Youve decided to finally start doing yogabut after Googling classes in your area, your head is spinning. Should you try Ashtanga or Iyengar? And whats the difference between hot yoga and Vinyasa? The array of options can be enough to scare newbies off the mat for good.

But heres why you shouldnt be scared: Like cross training, incorporating a variety of types of yoga into your regular practice can help keep you balanced, says Nikki Vilella, senior teacher at Kula Yoga Project and co-owner of Kula Williamsburg. Try a few different studios, teachers and styles. Then, stick with the one that resonates with you for a good amount of time and be dedicated to the practice, says Vilella. The first day you dont like a class shouldnt be a reason to bolt and try something new.

RELATED: The 11 Best Yoga Apps to Get Fit on the Cheap

Yoga isnt necessarily a one-size-fits-all practice, either. Different types of yoga might be best for different people. A 20-year-old and a 70-year-old probably dont need the same things, Vilella says. Someone who is hyper-mobile and flexible doesnt need the same thing as someone whos muscular and stiff.

So with all the choices out there, where do you start? Dont lose your ujjayi breath (thats yogi speak for calming inhales and exhales). Weve got your definitive list of classes that specialize in yoga for beginners plus tips for identifying the style you might like best.

Its all about the basics in these slower moving classes that require you to hold each pose for a few breaths. In many studios, hatha classes are considered a gentler form of yoga. However, the Sanskrit term hatha actually refers to any yoga that teaches physical postures. Its a practice of the body, a physical practice that balances these two energies. So, in reality, it is all hatha yoga, Vilella says.

Best for: Beginners. Because of its slower pace, hatha is a great class if youre just starting your yoga practice.

RELATED: Hatha Yoga: The Best Workout for Your Brain?

Photo: Asi Zeevi /The Woom Center Immersive Yoga

Get your flow on in this dynamic practice that links movement and breath together in a dance-like way. In most classes, you wont linger long in each pose and the pace can be quick, so be prepared for your heart rate to rise. Teachers will often pump music, matching the beats to the sequences of the poses.

Best for: HIIT lovers. Intense exercisers might enjoy Vinyasa because of its faster pace. Runners and endurance athletes are also drawn to Vinyasa class because of the continuous movement.

Photo courtesy of Emily Adams / Bend & Bloom Yoga

Here youll get nit-picky about precision and detail, as well as your bodys alignment in each pose. Props, from yoga blocks and blankets to straps or a ropes wall, will become your new best friend, helping you to work within a range of motion that is safe and effective. Unlike in Vinyasa, each posture is held for a period of time. If youre new to Iyengar, even if youve practiced other types of yoga, its good to start with a level one class to familiarize yourself with the technique.

Best for: Detail-oriented yogis. If you like to geek out about anatomy, movement and form, youll love Iyengar teachers share a wealth of information during class. Iyengar can also be practiced at any age and is great for those with injuries (though you should consult with a doctor first), Vilella notes.

RELATED: 5 Surprising Health Benefits of Yoga

If youre looking for a challenging yet orderly approach to yoga, try Ashtanga. Consisting of six series of specifically sequenced yoga poses, youll flow and breathe through each pose to build internal heat. The catch is that youll perform the same poses in the exact same order in each class. Some studios will have a teacher calling out the poses, while Mysore style classes (a subset of Ashtanga) require you to perform the series on your own. (But dont worry there will always be a teacher in the room to offer assistance if you need it.)

Best for: Type-A folks. If youre a perfectionist, youll like Ashtangas routine and strict guidelines.

START YOUR FREE TRIAL: Try Daily Burns Yoga Made Simple

All Bikram studios practice the same 90-minute sequence so youll know exactly what to do.

Prepare to sweat: Bikram consists of a specific series of 26 poses and two breathing exercises practiced in a room heated to approximately 105 degrees and 40 percent humidity. All Bikram studios practice the same 90-minute sequence so youll know exactly what to do once you unroll your mat. Remember, the vigorous practice combined with the heat can make the class feel strenuous. If youre new to Bikram, take it easy: Rest when you need to and be sure to hydrate beforehand.

Best for: People who gravitate toward a set routine. Those who are newer to yoga might like Bikram because of its predictable sequence.

RELATED: How to Get the Benefits of Hot Yoga Without Passing Out

Hot yoga is similar to Bikram in that its practiced in a heated room. But teachers arent constrained by the 26-pose Bikram sequence. While the heat will make you feel like you can move deeper into some poses compared to a non-heated class, it can be easy to overstretch, so dont push beyond your capacity.

