Music is an integral part of many wellness classes, and can be especially important to online instruction.

The right playlist adds depth and personality to a yoga video, helping set the tone for the class and creating a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere for the student. But music use can be tricky. Especially if you want it to be fully legal (which, of course, you do!)Playing music during a live or recorded class is considered to be a “performance,” which means if you do it without the proper licenses in place, you can get slapped with hefty fines! It’s easy to think that, as a small studio or single teacher, you might be able to fly under the radar.

Video gets all the attention. Most teachers who are planning to start teaching online spend a lot of time thinking about the visual aspect. What camera do I need? What will the quality of the video look like for my students? But rarely, unfortunately, do our teachers spend much time on the audio set-up. This is a key mistake.

You most likely have an iPhone (or other smartphone) within arm's reach and you’ve probably even shot some short video clips with it. If you haven’t yet tried to film your yoga practice for a short post on Instagram or YouTube, here are the plusses and minuses of using your iPhone as a video camera.