New yoga class to incorporate phone-friendly poses

TORONTO, ON—For those finding it difficult to commit to physical fitness without documenting the experience on various social media platforms, yoga guru Melanie Donalds has created a popular new environment in which aspiring yogis can feel comfortable being truthful to themselves about who they are and what they value: photos of their yoga poses.

"After admitting to myself that I was only practising yoga in order to share it with my followers, I figured, why not alter the poses to allow for optimal selfie-taking?" explains Donalds, owner of the yoga studio Inner Selfie.

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"Most places ask you to put your phone away during the classes in order to reach optimal levels of meditative focus, but now that we've created a space that allows for the use of phones, I find that the motivation for a more mindful practise has increased," marvels Donalds. "It's amazing what your body can achieve when you know it's being photographed."

Inner Selfie promotes a Zen-like atmosphere that recognizes the deep desire to gloat about one's practise, creating a vinyasa of phone-friendly poses like High-Angle Backbend, Cute Child's Pose, and Your Good Side-Split.

"The aim is not to change the integrity of the poses, but rather, to find ways to incorporate the ability to snap a killer pic," says Donalds. "Plus, you can share a quick tweet about how #mindful and #balanced you feel during savasana. Don't forget to tag the studio."

"It's been wonderful to have a practise that includes taking the time to place my phone's camera on a timer so I can catch myself in a balancing pose," shares Lillian Tate, a regular patron of the studio. "It's really tough to get a good shot of those."

"I encourage my students to bring to class whatever will aid them in their practise, whether that be a posture brick, elastic strap, or selfie stick," says Donalds, bending her torso backwards and raising her arms above her head, snapping a burst of 15 quick pics in rapid succession.

"I don't even like yoga. I am literally hating every single minute of this class," confides Amanda Middleton 29, as she takes a quick snap of her butt in the studio mirror. "Look at my butt in this picture, though!" When asked if she's ever considered trying a fitness routine that might be more enjoyable, she replies, "What's more enjoyable than the curation of my online persona??!"

"I tell my students it's important to remember that you have to accept your body for where it's at, each and every day. The key to selfie-yoga is to never stretch yourself beyond your limits," advises Donalds. "Sometimes your arm can only get to a certain angle in order to take a picture, and that's okay. That's totally okay."

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