Best for: Hardcore sweat lovers. If you love a tough workout that will leave you drenched, sign up for a beginner-friendly heated class.

Celebrity devotees including actor Russell Brand and author Gabrielle Bernstein have given Kundalini a cult-like following. Yet, this physically and mentally challenging practice looks very different from your typical yoga class. Youll perform kriyas repetitive physical exercises coupled with intense breath work while also chanting, singing and meditating. The goal? To break through your internal barriers, releasing the untapped energy residing within you and bringing you a higher level of self-awareness.

Best for: People looking for a spiritual practice. Those who are seeking something more than a workout may enjoy Kundalini due to its emphasis on the internal aspects of yoga, including breath work, meditation and spiritual energy.

RELATED: 7 Ways to Carve Out Time to Meditate

If you want to calm and balance your body and mind, this is where youll find your zen. The opposite of a faster moving practice like Ashtanga, Yin yoga poses are held for several minutes at a time. This meditative practice is designed to target your deeper connective tissues and fascia, restoring length and elasticity. Youll use props so your body can release into the posture instead of actively flexing or engaging the muscles. Like meditation, it may make you feel antsy at first, but stick with it for a few classes and its restorative powers might have you hooked.

Best for: People who need to stretch and unwind. Keep in mind, Yin yoga is not recommended for people who are super flexible (you might overdo it in some poses) or anyone who has a connective tissue disorder, Vilella says.

RELATED: 5 Yin Yoga Poses Every Runner Should Do

While it may feel like youre not doing much in a restorative yoga classthats the point. The mellow, slow-moving practice with longer holds gives your body a chance tap into your parasympathetic nervous system, allowing you to experience deeper relaxation. Youll also use a variety of props including blankets, bolsters and yoga blocks to fully support your body in each pose.

Best for: Everyone. In particular, Vilella says its a good yoga practice for anyone who has a hard time slowing down, who has experienced insomnia or who struggles with anxiety. Its also great for athletes on recovery days.

Ready to try yoga? Head to DailyBurn.com/YogaMadeSimple for a free 30-day trial.

Originally published August 2015. Updated September 2017.

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Yoga for Beginners: Your Guide to 9 Most Popular Types of Yoga

Hot Yoga Body Focus

MONDAYS 7PM Bloomfield Jackie will guide you through a variety of body specific classes, allowing you to dive deep and explore yourSelf. Move through the body, bringing in strength and openness as we focus on specific areas. These playful, yet rewarding classes will also include; centering, pranayama, alignment and body awareness, as well as a dash of philosophy, and just the right amount of relaxation, to leave you feeling calm yet rejuvenated. Come warm up with us start your week the right way!

Due to our hectic, stress-driven lives, we tend to close up our hearts, both on a physical and emotional level. In this class we will work with the strength and flexibility of our shoulders, and open up our hearts through various postures, using props and our own bodies!

Allow yourself to let go and surrender in this class. We will create some sweet space in our spines and work with lengthening our tight hamstrings.

Connecting breath and movement, we will spend this class coming in and out of postures, bringing in spinal twists to ease discomfort in the back, help improve digestion, and keep us alert for the duration of our practice!

While focusing on the side body, we will lengthen and strengthen the muscles between the ribs and the pelvis, while opening our lungs to improve breathing capacity.

Bringing in breath and focus, we will work with balance in various postures to cultivate the stillness that sits within us.

By opening our hips, we allow ourselves to feel lighter and more open. They can help us get in and out of other postures that we may be struggling with as well. In this class we will be working with the flexibility and strength of our hips, with nice long, deep holds!

By using our Bandhas, we are incorporating our core muscles throughout every Yoga class. In this class, our primary focus will be on the Bandhas. Our secondary focus will be using our breath of course, to hold specific core strengthening postures, then work with lengthening and opening the abdominal and lower back muscles.

