Online Yoga Classes UK

History of online yoga

Yoga is relatively new in the "West" and started developing in the 80's in Europe and in the US, led by famous yoga teachers from India. Exercise and sports were still seen as "male" hobbies (think Tour de France, Soccer and Rugby). TV fitness as well as online access have democratised sport, including yoga, for women.

TV and video games

Jane Fonda sold 17 million VHS tapes of her series of workouts "Jane Fonda workout" at the beginning of the eighties, changing the lives of many households. Video games played a role in making a habit of exercising at home, with the release of the Wii Fit in 2008.

Online video-sharing platform

Online yoga followed with the rise of the internet at the beginning of the noughties. YouTube was the first free video-sharing service, created by Paypal employees in 2005 (originally an online dating service). Google bought YouTube in November 2006 and began running in-video ads in 2007 and preroll ads in 2008, making it the success we know today. Yoga with Adriene posted her first yoga video on YouTube in 2012.

Smartphone's apps

The first Apple smartphone, the iPhone was officially announced in 2007 and the "app store" was opened in July 2008 with a few hundred apps. Creating a yoga app is costly and even if most apps have a one-week free offer, or if if they provided a free service during the lockdown, they do have to sell memberships to be sustainable.

Why practise online yoga?

Yoga is one of the most recommended sports for wellness, and of course, it’s more than a sport!

Workout makes you feel better with the release of endorphins, meditation practice helps you calm your mind, and when you practice yoga, you combine both: yoga is meditation in action.

Yoga will also help relieve existing pain (in joints, lower back), re-balance your body (hormones, organ cleanser), and teach you how to breath, among its many benefits.

Everyone will tell you it’s better to practise yoga in-person in a studio, with a teacher guiding you and correcting your postures if required.

But everyone will also tell you that to get the full benefits of yoga, you should practise every day!

We agree. In an ideal world, we would like to be able to practise with our favourite teacher, in-person, every day. But how likely is this when you are working full time, or when you have a busy family life? And what if you live in an area without yoga studios or if you are housebound?

Practising online yoga allows you to put more yoga classes in your week: you don’t waste time in transport, so you can practice more often, why not every day, and get the full benefits of yoga.

There are three ways to practice online yoga: livestream, YouTube Yoga or with yoga apps.

Practising online yoga livestream

Live online yoga is a type of online yoga where the teacher teaches the class in real-time using 2 ways Livestream software like Zoom or Google Meet. That way, the teacher can demonstrate and the participants can see the demonstration. The teacher sees how the participants are doing and can guide them and adapt the class.

Live online yoga was very popular during lockdown, and many classes still happen that way. This platform groups all independent yoga teachers' livestream classes in one platform for you to book easily!

Livestream = Accountability

When you’ve booked a class with a real-life teacher, you know a teacher is expecting you, and you know other people are going to join, so you think twice before cancelling the session. You’ll push yourself a little harder to make it happen. It’s a bit like having a “gym buddy”.

Bonus: you go deeper

When you watch a recorded video on YouTube or on an App, you can skip some poses, end the video early, browse videos forever - and not workout much. But you can’t have that behaviour with a teacher in a yoga class, we bet you’ll try hold the poses as long as the other participants!

Practising yoga while watching a YouTube video

Another possibility for you to practise online yoga is to do it while watching YouTube free yoga videos. Famous Yoga influencers are YouTube channels like Yoga With Adriene, Kassandra Yoga, Yoga with Tim, Cat Meffan and Sarah Beth.

Their classes are usually designed for beginners; the type of yoga is a Hatha slow flow. They create January/ 30 days Yoga Challenges that can be popular. They also offer yoga classes by topic: yoga for weight loss, yoga challenge, morning yoga, feel-good yoga, minute yoga, yoga for wellbeing.

The main benefit of practising yoga while watching youtube videos is access to free yoga classes. But the issue with recorded yoga classes is that there is no interaction with the teacher, and it can be very tempting to pause when the practice becomes a bit challenging or even stop the video in the middle - and end up browsing videos instead of practising...

Practising yoga while watching Yoga Apps

You can turn to apps for an on-demand library of recorded video classes.

Top UK yoga apps are Downdog, Asana Rebel, Yoga for Beginners, the Daily Yoga app, Yoga International and Glo. Prices go from $9.99 a month to $30 a month for unlimited access. Some of them offer a free week to try.

