Online yoga subscription

October 25, 2016 11:51 AM

I'm looking for yoga classes which are available online. I'm looking for a paid membership where the classes are updated fairly regularly by experienced/certified yoga teachers (i.e. not someone in their living room). Can anyone recommend anything they like?

There are plenty of studios near me but I already pay for a monthly gym membership, which I use, but their yoga classes are not offered at the times that I need. I know YouTube has plenty, but I don't want to waste time sifting through a ton of videos. I'm particularly interested in hip openers and leg/lower body stretching, so a site which organizes by themes like this would be great.

posted by onecircleaday to Health & Fitness (16 answers total)

Best answer: I used to use YogaGlo before I found a studio that I love. I was impressed by the variety of classes and the UI for accessing them.
posted by gone2croatan at 11:57 AM on October 25, 2016 [3 favorites]

Best answer: My local studio just started offering hers here on Vimeo. She's trying to be cute/funny in her bio video but I think she was just mostly nervous. I took her classes in-person for a year and loved them. This is not a "fitness class" but a yoga practice where she loves to think about joints and fascia.
posted by jillithd at 12:14 PM on October 25, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I really like the free videos I've used from Ekhart Yoga and if I were in the market for a subscription I would seriously consider them.

I've also loved online classes by Jason Crandell, though the ones I've used are old ones on Yoga Journal
posted by kadia_a at 12:18 PM on October 25, 2016 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Yoga With Adriene!!!

Sorry, fangirling a little there, but she is completely awesome. Free extensive video collection on YouTube, new videos every Wednesday, and a membership site with more content (which you can try for free for a week). She is very experienced even though she does shoot at her house, and the production quality of the videos over the past year is really, really good. (She also teaches locally in Austin.)

I'd recommend you try a few specific videos related to your interests on YouTube first and see what you think:
* Hip Openers (awesome short video, though older)
* Yoga Camp - Day 20 - I Am Worthy (more of a full practice, includes some hip stuff)
* Yoga for Tired Legs (stretchy/restorative love for the legs)

I tried Yoga Today before YWA, and like YWA way better.

The only thing I don't like is that I have trouble streaming the membership videos through the app on my phone. I have much better luck downloading/syncing them in advance and playing them through the app that way. Not a huge deal for me.

I'm not affiliated in any way with YWA, but her videos got me from near-constant neck pain to pain-free, so highly, highly recommended over here!

Good luck!
posted by bananacabana at 12:22 PM on October 25, 2016 [11 favorites]

Was about to suggest Yoga with Adriene but was beaten to it by bananacabana! Totally agree.
posted by zara at 12:25 PM on October 25, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I use My Gaia. I really really like it.
posted by aclevername at 12:35 PM on October 25, 2016

I like the Yoga Studio app (which was recommended here at some point over the summer). One time cost, a good variety of classes--no updates, but you can create your own sequences in custom classes.
posted by trixie119 at 12:39 PM on October 25, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: YogaGlo is perfect for this. They have a huge library, which is easily searchable and filterable, and new classes are added daily. They also have "collections" which are classes that are grouped thematically. I have been using it almost daily since the summer and haven't repeated any classes (unless I really liked the class and wanted to!). There is really wide variety, from different lengths of time to different styles. They also tell you which props you will need before starting the class. I've downloaded videos to my phone and iPad before when traveling and also stream them through an Apple TV.

Jason Crandell was mentioned above - he also has videos up on YogaGlo and he is one of my favorite teachers on there.
posted by topophilia at 1:47 PM on October 25, 2016

Best answer: I really like the free videos I've used from Ekhart Yoga and if I were in the market for a subscription I would seriously consider them.

I got an Ekhart Yoga subscription for my birthday, and it’s awesome.

You can search videos by level (1, 2, 3), duration (from 10 mins to over an hour), style (they have Hatha, Vinyasa Flow, Yin Yoga, Iyengar, Yin Yang Yoga, Ashtanga, Anusara, Pranayama and a number more, as well as talks, therapeutics and recipes), specific use (arm balances, back bends, back health, and all the way to sun salutations, twists, upper back and shoulders, wrist-friendly yoga), as well as teacher (they have more than 30 teachers).

