The demand for online yoga and fitness courses is steadily increasing. We’ll show you how you can easily offer your yoga and fitness classes online to reach a broader audience.
Why offer yoga and fitness classes online?
In today’s world, digitization, mobility, and flexibility play an increasingly significant role. Consequently, the demand for online yoga and fitness courses is growing. This allows customers to engage in physical activity anywhere, whether in the home office, garden, or while traveling, as they are not bound by location. Livestreams foster a sense of community and boost motivation, as no one has to exercise alone. Unlike recorded videos, which can be accessed at any time, livestreams scheduled at specific times provide structure to the workout plan.
Yoga instructors, trainers, and fitness studios are increasingly offering their classes digitally and live to adapt to changing customer needs.
What equipment is needed for online yoga and fitness classes?
To successfully offer fitness courses online and teach yoga online, a service for livestreaming is required. Additionally, you need a sufficiently fast internet connection and suitable streaming hardware.
Video Live Stream Hosting for broadcasting
Our streaming servers act as the optimal link between your yoga and fitness instructors and the course participants. You can easily embed your stream into your website using our Video Live Stream Hosting, or alternatively, we can create a custom landing page with password protection for you. During each one-month period, you can host as many online yoga and fitness courses as you wish. We provide ample resources for your desired number of participants during this time.
Internet connection
Before your yoga or fitness class reaches the viewers, it must be transmitted to the streaming server via your internet connection. Therefore, a suitable upload speed of your internet connection is essential. The required upload speed for a smooth stream increases with higher resolution.
Since the actual upload speed may differ from what is advertised by the internet provider, a speed test should be conducted before hosting an online yoga or fitness course.
Streaming hardware on site
Video encoder
A video encoder receives your video and audio and sends both to our streaming server, making the online yoga or fitness class accessible to your viewers. Various solutions are available for video encoders. The only requirement is that it is compatible with the rest of the equipment (camera, microphone, etc.) and sends the signal in RTMP format to the streaming server.
Software Encoder: There are various software or app-based video encoders, some of which are free, that you can install on your smartphone, tablet, or notebook. Since live streaming encoding is computationally intensive, your hardware must be sufficiently powerful. A good and free software encoder is, for example, Streaming Software Studio.
Hardware Encoder: Hardware encoders are additional devices responsible for encoding. Pure encoders like the LiveU Solo do not require a computer and additional encoding software. Other hardware, such as the ATEM Mini Pro from Blackmagic Design, combines a video switcher and video encoder and can be controlled via additional software on the computer.
To offer your yoga or fitness class online, using a software encoder in conjunction with sufficiently powerful hardware is a good choice. Handling is usually easier than with a hardware encoder. Especially when using a free encoder and existing hardware, this option is also more cost-effective.
Microphone
In yoga and fitness, movement is essential. Wireless headsets and lavalier microphones (lapel microphones) offer the advantage that no cable restricts freedom of movement, and the microphone is always close to the mouth. Bluetooth headsets are widespread but often do not provide the best sound quality. For those who value good sound, a wireless microphone or headset can be used. However, these are generally somewhat more expensive. Integrated camera and webcam microphones are often not of very high quality and are therefore not recommended.
When choosing a microphone, it is also essential to check the battery life, which can vary greatly. Especially when offering multiple yoga and fitness classes in a row, sufficient battery life is essential.
If the microphone has an XLR connection, an audio interface is also required for connection. This is often the case with higher-quality microphones.
Camera
In principle, any camera can be used to broadcast a yoga or fitness livestream. Cameras in smartphones, tablets, or notebooks can be used in your stream, as well as webcams, action cams, camcorders, or (professional film) cameras. Ultimately, the choice of the best camera for your livestream depends on your individual requirements for image quality and desired framing.
Webcams usually have a USB output and can be connected to a computer via the USB input. If your camera has an HDMI or SDI output, an HDMI/SDI to USB converter is required to connect it to the computer.
In addition to the camera, a tripod is recommended for optimal and stable positioning.
Lighting
To ensure that your participants can see the instructor well at all times, good lighting is essential. This aspect is often overlooked but is crucial for the camera to capture a good image. It is not recommended to rely solely on daylight or existing lighting. Although daylight is generally a good and natural light source, it varies depending on the time of day and season and can therefore be difficult to control. Existing lighting such as ceiling lights often cast unflattering shadows.
Optimal lighting for online yoga classes or fitness courses can be achieved with additional lighting (photo/video lights) positioned behind the camera, specifically illuminating the training area.
Mobile Complete Solution
As a mobile complete solution, we have designed a Streaming Backpack including hardware encoder, camera (with high-quality integrated microphone), LTE modems, tripod, and battery for up to 12 hours of autonomous livestreams. This is suitable for your online yoga and fitness courses if you prefer a high-quality and ready-made solution.