Back in April, I wrote about four activities that really took hold in my new quarantine lifestyle:

  • Animal Crossing (Which has become a daily habit)

  • Online workouts (Which have become the new norm)

  • Art projects (Which slowly transitioned into solving puzzles, but that is definitely more my style)

My real discovery of the last 4 years – sorry, months – was my perception of online courses. I previously thought that online courses took up too much time, and it was too difficult to complete or afford them. After a few weeks with no set schedule, I jumped at an opportunity to learn something new. My first venture was taking a Coursera class from Yale University called, “The Science of Well-Being.” This course provided compelling data on the perception of happiness and useful techniques to improve your state of mind. It was great to have something to look forward to each week and feel a sense of accomplishment when I aced quizzes on my couch.

When I completed the course, I was immediately ready to tackle a new subject. This decision coincided with the start of my remote job application process and I realized that it would be beneficial to add some skills to my resume. My first thought was to learn how to design a website with WordPress. I’ve had an interest in website design for awhile now and I thought I could learn WordPress to redesign the Let It Go Yoga website. The first few days of learning WordPress were difficult – I could not wrap my head around the concepts and all the tutorials online seemed unapproachable and unfamiliar. Once I felt that I had clicked every possible Google link with the word “WordPress” in it, I found a series of videos that were a super helpful starting point to what I was trying to achieve. It was great to find a teacher that I related to and I was able to use these videos to help me realize my vision for the page. The fact that I was able to provide a new website for my parents and learn a valuable skill at the same time felt pretty cool.

I love the style of online courses – You can learn at any time and it’s easy to spend a few hours on a subject that you are interested in. I was surprised to see how quickly I finished each section, and it made me feel productive by providing some structure to my day. Everything that I’ve learned so far was surprisingly affordable and this experience really squashed my skepticism of learning online.

I have been searching for my next subject to take on and I’ve even thought about teaching my own yoga classes on Zoom. I love the online workout structure – As a teacher, you can reach anyone in the world and feel connected through a relaxing yoga class. As a student, you don’t have to leave the house to take a yoga class and can even practice off camera if you don’t want to be seen. I have been teaching in classrooms for the last 10 years and even though schools and fitness centers are currently closed, I still want to help people find joy through yoga.

Have you been taking online courses this summer? Let me know if you have any recommendations. If you want to teach yoga like I do, try the Let It Go Yoga Teacher Training Online Course. It’s a cost-effective way to learn something new while you’re at home, and you can even make some money once you start offering classes. (Click the link to see my website design skills in action!)

Written by Emily Parsons, Certified Let It Go Yoga teacher. Photo Credit: Jessica Parsons.

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