This class will be a surprise combination of what we have worked with thus far! However, this is will be Yang/Yin class. An active first half of the class, involving standing postures and movement, and a relaxing second half; coming into long, deep holds in seated and reclined postures

Continued here:
Yoga Teacher Training & Studios - Finger Lakes Yoga School

West End Healthline

by Conor Richardson, MD The practice of Yoga is more than 5,000 years old from ancient Yogis, to people in the 21st century, Yoga continues to be a part of dailyroutines, with an estimated 300 million people practice Yoga across the globe. Why are so many people unrolling their mats and flocking to Yogaclasses? To experience the many physical and mental benefits that come with a consistent Yoga practice. One of the most obvious benefits is an increase in flexibility. Many Yoga poses help to loosen tight muscle groups and increase the range ofmotion in joints. Sitting at a desk all day shortens your muscles attending a Yoga class or practicing poses at home is a great way to stretchout the body, lengthen your muscles, and release tension. In addition to lengthening muscles, Yoga is a wonderful way to build strength. Fromimproving athletic performance, to preventing injuries, or protecting against conditions like arthritis, our bodies depend on strong muscles to liveactive and healthy lives. Yoga poses work many different muscle groups, including stabilizing muscles that are key to coordination and helpingus balance. Muscles arent the only part of the body to benefit from Yoga. Your bone and joint health improve with consistent practice. Yoga poses thatrequire you to lift your own weight, such as downward-facing dog, help to strengthen bones and ward off the thinning of bones as we age. ManyYoga sequences take your joints through a full range of motion, which help to prevent bone and joint breakdown. While Yoga is a great way to exercise your body, its also a way to find relaxation. Yoga reduces the physical effects of stress on the body,which starts a chain reaction of positive effects. By encouraging relaxation, yoga helps to lower levels of stress hormones, such as cortisol,which can result in lower heart rates and blood pressures. Making it to your mat can have a profound impact on your mental health. Yogaencourages us to let go of thinking about the past or the future and focus on the current moment. In the day and age of constant multitaskingand ever-present devices and social media, the reminder to slow down the mind and focus on ones breath is important. In addition to helping usunplug and focus on whats happening in the current moment, this element of mindfulness is associated with increased brain activity, as well asreduced anxiety and depression. If youre looking to improve your health and make a positive change in your life, chances are, Yoga can help. From flexibility, to increasedstrength, to heart health, Yoga is an approachable way for people of all ages and athletic abilities to experience great health benefits. Frombeginners to seasoned Yogis, the benefits of Yoga are many and dont end when you leave class. So, next time youre looking to release stress,feel better in your body, and calm you mind, unroll your Yoga mat and get your ommm on.

Link:
The Benefits of Yoga More Than Just Stretching - Community Reporter

Typically, Beyond the Badge focuses on the mental health of law enforcement officers. Now, Michelle Panetta says she and husband Chris, the charity's co-founders, see the bigger picture and a dire need to help a wider array of responders and not just mentally.

A lot of first responders rely on fitness. If we have a bad day, we can get a hard workout in at the gym to get stress out, Michelle said. Once the gyms closed, I asked, what ways can we still destress?

Panetta, a probation officer, mentioned that her office does not have a gym. She said many precincts, firehouses and law enforcement offices do, but she is not sure whether they are open. She also thinks that many are hesitant to use public, shared equipment. So, Panetta wanted to create an opportunity for first responders to destress while keeping their bodies healthy.

We wound up posting something about fitness, and then the Yoga Shack wrote to me saying theyd like to work with me, Panetta said. She connected with the Yoga Shack, in Bethpage, and owners Michelle DeNicola-Turano and Cindy Mussman-Valentine, to offer free virtual guided meditation and yoga courses to first responders. The courses run roughly four weeks and throughout the month of April.

Panetta is also working with Suzanne Kraemer and Ada Coonerty of Fitness 19 in Malverne to provide online exercise classes on Fridays and Saturdays, offering abdominal strengthening, cardio and Zumba. Panetta said that physical activity is a fantastic "destressor [and] preserves your mental health.

She doubled down, saying that being static can bring on anxiety. Everybody is starting to get that unsettling feeling, Panetta said. That anxiety feeling of could it be me? Do I have symptoms? Do I have no symptoms but am spreading it?

Panetta has already seen her latest idea put into action. She gets updates from the Yoga Shack or Fitness 19 whenever a new member signs up for the program. She even sent the offer directly to the Nassau County Police Department health and wellness department. Panetta said she hopes they send it to their dispatch team, whom she believes are a group of unsung heroes that rarely get recognition.

Beyond the Badge has grown steadily since its inception late last year, and more law enforcement officers are taking notice. When asked if Panetta would quit her job to take on the full responsibility of demanding nonprofit, she was not sure, but she did offer this: I dont know if I would stop my career, Ive never been asked that. But I think the beauty of the situation is that were active. Were working the same type of job and going through the same things as the people we aim to help.

All information for the free exercise classes can be found on https://www.facebook.com/BeyondTheBadgeNY/.

