Yoga apps are broken. Millions of downloads and yet the habit rarely lasts more than a week.
With most apps littered with cartoon characters, cheesy panpipe music and irritating robot voices guiding you through jilted routines, it’s no wonder why we give up. Lots try to imitate the real thing, but nothing quite beats the feeling of being in an expert-led studio.
Enter Yoogaia, the app that brings the best of yoga right to your home, on your terms.
As part of our series on mindfulness, I put Yoogaia to the test for 7 days.
Real life yoga instructors on your screen
Yoogaia connects you with real-life video classes at a time that suits you. A range of disciplines are on offer from 15 minute express classes all the way up to the more hardcore Broga (that’s Yoga for Bro’s).
Get feedback in real-time
Sessions take place throughout the day and are delivered by video by qualified instructors who take you through the poses step by step. All you need is a bit of floor space (my living room worked just fine), a yoga mat and a clear head. At first I found the videos a little dull to look at as the framing stays static throughout the class.
Unlike other apps, Yoogaia offers you real-time instructor feedback as you take part in the class by turning on the built-in camera in your laptop, tablet or phone. This feature made a big difference to my at-home yoga experience. Each time a new person joined my class the instructor personally welcomed them, making this app the closest you can get to taking a real-life class in a studio.
I decided to turn off the webcam feature (nobody needs to see my downward facing dog), but if you keep it on you can benefit from feedback on your poses.
15 minute express class
If you miss a class you can catch up through the app at your convenience. For my road test I checked out a live Broga session which left me nearly broken and a more relaxed prerecorded session of Stretch and Shine with Marsha Ho in Hong Kong.
Marsha’s 15 minute class is the perfect way to start your morning. None of the poses were challenging for a beginner and it left me feeling relaxed, refreshed and ready for the day. If 15 minutes of your time first thing in the morning sounds like a lot to give up, I think it’s time well spent and so do some of the smartest people we know.
Yoogaia is the perfect travel companion as you can continue your regular sessions with your favourite instructor at a time that suits you, wherever you are in the world, which I found useful during the Christmas break. Even in a big city it can be hard to find a good yoga class so I loved that with this app you can have your regular instructor fit around your busy schedule.
Like any new fitness regime, Yoogaia still requires a certain level of commitment from you to keep up your practice, but I found by ‘booking in’ for future live classes, it made it easier to make home yoga a regular part of my routine.
Subscriptions start at £10 per month (€12.99) for unlimited classes, which works out at less than the cost of a single session at most London studios.
Apps will never fully replace the experience of a great yoga class, but for busy people, Yoogaia is the next best thing.
Yoogaia is free to download on iOS and Android and includes a free 7 day trial.
Read more on mindfulness
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Why everybody is talking about mindfulness
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