"It's entertaining."
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It may not be a traditional method of teaching yoga, but in a bid to beat the limitations the coronavirus has put in place, Jessmyn Pileggi is taking instructing to the next level.
Last week, the yoga instructor commenced her online classes by utilising the Facebook live option where students and members of the private group, Mudgee, Are You Down Dog?, get together to keep active while self-isolating.
Pileggi says that although teaching from her garage may not be as calm as her studio, her company keeps things interesting, adding a layer that could only be achieved from home.
"With everything that's going on obviously the yoga studio closed down so I can't teach at the moment so I thought, 'I wonder if anyone would be interested in doing live classes with my crazy children running around', so I started doing that," she said.
A lot of people find it very entertaining to see my kids and crazy life.
- Jessmyn Pileggi
"It's entertaining with the kids, like the other day, one of my kids let the dog out on the road so I had to go and one of my kids likes to climb on my car when I'm teaching, the other one was sitting on my face while I was trying to teach.
"My mum just watches it now to see the kids, she goes to do the yoga but then ends up watching them instead.
Pileggi has been a yoga instructor for four years, and adds that giving people the ability to continue to practice yoga helps during a crisis such as the current situation.
"It's helping, it's keeping people moving," she said.
"When you teach in a yoga studio, you're usually going around and adjusting people, you're not really on your mat so much, but now that I do live, I'm also getting in and doing a lot, I'm pretty much doing everything with them."
Given that not everyone may have access to all of the equipment required, Jessmyn incorporates some items you'll typically find around the house such as books for blocks and belts for straps.
Due to the video being uploaded to the Facebook page, it gives people the ability to practice yoga outside of the designated 9.30am slot.
As she has always said, "If you've got a body, you can do yoga," and that's just one of the many reasons why Jessmyn encourages all types of people to get involved.
There is no prejudice, yoga doesn't factor in your race, it doesn't care about anything like that just as long as you can move your body a little bit.
"People think yoga is just for really flexible tiny people but I think every walk of life can do it, men, women, any shape, it really doesn't matter," Pileggi added.
"You don't have to be an expert, we've all had to start from somewhere. There's no pressure, you just take it at your own pace and see what you can do."
Jay-Anna Sleeman
Reporter for the Western Advocate. First began as a sports journalist with ACM in 2018 before moving on to cover news and court.
Reporter for the Western Advocate. First began as a sports journalist with ACM in 2018 before moving on to cover news and court.
