If you had asked me a few years ago if online yoga classes are worth it, my answer would have been that online classes are better than doing no yoga but they aren’t comparable to practicing yoga with a teacher in person.
During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns online yoga classes were the only way to teach and learn yoga and I must admit that I was surprised to find some real benefits to practicing yoga online. Despite at the same time really missing in person yoga lessons and feeling that online yoga could never completely replace in person classes.
A few years later it’s been interesting to see how the corporate world went through a transition from working only in the office (pre-pandemic), to only at home (during the pandemic) and finally settling on a hybrid working environment (post-pandemic) to get the best of both.
I think the same is true for practicing yoga. Online and in person yoga classes provide different benefits and both can be useful tools for starting and deepening a consistent yoga practice.
In this blog we’ll explore some of the advantages and disadvantages of doing online yoga classes. As well as look at tips for getting the most out of practicing online yoga at home.
How Do Online Yoga Classes Compare to Practicing In-Person?
So let’s first start to explore some of the scientific research and personal experiences of people practicing yoga online and in-person.
Benefits of Online Yoga Classes
Yoga requires minimal equipment and can easily be modified for individual needs and abilities making it a relatively easy practice to learn through an online medium.
An interesting study done about the satisfaction level of people joining in-person and online yoga classes showed that both in person and online yoga classes are able to improve people’s mental health and overall mood.
It has been shown that after in-person yoga classes people report to feel more energised and physically satisfied than after an online yoga class. While online yoga has been found to make yoga accessible to a wider group of people by making it more convenient and affordable.
By practicing yoga online you have more flexibility to practice at the times that are most convenient for your schedule. As well as cut out additional travel time and costs to get to an in-person yoga class. This often results in people missing fewer classes when practicing online at home and having a more consistent practice.
One of the reasons that online yoga lessons are more affordable than face-to-face classes is because there isn’t the need to rent a yoga room at the studio. At Antara Yoga we also have online private class prices per household. This means you can share the online class with your partner, family members or friends that live with you.
Another possibility with online yoga classes related to affordability is that it’s possible to opt for a one-off, bimonthly or monthly lessons instead of having weekly lessons. That way you can receive personal guidance on a less frequent basis, and practice by yourself at home between classes.
Thanks to the consistency of practicing yoga online and discipline of practicing at home on your own online yoga can be a great way to learn self-practice—i.e. practicing yoga on your own without the guidance of a teacher. This often can make it easier to get into the habit of practicing yoga more frequently with a series of practices that are tailored to your own individual needs.
Online lessons also mean that your yoga teacher doesn’t need to be local to where you live. Instead, you have options to find a teacher based anywhere in the world. This allows you to focus on finding a yoga teacher whose teaching style resonates with you. Giving you many more possibilities to find a great yoga teacher that you feel comfortable with and that directly meets your specific interests.
Disadvantages of Online Yoga Classes
At the same time there are some disadvantages to practicing yoga online from your own home when comparing it to practicing yoga in person.
One of the most common disadvantages that teachers and yoga practitioners experience during online yoga classes are technical difficulties that delay or prevent them from joining the online yoga class. Other challenges of learning yoga online include missing in person contact and a concern that online instructions might more easily lead to injury than in person guidance.
People also found that in an online setting it’s often more difficult to pay attention and focus during the yoga class. This might also be related to not having the appropriate space to do yoga and being interrupted by family members, friends, pets, or your mobile phone.
As someone that lives in an expensive city like Amsterdam, where most people have small and often shared accommodation it can be hard to position my camera far enough away to be clearly visible in all yoga poses with good lighting. This can make it hard for the teacher to see everything the yoga practitioner is doing to be able to give personal cues and guidance.
Many of these disadvantages of online yoga classes could be spun the other way as benefits of in-person classes 😊
Despite the convenience of online yoga classes there’s something extremely special about practicing yoga in-person and with a live teacher and group of people. Getting the opportunity to go to a quiet and calming space like a yoga studio where you make social connections with the teacher and other yoga practitioners over a shared passion.
Getting energy from the other yoga practitioners from doing the yoga practice together. And receiving hands on adjustments and an all-encompassing yoga experience.
Keeping all this in mind, I believe there’s a time and a place for both online and in-person yoga classes, rather than something we have to choose between.
What Type of Online Yoga Classes Can You Choose From?
If you decide that you’re interested in trying some online yoga classes, there are two different types of online yoga classes to choose between: pre-recorded and live.
Pre-recorded Online Yoga Classes
The simplest way to get started is to try out some free pre-recorded online yoga classes via video platforms like YouTube. Depending on your level, interest, and needs you can search YouTube to find the type of online yoga class that will best suit your individual needs.
Free online yoga classes can be particularly useful when you’re either you’re getting started with yoga or want to get more familiar with a particular yoga teacher. They can also provide short yoga practices to do at home and complement the yoga you’re learning in-person from a teacher.
A disadvantage of learning yoga in this way is that because the classes are pre-recorded you won’t receive personal guidance from a trained yoga teacher on what to focus on in specific yoga postures, breathing techniques, or meditation.
