Online classes in yoga (along with other forms of exercise) have taken off since the first lockdown. Gyms have been closed and being able to do a class, from the comfort and safety of your own home has become an important part of the day. Not only helping to look after our physical health but exercise is hugely important for wellbeing and supporting good mental health.

What is Yoga?

Yoga encompasses body movement with breathing and meditation so in these difficult, anxiety producing times it can help to ‘reset’, give you a break from racing thoughts, produce a sense of calm, assist with your sleep… Yoga improves strength and flexibility, circulatory health, the health benefits are endless!

There are many online classes you can join that charge, either per class or in bundles but I am going to focus on FREE yoga that you can watch online. If space is a problem you literally need the space of a yoga mat, if you don’t have a yoga mat you can use a towel, some videos use props (such as blocks or cushions) if you don’t have these then pick a video that doesn’t use them – most will say at the start.

The practice…

Taking half an hour to yourself (longer if possible) to practice yoga, to focus on your breath, to pause and notice the connection between your mind, body and breath is an act of self-care that will have long lasting benefits throughout the day.

It will help you to relax, or help to stretch your muscles after working from home, release tension after trying to homeschool the kids – literally it can help whatever your situation and circumstances.

Whether you are a beginner or have been practicing for years there is literally so much out there. There are different styles and practices, if you have tried yoga once and didn’t enjoy it I encourage you to try again, it may be the teacher that you didn’t like or their style.

One thing that is very important is checking with your GP if you need to, in regards to previous injuries or if you have certain health conditions, as the disadvantage of not being in a class with a teacher is they have the knowledge of how to adapt certain poses for different injuries or health complaints. A teacher in a class would be able to adjust your position and check you are aligned properly, so please be careful… if it hurts stop, definitely don’t try and force positions as the aim is to feel better not give yourself an injury!!

If you are new then do start with a beginners level class so that you can learn the basic principles and poses, if you start totally out of your fitness level you are much more likely to give your self an injury or stop altogether.

Different types of yoga

• Hatha – is a general category that includes most yoga styles, it will be generally relatively slow and can be good for beginners. Hatha yoga incorporates the practice of poses (asanas) with breathing exercises (pranayama).

• Vinyasa – is also sometimes called ‘flow’ as with this style you ‘flow’ from one pose to the next, with the aim of your breath becoming synchronized with the movement.

This site not only gives a more detailed description of Vinyasa yoga it also has so much information about the benefits of yoga, mindfulness and wellbeing, links to local classes and 1-2-1 tuition, recipes…definitely worth a visit!!

https://blog.yogamatters.com/what-is-vinyasa-flow-yoga/

• Yin – yoga holds poses for a longer time, 2-5 minutes – sometimes longer! This style of yoga targets (the fascia) the deep connective tissues between the muscles, which can increase flexibility, boost circulation and reduce stress levels.

https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-5037/Yin-Yoga-101-What-You-Need-to-Know.html

https://escapehaven.com/2019/06/why-all-women-need-to-try-yin-yoga/

So to the online classes….

• Yoga with Adriene…. Adriene has literally taken the world by storm with her easy to follow online yoga, you can choose from quick to long practices, you can choose practices to focus on different areas of the body, to aid sleep, morning wake up sessions….there is literally so much to choose from, plus her classes are FREE, on her you tube channel and check out her website.

https://yogawithadriene.com/

• Do Yoga with me…. this website is fantastic, it has further information about all the other styles of yoga and also has several different links to free and subscription classes for each type! If you follow this link to the site there is a huge amount of different FREE videos, with many different instructors and styles, from 15 minute self-care sessions to 60 minutes of yoga for grounding and sleep.

https://www.doyogawithme.com/

• Yome…Your Home for Yoga…Is a yoga website offering a huge variety of FREE yoga videos, you can select by time, ability level, views and likes. There is literally something for everyone….

http://yogameditationhome.com/yoga-videos/

What have you got to lose?

Sometimes too much choice can make it harder to make a decision so I encourage you to have a look at any of these suggestions and just start….just put a video on and commit to 20 minutes or half an hour, see how you get on, see how you feel after, if you find you are distracted by the instructors style or voice then try another video or style, it is worth persevering if you are not instantly hooked as the benefits are so worth it!

Now over to you….please share any other classes you have found? What is your favourite style of yoga? Favourite pose?

We’d love to hear your comments…

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