Strike a Pose! At-Home Yoga Videos
The weather has suddenly turned nice and you’ve realized that there’s less than a month until you need to be Memorial Day Weekend beach ready.
Proven to increase flexibility and bring peace of mind, yoga provides a solid workout, especially for your core. If you’re pressed for time, though, getting to class can be a chore—especially as traffic picks up. Springtime fitness resolutions can still be met from the comfort of your own home. (Or, if you’re feeling particularly ambitious and have some 4G access, from the comfort of a slice of sand. Few things beat the peace and solitude of practicing yoga-on-the-go, on the beach.)
Before beginning the day, I pulled out the trusty MacBook—the source of all things YouTube. Pushing the coffee table out of the way, I cleared space for the yoga mat, where I proceeded to indulge in several online, free, streaming yoga videos. The selection has come a long way in the past year; now including everything from 10-minute gentle morning yoga stretches to hour-long vinyasa flow classes, from beginner to advanced. There are even different lengths of yoga music so you can set about your own practice if you already have a routine in place. Here are a few of my favorites:
Solalunayoga’s “10 Minute Yoga Sequence: Backbends & Quad-Stretch Targeting” is perfect for when you’re already a little warmed up and need some extra stretching in the quads. The 10-minute sequence is so non-committal, time-wise, so it’s easy to just drop down to the mat while your tea is steeping. Taught by Megan, a surfer and owner of a cute little dog who sometimes interferes, this beachy video is fun, quick and uplifting.
Sarah Beth Yoga’s “Intermediate Yoga for a Beach Bod” is a nice 30-minute long sequence that moves quickly and focuses on breathing. The instructor narrates while poses are demonstrated by someone in their kitchen. Be prepared for plank poses and enjoy feeling sore afterwards if you haven’t done them in a while.
YogaYak’s “Grounding Afternoon Yoga Practice: Full Length Intermediate Class” is an ultra-relaxing 45 minute flow filmed in a gazebo in Montezuma, Costa Rica. Beginners, too, will be able to enjoy this one.
Lesley Fightmaster’s “Yoga Body Workout: Free Yoga Class” is a 45-minute vinyasa yoga class, narrated by a very calming, soothing voice with an emphasis on the breath, is ideal for beginner to intermediate yogis. This is one of the best free videos I’ve found.
The Secret Bliss’s “Detox Yoga ‘Hangover’ Sequence!” is a lovely, relaxing, quick 11-minute video that’s excellent for the morning after partying. In a beautiful pool-side surrounding, it focuses on detoxifying twists, turns and leg stretches that are all done on your back so you can really ease into the day.
“The Yoga Solution With Tara Stiles” offers a variety of short-to-mid-length sequences from the “Full Body Yoga Routine,” a nice nine-minute stretch for every part of the body, to “Core Weight Loss Yoga,” which is basically a five-minute routine for the abs. There’s even one called “Morning Yoga in Bed,” a three-minute easy stretch to center and prepare yourself for the day.
Depending on what kind of yoga you like, what level you are, and how much time you have, you can just type it all in to the search bar and be on your merry way to enjoying a blissful, calm day.
Namaste!