Downdog and Daily yoga monthly membership costs from $9.99 a month, ALO moves and Yoga for beginners from $12.99, Asana Rebel from $15.99, Yoga International from $19.99, and Glo is from $30 monthly.

Even if the image quality is excellent and the classes are well-filmed and easily accessible, the main issue with yoga apps is that it's too easy to skip! This is why they try to sell you a yearly membership. The feedback we received from users was that they tried an app a couple of times but then tended to forget about it and ended up not using it much.

You can customise the app to your level and needs and have unlimited access to classes, but there is no interaction with the teacher as all classes are recorded.

You can also use apps for meditation classes. Famous meditation apps are Calm, Headspace, or Insight Timer. Most of these apps have a basic free offer with possible upgrades when you buy a paid membership.

Practising yoga by yourself at home

Besides online yoga, you could also just practice by yourself at home.

Before lockdown, yoga teachers used to give yoga participants homework: "When you practise at home next time, do (whatever) pose for 15 min. We don't have time to do it for long enough in this class". Not sure how many participants obeyed the order!

When practising yoga alone at home, you are the one deciding what poses to do, and in what order, and you're the one deciding on the pace or how long you'll hold the poses.

Participants tend to end up practising their "easy" poses and avoid the ones more difficult for them (apparently the ones they need most!). They also tend not to challenge themselves much on pace, on holding poses or adding that last one before savasana...

The order in which you practice the poses will have an impact on how you will perfect a pose and on how you'll feel at the end of the class. Teachers have learned and tested combinations to progress in the asanas and improve their mental health.

Not easy to improvise and do as well as they do!

Is online yoga recommended for beginners?

Can you start practising yoga online if you are a beginner?

Absolutely. You really can learn yoga online. It's better to start online than not start at all. Going to a studio can be intimidating the first time, and practising online helps you get the self-confidence you need before heading out. You'll get familiar with pose names, you'll test your level of fitness for a type of yoga and you can try a few classes to see what's best for you, from your living room.

Pick an open level or a beginner class and let the teacher know you are a complete beginner before the class. In a beginner's class, you'll usually start with the fundamental poses: dog pose, warrior pose, twists, and maybe sun salutation. Going to a studio to learn more advanced poses like inversions (for example headstand) is recommended.

Many say that the best yoga for beginners is Hatha yoga, but everyone is different, and there isn’t one beginner yoga type. The suitable yoga for you will depend on many factors, including flexibility, age, and workout expectations. We help you find the best yoga for beginners!

A marketplace for online yoga classes - independent UK teachers - from £5 a class

By grouping independent yoga teachers’ online live classes in one platform, we offer the widest choice of live yoga types in the UK and some of the best online classes!

We offer up to 50 weekly online yoga sessions in many different types of yoga: Yoga Flow, Hatha, Vinyasa Yoga, Vinyasa Flow, Iyengar, Kundalini, Yin Yoga, Somatic, Meditation, Breathwork, Fitness Yoga, Ashtanga, Traditional Yoga, Stretch Yoga, Prenatal Yoga, Pregnancy Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Pranayama, Power Yoga, Pilates and Sound bath.

We have classes in the daytime and evening, during the week and at weekends - and for all levels: open level, beginners, and advanced.

All yoga instructors have their own style of yoga teaching, and their specialities. They can have diplomas in several types of yoga, and they can specialise in back pain, nervous system, stress relief or posture improvement... Let us know if you have any conditions so we can match you with the right teacher!

Some will teach well-known beginners yoga poses, while others will teach more advanced ones. Some teachers will use a playlist during the class, and some will play the gong during relaxation.

We are based in East London and Brighton in the UK, and our teachers teach online yoga classes from London, Newcastle, Birmingham, Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, Surrey, Scotland, Manchester and other places in Britain.

Pay as you go and try as many as you like!

You can practise yoga freely. There is no monthly membership to pay. Each teacher manages their classes and decides on the price they want to charge. Participants pay for each class they’d like to attend, and prices start as low as £5.

Join us to start practising yoga every day

The best online yoga classes are streaming classes. Ready for your yoga practice? Book a class, unroll your yoga mat and become an online yogi!