And while there are many online yoga classes available on YouTube, it can be hard without individual guidance of a yoga teacher to use these practices in a structured way to develop and progress in your yoga practice.
Live Online Video Conferencing Yoga Classes
The other way to practice yoga online is via private or group live classes guided by a yoga teacher using internet-based video conferencing tools like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. These are typically at specific days and times that you sign up and pay for in advance.
In these classes you’ll receive direct feedback from the yoga teacher on what and how to practice. As well as a more structured approach to help you learn and develop your yoga practice over a period of time to meet your goals of practicing yoga.
In private online yoga classes you’ll typically receive more direct personalised feedback from the teacher than in a group class setting. This is because in a group live yoga class the teacher needs to spread their attention equally over the group. While, in a one-on-one class the teacher is able to focus all attention on you the yoga practitioner and give you direct personalised guidance during your practice.
5 Tips to Get the Most Out of Online Yoga Classes
Are you interested in trying out some online yoga classes? Here are five tips to help you get the most out of your online yoga classes.
(1) Plan an Introduction Call to Discuss Your Intentions and Goals
Before you commit to your first online yoga class, it’s useful to first have an introduction call with your teacher. That way you can meet the teacher personally to discuss your main interests and goals for starting or deepening your yoga practice.
This intake sessions allow you to learn more about the yoga teacher, and for them to get to know you and your needs. Helping you both determine if it’s a good fit.
You can share any past experience you have in yoga as well as what you want to focus on and get out of the class. While the yoga teacher can share with you their ideas of what might be a useful approach for your yoga practice. You can also discuss your preferred length, timing and frequency of the lessons.
(2) Tools to Support You in Your Home Yoga Practice
As you probably know, the more often you practice yoga the more progress and benefits you’ll observe—from becoming more flexible, strong, and relaxed. Therefore, it’s important to have the tools in between your online yoga classes to be able to effectively practice yoga yourself at home.
After every online private class that I teach at Antara Yoga, you’ll receive a personalised practice sheet. This includes pictures and descriptions of the sequence of yoga poses, breathing techniques and mindfulness practices that we covered during class.
If you’re new to home practice and find it hard to practice on your own with practice sheets don’t worry! I can also recommend some of my free YouTube videos to guide you in a structured way through your home yoga practice.
Other useful tools can be recommendations of yoga books, blogs, podcasts and other free video resources for you to learn and get inspired from.
All of these tools will help you to integrate and consolidate your learnings in your own personal practice. Resulting in you getting the most out of your lesson and supporting you to continue practicing yoga on your own at home.
(3) Test Your Online Yoga Class Set Up in Advance
Especially if you’re choosing to do live online yoga classes it’s helpful to first do a test run with the video conferencing application (like Zoom or Microsoft Teams) you’re going to use and the setup of your room and equipment.
If it’s the first time you’re using the video conferencing application make sure you have it downloaded on your device before class. And do a test run to check your sound, video, and visual set up of your yoga mat.
To get the most out of the class it’s best if you can use your laptop or tablet rather than a mobile phone. This is because the video screen will be bigger and sound quality better, than if you’re using a mobile phone. If a mobile phone is your only option, don’t worry! Your teacher can give you advice on how to get the most out of the device you have available.
Play around in advance with the position of your laptop, tablet or web camera. Allowing the camera angle to show as much of you as possible during the class. The best option would be to have the camera length ways to your mat or chair, and for it to be possible to see most of your body.
If that’s not possible just place the camera at the best possible angle for the teacher to be able to see how you are getting on during class and give specific guidance.
(4) Know What to Expect During Your Online Class
Based on your introduction meeting, your yoga teacher will have prepared in advance an outline for your private class. Depending on your wishes, this may result in a full yoga practice with individual guidance, or might be more focused on technique of specific poses and practices.
At the start of class, your teacher will check in with how you’re feeling on that specific day and if there are any parts of your body that need special attention due to pain or injury. If you’ve had any extra thoughts about what you want to cover during class, now is the time to share your wishes!
During the class you’ll be guided with verbal cues and physical demonstrations of the poses. The teacher will practice along with you most of the time, while also giving verbal instructions and watching to see how you’re getting on.
From time to time your yoga instructor might ask you how you’re getting on with particular techniques and postures, and if you have any questions. This is a particularly important for online classes, since more subtle body language is hard to see on camera.
Depending on your personal preference you’re able to ask questions before, during or after practice. This is a bit different to a group class where there isn’t space to ask many questions during class.
(5) Take Time to Reflect and Consolidate Your Learnings After Class
Take time to notice how you feel directly after class and the next day. This gives you great internal feedback on how the class benefited you, and if any part of the practice was too much.
Use the practice sheets and other home teaching resources to integrate what you’ve learned in your private yoga class into your home practice.
If you’re having a series of private classes, take a moment to reflect after each private class. Think about any questions you might have, or things you’d like to focus on for the next class.
Keeping a journal where you note down a few key learnings from each class can be a great way to track your progress.
Happy practicing!
💛 Irene
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