Read more:
Locked out of gyms, first responders turn to yoga - liherald

Elizabeth Heidari teaches an exercise class through Zoom, a videoconferencing platform.

Millions of Americans are stuck in one place right now. Many states have issued stay at home orders, urging people to isolate to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Exercise studios have shut down for the time being, but people still need exercise, especially when anxiety is high. So studios are changing their business models and getting people to exercise over the internet.

I take an interval training class at Invoke Studio, which operates two yoga and pilates facilities in Indianapolis. Its a circuit of intense exercises that leaves you sweaty and hungry. A couple weeks ago, Invoke closed because of coronavirus. The next day, it began offering classes through Zoom, a videoconferencing service.

Other exercise facilities in Indianapolis and across the U.S. did the same thing.

Its certainly something weve always wanted to at least dip our toes into, says Jared Byczko, co-owner of NapTown Fitness, which offers yoga and fitness classes at four locations in the Indianapolis area. Right now, thats all we have to work on, so were trying to perfect it as best we can.

Taking my class online is not quite the same. Instead of weights, Im using the Jumbo Easy Piano Songbook. Instead of a pad for my knees, its a piece of foam packing material.

Watching my instructor on a laptop, Im skeptical that Ill get as much out of the class. The loud music is gone, along with the pressure to keep up with people around me. I bump into furniture, and jumping around makes my whole second-floor apartment shake, which means I have to tone it down for my downstairs neighbor.

My teacher, Elizabeth Heidari, is learning to adjust, too. When I leave the house and go to work, Im at work, she says. Its a boundary that I need that I dont have anymore because Im in my house.

Zoom was designed for meetings, not exercise classes. Heidari has to demo an exercise, then run back to the computer to talk. Its also harder for her to see what students are doing, and tell them how to adjust

Were definitely missing the connection side of it when were teaching like this, she says. I think thats part of the learning curve. Were just trying to make sure were giving you guys as much of the in-house experience as you can possibly get.

Instructors start Zoom sessions early to help create a sense of community that people may get at a studio. Invoke created a Facebook group to communicate with its members. Staff has hosted a happy hour through Zoom even started a book club.

When I logged in to my class, people were joking around about the weights they were using. One person had grabbed a wine bottle.

Thats a big part of my class. Im not just walking in and instructing you and leaving, Heidari says. Its becoming a fun thing and not a chore.

With the transition, Invoke now competes with other established online exercise services such as ob and Pilatesology, which both said via email that theyve seen an increase in new memberships with the pandemic. (Pilatesology also mentioned an increase in cancellations.)

Amy Peddycord, Invokes owner, says she hasnt seen a significant drop in membership yet. People want to support the studio, she says, even if it means taking classes online.

People want to see the teacher that they love, she says. They want to chat with fellow students that theyve seen in classes for years.

Invoke offers fewer classes right now, but Peddycord says some have had dozens of people more than could normally fit in their studios. Plus, theyve seen people join in from Texas, Ohio and New York. So she says Invoke will likely offer online content even after the studios reopen.

Now I own a video fitness production company, which I never wanted or thought I would open, she says. I do have two 5,000 square-foot studios that Im paying for that were not using right now, so that will have to have an end date. But I think were gonna be okay.

At the end of the class, Im still going. Im slacking off a little, but I realize there are some perks to exercising in isolation: No one can smell me, or see me I could go pantless if I wanted.

And when my sweaty back rubbing against the mat makes a sound that people might confuse for a bodily function, no one is around to hear it.

This story was produced by Side Effects Public Media, a news collaborative covering public health.

View original post here:
Exercise, Yoga Studios Adapt In The Age of COVID-19 - WFYI

While the guided yoga session doesn't necessarily require cats, they are welcome to join. If you don't have a cat but enjoy watching them, several can be seen meandering throughout the video.

Cat yogaPhoto via The Flying Cat Covington gallery and healing arts studioThe Flying Catis hosting live weekly cat yoga sessions via video conference program Zoom.

In the session, studio owner JuliaMartinguides viewers through a variety of different yoga poses and breathing exercises that can help you find a calm state of mind.

While the guided yoga session doesn't require cats, they are welcome to join in the practice or just roll around on your mat. If your house happens to be feline-free but you enjoy watching kitty antics, several cats can be seen meandering about Martin's instructional video.

The sessions are free, though a $10 donation is welcome. Yoga classes run from noon-1 p.m on Wednesdays.

