The Best Online Yoga Courses Right Now
I (re)discovered yoga in the midst of an internal personal crisis while far far away and very lonely. Incidentally, as I was backpacking through South-East Asia and moving constantly, doing all sorts of online yoga courses, reading yoga books, and watching yoga movies were my favourite to do on the go out of my hotel rooms. They gave me tools to cope better and find the inner strength to push through.
I don’t know about you, but I can certainly draw some parallels with what’s happening right now.
At a time of crisis and uncertainty, yoga can help anyone ground themselves and find some inner strength to navigate troubled water with greater peace and clarity, beyond the simple act of Asana practice, which is amazing in and out of itself for your body. The world needs more yoga. And for that, there are so many free yoga classes online to get you started.
Since we’re all at home and don’t have access to regular yoga studios, I started trying out different online yoga courses and apps and thought I would give you a rundown of the best virtual yoga classes I found. And to put you in the mood, here are some yoga quotes I find super inspiring.
The best online yoga courses right now
Check your local studios for online yoga courses
It’s no secret that yoga studios have huge expenditures due to their rental costs, mainly. And a lot of them are suffering currently. So before you reach out to these well-known tried and tested free yoga classes online recommendations, have a thought for local studios in your community who may be suffering a lot from the current crisis.
Look up your local studios and favourite teachers on Instagram, chances are they’ve already switched to online yoga courses format, either via Zoom or Instagram live. Many of them are even free, or only taking small donations, which helps them a lot. You can also buy gift cards to spend later of gift to someone you love for many of them which allow them some liquidity. #SaveYourLocalYogaStudio
In Berlin? Here are my favourite Berlin yoga studios.
Down Dog App
The most customizable online yoga course experience. Select your duration, level, focus, voice, and music (or no music at all and play your own playlist, which is what I do), and Down Dog will create a unique, personalized virtual yoga course every time. It’s beginners-friendly, but the more advanced levels are truly challenging for those with more advanced practice and it is very convenient for when you only have a short period of time. Over time, I find Down Dog to be a little robotic and lacking in warmth, which is something I appreciate with a live teacher. It remains a really great tool and I use it every week.
Free until May 1st. More info here.
Alo Moves
Alo Moves is not free, but they have a 14-day trial, and 30 days free when you make a purchase online — a good reason indeed to treat yo’self to a pair of leggings! Membership afterwards goes for as little as $9 per month. And that is very little for what you get. The teachers are all excellent, and some of them of international renown. I’m talking about Laruga Glaser, Adell Bridges, and Meghan Currie type of deal. I’ve had a huge crush on Meghan Currie and her yoga practice for many years and I can’t believe I’m practising with her and her juicy juicy flows right in my living room now. Definitely my top pick at the moment, some of the best online yoga training. Pro-tip, I also play my own Spotify playlist in the background here.
Sign up for 14 days of virtual yoga classes free. More info here.
Remote Teacher Training
If you have a whole lot of time on your hands right now, why not consider doing a teacher training fully remotely in the comfort of your living room and getting a yoga teacher certification out of this crisis? Yoga Alliance recently approved the participation in selected Online YTT courses as accepted for registering for Yoga Alliance. This is definitely a new business model for everyone, and that’s why it’s still such an affordable opportunity for people who’ve been eager to undertake this type of online yoga courses but couldn’t afford to. Get on it!
Prices vary. More info here.
YouTube online yoga courses
If you prefer your online yoga classes free, Youtube is of course the place of choice to find some of the best virtual yoga classes free of charge, including some partner yoga (yoga poses for two people are a great bonding experience!). Some of my favourites include Yoga with Adriene, Fightmaster Yoga, Yoga by Candace and EkhartYoga. It’s a great idea to make your own private playlist of classes that you can save for later. A lof of those Youtubers also have some 30-day challenge, and we love ourselves a challenge, amirite!
Check out my own Youtube playlist here.
Do Yoga with me
Do Yoga With Me has a huge library of classes especially targeted at beginners to intermediate practitioners looking into deepening their practice. You’ll find not only yoga (and a lot of it, ranging from Hatha to Vinyasa, Kundalini, Ashtanga and Yin), but also breathing techniques and meditations. There’s currently a two-month free membership during the crisis, otherwise, monthly membership starts at $10 per month.
Two months free. More info here.
Glo Yoga
Another ultra-customizable service, but this time with a lot of human and warmth than Down Dog. Classes at Glo vary in content, level, duration, and difficulty, making it really great for picking exactly what you need for where you’re at. Their content library is ever-growing, and some classes are led by a teacher with a student, which makes it great to receive very clear instruction in the videos. There is a 14-day trial with Glo too, after which the monthly membership is $18 per month.
Sign up for 14 days of online yoga classes free. More info here.
What do you think the best yoga classes online are?