They also have programs; I currently have ‘7 Days of Yin Yoga’ open in one of my tabs (1 hips, 2 spine, 3 legs, 4 upper body, 5 chakras, 6 breath, 7 mind) and ‘Deep Release’ (Hatha and Yin lower body, Yoga Nidra guided relaxation, Yin tension, Hatha upper body). Other random programs from the programs front page: 21 Mornings with Yoga, Hatha Yoga for Beginners, Strong Body, Yoga for Better Sleep, 108 Sun Salutation Challenge, Yoga for Runners, Short Classes for Parents and Carers, 7 Day Power Yoga Challenge, etc.

They also have a photo glossary of Yoga poses with descriptions and steps, with links to classes you can try them out in for each pose. Many poses also list tips, benefits, what to watch out for, variations and complementary poses.

I think they also have an option for using the platform on a mobile, but I’ve never used it, so can’t vouch for that.

PS randomly found an Yoga with Adrienne video on Youtube (was looking for some Yoga for hangovers), and really liked her presence, too.
posted by miorita at 1:57 PM on October 25, 2016 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I subscribe to YogaDownload at the Yearly Unlimited level ($120 for a year, but my yearly cost is less as I snagged a discount, which you should also be able to do at some point). Things I like about it:

* Has video (useful for living room) AND mp3 audio (useable on the go or if you don't want to look at anything) classes
* You can download the content, so you can use it in places where you don't have internet or where the internet is spotty. I like to download my favorites and just know that I have them in case I, say, lose my job and can't reup my subscription.
* Can filter down by style, length, experience level, intensity level, focus (my favorite focus category being by body part). Also have some collections/packages.
* Review system helps me evaluate which classes to do
* They have some free ones so you can see what it's like
* A lot of depth of catalog--many videos, variety of teachers

Possible downsides:

* No good mobile support
* Some of the content is not downloadable BUT it can still be streamed, so it's still accessible with your subscription
posted by foxfirefey at 5:55 PM on October 25, 2016

Yoga by Adrienne is great. She's got the most soothing manner.
posted by toastedbeagle at 8:05 PM on October 25, 2016

NY based Strala offers videos with a pretty wide range of stuff. You can get them here
posted by speakeasy at 3:03 AM on October 26, 2016

Best answer: DoYogaWithMe, that SakuraK recommends, is my go-to, but I'm not sure it matches your need 100%. It's a nice aggregate of a few different teachers, and like my local studio each teacher has their style and there are some I don't like nearly as much as I do others. They have a large archive you can search by length of practice, audience (beginner/intermediate/prenatal/etc) and concept (flow, hips, shoulders, inversions), as well as by teacher. They don't run weekly classes that add to their archive in a constant ongoing way, the way it sounds like YogaWithAdrienne does. I use their free service (with no ads), and I'm not sure how much their subscription model adds to the experience. I've given them money to download a couple of my favorite classes so I can do them when I don't have wifi.
posted by aimedwander at 8:34 AM on October 26, 2016

Best answer: Adrienne Reed (yes, another Adrienne) is my favorite yoga instructor by far. Some of the classes have been uploaded to youtube in full. I *wish* her brick-and-mortar studio offered an online subscription package, but as of yet, this is not an available option, to my knowledge.

Just an alternative practitioner to consider if you expand your options to the old-fashioned DVD route.
posted by infinite joy at 2:37 PM on October 26, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: This may not be exactly what you asked for, but since you said you don't like the times your gym offers classes and you're willing to pay, you could try classpass.com, which connects you with in-person yoga classes in your area at various studios for a monthly price. Depending on where you live, you may be able to find some times that work for you nearby.
posted by AppleTurnover at 11:15 PM on October 26, 2016

Response by poster: Thanks, all! Your responses were really helpful. I decided to go with Ekhart Yoga. It was a close match with Yoga Download and Yoga Glo, but I love Eckhart Yoga's interface, related talks, and they have so. many. videos. it's amazing. Can't wait to get started again.

@AppleTurnover - I had no idea that classpass existed, and will recommend to a friend. How awesome!

Thanks again!
posted by onecircleaday at 7:17 AM on October 27, 2016