Staying Mindful and Safe: InBody Response to COVID-19
It will come as no surprise to our staff, faculty, and students that InBody is taking Coronavirus (COVID-19) very seriously. As a wellness and mindfulness studio, it is especially important for us to keep our community safe and act promptly in the face of this outbreak. We have been extremely proactive and will continue to prepare for the worst case scenarios and use an over abundance of caution at InBody.
Fortunately, InBody is well prepared for such an event. We have been investing in technology and online training options for years, so we already have everything in place to be successful and weather this without losing the connections that make InBody such an important part of so many lives.
For the foreseeable future, we will be putting in place practices to be even more proactive in our response.
What InBody Is Doing to Keep Everyone Safe, Healthy, and Happy
- First and foremost, we have closed our Academy to public classes and trainings. We have always required that our students, teachers and staff stay home if they are feeling at all unwell. We have always asked this and will emphasize this much more when public classes resume.
- Staff may only come into the Academy is absolutely essential. We have a one person per room policy at present and 10 feet apart.
- We regularly wipe down all heavily-used surfaces, floors and props each day with medical grade disinfectant. We have begun doing this before and after each class.
- For students and staff, we have antimicrobial soap in the bathrooms, and we usually have hand sanitizer in classroom. Note that hand sanitizer is still not as good as hot water and soap for hand washing. But you can use both!
- In addition to a Yoga Teacher training academy, Inbody is a non-profit Yoga Therapy center which supports students and clients with a myriad of issues. As of now we are asking our staff and yoga therapy graduates to see clients remotely and teach via ZOOM.
- We employ medical grade air filters and amazing Anti-Viral, Anti-Microbial paint on the classroom walls. (Paint Shield® is the first EPA-registered microbicidal paint that kills greater than 99.9% of viruses and bacteria when exposed to the painted surfaces.)
- Finally, we are offering not only recordings of the class, but online Zoom live streaming options for those who do not feel well or have any doubt. This is currently in place, and we’ve invested in equipment upgrades to make the live streaming experience even better.
Maintain Distance
Overall, the best ways to reduce infection and exposure are to maintain social distance from others and wash your hands frequently.
In terms of maintaining social distance, remember:
- Maintain physical distance between yourself and others.
- Please do not touch others, particularly in a yoga class.
- Do not touch other people’s mats, props etc. Bring your own mat and use an alcohol-based solution (or even just 90 percent alcohol spray) on your mat before and after you attend a class.
Avoid Public Spaces of more than 10 people.
Our trainings and public classes are offered as live streaming which you can see on our Facebook Page.
Stay home, including working from home as much as possible or get out into nature. Fortunately, you can do yoga and meditation and for teachers and students, therapy, mindfulness facilitation through Zoom or other online platforms.
InBody students and faculty will receive more information and training about how you can attend online and offer classes online.
When classes resume in person, if you do attend class in person, please bring your own mat, cushion, etc. Teachers will avoid use of shared props in all classes.
We have medical grade spray bottles and disinfectant wipes for our students and staff to use with abandon. May we all embrace our inner compulsive cleaners and hand-washers.
Wash Your Hands Frequently
As you probably already know, washing your hands frequently with soap and water is one of the best ways to avoid exposure. Soap and water is best because it not only kills the viruses but physically removes them from your skin.
However, if soap and water is not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. This will kill the viruses on your hands and keep you from spreading them. Also avoid touching your face, especially in public.
Mindful Speech
InBody has a mindful speech policy in place, which asks students to speak quietly. This is especially important right now because most COVID-19 transmission occurs through breathing in particles from a sick person. As a rule, leave six feet between you and others when you speak face to face, and be mindful of speaking loudly or projecting your voice in a three-foot vicinity of others.
Remember that when someone coughs or sneezes, (or even sings or projects their voice loudly) they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain viruses. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets.
Out of an abundance of caution, we will not be doing mantras, kriyas, or kirtan during classes.
Mindfulness Matters Now More than Ever
Know that as a student of Mindfulness and Yoga and a Teacher for others, you are needed now more than ever before. This is an opportunity for us to help others in the world and move from fear to mindful awareness and discernment and engage in conversation and connection, even if it is at a distance.
Also, these precautionary measures are a way for us all to increase our awareness around communicable illnesses, which are sure to come again in the future. This is a good ongoing practice around mindfulness and developing wisdom and discernment in our daily life.
Flattening the Curve
Even though many of us are likely to have mild or even no symptoms, public health organizations are saying that 70% or more of the world’s population will eventually be exposed. We are doing our part to try to reduce the impact of that exposure.
Most of the new procedures are intended to help “flatten the curve” of exposure. Basically, a new virus like this one can spread very fast, even exponentially, which can overload our health system and other response systems. The best way we can help is to slow down that spread, reducing our exposure to others and increasing the time it takes for the virus to move through the population.
Thank You for Your Commitment to Health and Safety
Thank you for your support and for your mindfulness and care. We will continue to offer a safe space and increase our best practices to keep everyone well at the Academy. We are always open to suggestions and will do our best to implement any new practices into our existing protocols. If you see anything that does not seem up to standards, or if you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.