If you’ve tried it, then you know it’s true: online yoga can be amazing. Not only do online yoga classes give you the freedom to practice anytime, anywhere, they also give you the ability to choose the style, duration, intensity, and focus of your classes.
Yet despite all the benefits, some practitioners feel like they’re not getting everything they could be out of their online yoga classes. Navigating the online yoga world can be challenging, and not all online yoga offerings are created equal.
So – how do you know which online yoga platform is the best fit for you and your practice?! Read on because we’ve got you covered
Enhance Your Online Yoga Experience With These 7 Tips:
Use some or all of these tips to get the most out of your online yoga practice.
1. Set a Schedule
Unfortunately, our long to-do lists and endless tasks seem to take up the majority of our time. This is why it’s especially important to schedule in your online yoga classes as you would schedule in a yoga class in a studio. Set the parameters of how and when you will practice and then stick to them!
Keep your practice consistent with a schedule even though you get the luxury of practicing in your underwear. It makes all the difference in your mindset and approach towards maintaining a regular yoga practice at home.
You get to choose the timing in your online yoga classes, and there is so much power and benefit in that!.
2. Create a Sacred Space
Yoga studios work really hard to create sacred spaces. They set the mood with lighting, candles, music, incense, and more. And this is all part of what makes them so enticing and magical.
When we practice yoga at home, we often have our smelly laundry in the corner or the dishwasher noisily running in the background. Yet it’s equally important to create a sacred space when you practice yoga online! So find a little nook that can be your yoga space.
Set up your mat and any props that you like to have nearby when you practice. Tell your family to give you uninterrupted time for your practice.
Light some candles, play your favorite yoga playlist, or set the mood however you like. And then indulge in your online yoga practice in this newfound sacred space – it will absolutely have a different feel from when you do yoga next to your dirty laundry pile.
3. Silence Everything Else
While our computers, tablets, smart TVs, and phones really are magical little devices, they are also enormous distractions. And coincidentally, they are also what you use to practice your online yoga classes.
So be sure to silence all of your notifications and turn on “do not disturb” mode to be able to fully disconnect when you practice online. Because there’s nothing worse than a Savasana interrupted by a barrage of text message and email pings.
4. Choose the Right Online Yoga Platform
If you want to get the most out of your online yoga practice, you first have to know exactly what you want out of your time.
Are you looking for celebrity teachers, or do you prefer more down-to-earth and relatable instructors? Do you want a wide variety of class choices to choose from or is the quality of the class and the teacher’s instruction more important to you?
Do you prefer to practice an upbeat Vinyasa Flow or a more gentle Yin Class, or both?! Do you want a full one-hour class, or do short 20-30 minute classes work better for your schedule?
When it comes to choosing where to practice yoga online, the options are vast, which can be part of the challenge in finding the right platform for you! There are two main options: free and paid.
YouTube has a huge variety of free online yoga classes and teachers, but the downside is that quality and safety are not a guarantee because anyone can upload a class.
5. Invest in Yoga Props
Yoga props are any yogi’s best friend, and when we go to the studio, we have the luxury of using as many props as we please. At home, we don’t always have these tools available for our use. But they are tools well worth investing in.
Most yoga props, like yoga blocks and a strap (arguably some of the most important props you can have) are affordable and easy to find online. These simple little tools can really help you to relax. Yoga props work wonders to assist you in your practice and even to help advance your practice as well.
6. Take Your Time
In group yoga classes, we often feel like we have to keep up with the pace of the class. We can’t fall behind the teachers’ cues or skip ahead. But the magnificence of practicing yoga online is that this isn’t necessarily true.
You can move at your own pace. If the teacher is going a bit too quickly for you, you can always pause the video to take an extra breath in your favorite stretch or to relax in Savasana for a few more minutes.
You get to choose the timing in your online yoga classes, and there is so much power and benefit in that!
7. Establish a Support System
Practicing yoga alone can be deeply nourishing. But sometimes, we all need an extra boost of encouragement or accountability to keep us motivated and on track.
It’s always helpful to have motivation coming from the outside as well as the inside, so having a friend or two that join in on your classes and hold you accountable to show up can make the process that much more enjoyable.
Create a group chat with friends or grab your partner and set times and days to take the same class at the same time.
Simply having other people there for the ride can make your practice happen more consistently and can also make your practice more social and meaningful.
Enjoy Practicing Online Yoga!
Online yoga is flexible, affordable, and rewarding, and with these tips to get the most out of your online practice, you probably won’t be missing the studio at all.