Get a glimpse of what you expect during the live session below.

Martin also has a second wellness video centered on cats on The Flying Cat page: Energy healing for cats. In this video, she and a partner practice energy healing techniques on their pets.

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Covington's The Flying Cat Studio Hosts Free Live-Streamed Cat Yoga - Cincinnati CityBeat

This extended quarantine could be shocking for your mental and physical health, or it could be a chance to make some real positive changes. Without being presumptuous, I want to share something I've been doing recently that might be a huge help, both for your body and for your mindset as the COVID-19 juggernaut continues dominating our lives over the coming months.

For background, let me say this: I promise I started from a worse place than most people. Two years ago I fractured a vertebra in a nasty car accident while recovering from completely snapping my patellar tendon on a trampoline. I spent months in bed, losing a ton of strength, along with any meagre fitness or flexibility I may have had. As a 43 year old, class 2 obese male with two kids and a desk job writing for New Atlas, getting started was no easy matter.

But get started I did, and for some reason unbeknownst to me I gravitated toward YouTube yoga sessions as I started to wind down my rehab physio treatments. I had never done anything like it before. I guess I like to put myself in weird new situations and be on the steep part of the learning curve.

It was hard. Some of the "resting" poses were physically impossible; I haven't sat cross-legged on the floor since primary school and my legs just don't do that. I persisted, grunting and sweating my way through a video or two a week from all sorts of different channels. Yoga with Tim. Yoga with Bird. Sarah Beth. Whatever came up. when I searched for "yoga for complete, hopeless, inflexible beginners." I tried to "get comfortable with discomfort," and each 10, 20 or occasionally 30 minute session would leave me feeling stronger and more limber the next day.

Circumstances were never ideal. I don't have a mat, I'd just do it on the carpet. My dog would frequently see me on the floor and think I wanted to wrestle, so I'd end up with 35 kilos of labrador all up and under and on top of me. My kids would treat me like a climbing frame, or stick their bums in my face as I tried to hold certain stretches. I persisted. I even got my wife to start joining in.

Sometime just after Christmas last year, I decided that if I felt good every time I did the damn yoga, I should do more of the damn yoga. So I committed to a 30-day course called Home by the biggest yoga YouTuber on the planet, a ridiculously bright and positive gal called Adriene Mishler who runs the Yoga with Adriene channel and has become an absolute juggernaut in her own right, with 6.4 million subscribers and counting.

Here's where I felt this stuff really starting to work on me. I'm not going to go too far into what it's done for me physically, because after one or two classes you'll have a good idea how much it challenges you for strength, flexibility, balance and endurance to take this on daily, and what the physical benefits might be. Any form of regular exercise will improve you physically, and choosing to do something really hard every day makes the rest of your day easier.

The more interesting things for me have been in the mindset of the practice. This will get weirdly personal, so apologies in advance.

When you're starting out from a shitty place, it's easy to get hung up on the things that put you there. Laziness. Bad choices. Self-inflicted injuries. Overeating. External pressures. Weakness of character. That's a highly negative mindset to take into a new habit you're trying to form.

Adriene is relentlessly forgiving. If you can't do this pose, she'll often say, you're not alone. Try this instead, or take a break if you need to. Spending more than 80 sessions now with somebody that forgives me for my inadequacies in such an encouraging way has wormed itself into my brain.

I feel like I'm starting to forgive myself and others much quicker than I ever used to, which feels like a genuine step towards self-love and self-care. These are not concepts I have ever interacted with before, and they feel like a weight off my shoulders.

Yoga might look like a series of physical challenges, but I'm starting to see it much more as a physical form of meditation. Regular meditation strikes me as being all about developing a zen-like awareness in the moment, a detachment from the chattering mind, a mastery over one's attention and a remote viewpoint on the self. Yoga takes those tools of awareness and applies them to the body.

So as you become more familiar with the different poses, you begin really tuning in to your muscles, your joints, your bones, your tendons and your breath. You learn to feel the "heat" beginning to build as a muscle starts working, and anticipate the shaking you get when they're called on for sustained effort. You start to identify which motions you're avoiding to protect something that doesn't need protecting any more, and which ones you genuinely need to go easy on.

For me, it was like starting to rebuild a kinetic map of my body that had deteriorated since I stopped playing sports in my late 20s. Adriene would have me stand still for minutes on end, not fidgeting around on my feet as I would usually, and I'd become painfully aware of how weak and sore my feet were, how that was affecting my posture and physical habits, how I might be able to work to correct it.

