back toward "normalcy" we need to pause to think about what we want our normal to look like now. What should we maintain and what might we need to let go in order to emerge from all of this happier and more fulfilled daily.
Settling back into the studio we've all been so happy to be back, feeling refreshed and excited. I've never appreciated Pilates more, in keeping people both moving and centering during a difficult time, but also maintaining social connections and physical and mental resiliency to be able to adapt through changes and challenges.