Yoga and Pilates teachers ‘frustrated’ at continued ban on in-person classes

Dozens of yoga and Pilates studios have permanently closed since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, and many more are at risk of a similar fate unless restrictions prohibiting in-person classes are lifted, a representative group has said.

Lisa Wilkinson, chairwoman of the Irish Federation of Yoga Teachers, said being unable to restart classes in studios was "heartbreaking" for the group's members.

She suggested that ongoing restrictions on the operation of studios was a sign the Government and public representatives had “no concept of what yoga is and hold an outdated and ill-considered opinion of our industry”.

Under current restrictions, indoor group activities including exercise classes such as yoga and Pilates are not permitted. It is unlikely there will be any significant easing of public health rules until the end of next month at the earliest as the Government focuses on the resumption of schools.

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Some yoga teachers have been offering classes online but Ms Wilkinson expressed frustration at the ongoing prohibition on them getting back to in-person teaching.

Benefit

She said tens of thousands of people who routinely attended classes before the pandemic would benefit physically and mentally from their resumption as she called for classes to be allowed to resume as a matter of urgency.

Ms Wilkinson said 70 businesses had closed permanently due to ongoing restrictions “despite having a natural social distance as part of the fabric of our classes, having no cross-contamination [and] having full contact tracing”.

She said that in her role with the federation she had been getting regular messages from teachers “despairing” about losing their businesses. She said that when the group contacted TDs and Ministers it had received “the same bland and ill-considered responses”.

Ms Wilkinson said the benefits of yoga have been “well documented and well studied” and that the federation has a Covid-19 charter for members to follow regarding procedures “to establish distance, mask-wearing, sanitation, and other measures not required by other open businesses”.

Gyms reopened

She pointed out that gyms have been allowed to reopen despite the fact that people using such facilities routinely share equipment. She noted that retail had reopened “with no contact tracing and innumerable members of the public fondling items which are never cleaned”. She also noted that restaurants and bars were allowed to trade indoors again.

“The Government is not giving any consideration to our repeated protests for acknowledgment and permission to reopen. This lack of consideration is untenable for an industry that the executive clearly has no concern for whatsoever,” Ms Wilkinson said.

A Government spokesman said a “roadmap for managing Covid-19, which includes the further reopening of various sectors from the arts and live entertainment to sports, and the workplace” would be published shortly.