A YORK couple have adapted their Yoga business to survive the coronavirus pandemic - and help everyone stay as fit while staying at home.

Victoria Chan, an ex-business analyst, and Oliver Milroy, a personal trainer and CrossFit coach, are the founders of Hotpod Yoga York.

They said it was a "heart-breaking" decision to temporarily close their studio due to the coronavirus crisis, but have adapted by launching live online classes.

Hotpod Yoga York, in Stamford Bridge Road, in Dunnington, York, has seen up to 80 people coming through its doors each day since it opened in October 2019.

The yoga studio has adapted from the temporary closure following Government's advice about COVID-19 to launch live online streaming classes since March 20.

Victoria and Oliver hope it will help existing and new customers to find time to keep moving – and to really live up the Hotpod Yoga motto of "working the body, calming the mind".

Victoria, 33, said: “It's an incredibly difficult decision for any small businesses to close their doors at this global crisis.

"We have worked so hard for the last six months. We pour our hearts and souls into Hotpod Yoga York, bringing together a stellar team of yoga teachers, creating an expanding, loyal and supportive community from across York and nearby areas.

“Despite being part of an amazing UK and international franchise, Hotpod Yoga, who has provided us with incredible support in this difficult time, we cannot help but be wary of what the future holds, as are many other small business owners on the same boat.

"We believe the most important thing right now is the health and welfare of everyone staying at home.

"By offering live online classes, we hope to bring our community a powerful sense of well-being, boosting everyone’s physical and mental health - so we can all maintain an element of normality and structure at an extraordinary time. It is also an encouragement for us all to take time out of our days to re-focus, re-centre, and take a breather.”

Oliver, 32, added: “We all know that so many things are uncertain right now, and as we're not able to run in-studio classes at the moment, we've decided to come to you.

"We are excited to be able to offer you a series of online flows to help you open your body, work your heart and calm your mind as you navigate through these changing times.”

Hotpod Yoga York now has a schedule of 15 live online streaming classes, including children's yoga coming soon, allowing up to 300 participants to join classes online at the same time.

To register for one of HPY’s live online classes, customers can book via hotpodyoga.com or by using the Hotpod Yoga app.

In support of their business and freelance yoga teacher network, Hotpod has introduced a donation based booking process. Customers can choose to donate £3, £5, £8 or £10 for a live online class with proceeds going towards supporting the freelance teachers during the challenging times.

Once a customer books on to the online class, they will receive an email inviting them to join via Zoom, an online video call platform.

For more information visit www.hotpodyoga.com