It's this process of precise physical awareness that makes this feel like a meditation to me when I get the chance to do this stuff with the kids in bed and the dog too tuckered out to get involved. At the end of the sessions, which last at least 20 minutes with Adriene's channel, I feel a lot of the same mental clarity and calmness I get from meditating, with a nice rush of exercise endorphins to boot.

As a bro dude, my approach to exercise in the past has always been flat out. Heavy lifting, maximum exertion, pushing hard, going for it. This was a real issue when I started rehabbing after the injuries, because I'd go too hard and set myself back several days, putting myself in a ton of pain in the process.

YouTube yoga has helped me change that mindset. Sure, you can strike out at poses you're too weak or inflexible for and hurt yourself. Lots of people do. Yoga injuries are super common, and lots of them appear to be caused by people trying to nail the show-off Instagram poses: headstands, hand balances, extreme twists and whatnot.

But Adriene's attitude of self-acceptance and forgiveness has allowed me to gently push at my physical limits, and the mindful, meditative awareness aspect has allowed me to really tune in to what's going on, and decide carefully what to push against, what to leave alone, where I'm strong enough to apply extra effort and where I should back off and work on basics before going too hard and sending myself backwards.

No other kind of exercise has ever made me so aware of these things. It feels like a responsible way to work with a compromised body. Hitting poses for Instagram seems counter to the point, the point being that yoga isn't about reaching a destination, it's about being ever-mindful in the process, and finding exactly the right level for you to work at, even if you have to forgive yourself for being at such a crappy level to do it. This is a place egos should come to die.

That point was driven home by day 30 of the Home program. I came in excited to take some sort of final test and see how far I'd come. And I was a bit pissed when Adriene announced that she wasn't going to say anything at all, that we should use this session as a chance to "find what feels good" and do whatever the hell we felt like for 45 minutes, only looking up to the screen if we needed inspiration.

But I started out, and suddenly a bunch of things started to click, and although I'm still working at a very basic level, I started to finally understand yoga as a kind of language. Over the previous month, we'd been doing little physical vocabulary exercises, and now, mindfully and carefully, I was starting to have a conversation with my own body instead of just parroting what my teacher was saying.

I held poses longer, worked gently at edges and sore spots peculiar to my situation. I focused on moving with breath, and did extra work around my lower back and knees. I paid careful attention to how far I was stretching and moved mindfully between different poses. Without Adriene speaking, my attention was totally focused. It was an extraordinary experience, and it felt amazing.

Afterwards, I went and wrote her a long, gushy letter of thanks. It takes a truly great teacher to get you to a point where you can stand on your own two feet, if only for a short while, and with the amount of free content Adriene puts out, she has sent some amazing ripples out into the pond.

This is a mildly embarrassing thing to write about on a website with such a hard science focus, but I'm comfortable embarrassing myself for your benefit. I'm aware of our audience demographics, and of the perception that's out there of yoga as something for crystal-collecting astrology fans and lycra-buttocked Insta-bunnies. I'm not into that stuff, and Adriene knows the breadth of her audience well enough to steer clear of too much chakra and meridian talk.

I'm prepared to see yoga as a spiritual pursuit to the degree that I'm prepared to with meditation. I think some of the language is helpful in changing perspective. But my experience over the last few months does feel like it's done some subtle and very positive rewiring of my brain as well as my body, and I'm overwhelmed with gratitude, even if there's still a ton of stuff I can't do even in these beginner courses. I still can't sit cross legged for any length of time, but I'm slowly getting there and it's very cool to feel that kind of progress.

I don't know enough about yoga to know how much of this is the fundamentals, and how much Adriene personally brings to the table, but I do know this: she's a ray of sunshine to bring into your living room, and this has been a hugely beneficial thing for me. For those of you out there wondering how the hell you're going to get through the long months of lockdown, I would humbly put it forward as something that might help you come out of the COVID-19 era stronger, calmer, more content and positive than you went in.

Just please, take it easy, never push too hard, and be super mindful of your movements. And I'm sure that working with a teacher who can help make sure you're not doing things wrong is even better. A lot of those guys and girls are probably stuck at home too right now, and might be available to supervise over a video link.

Link:
Rewiring your brain: The unexpected benefits of YouTube yoga - New Atlas

Like every other adult woman in my Seattle neighborhood, with its Subarus (sensible) and almond milk (organic), I consider yoga an essential part of my routine. Its one I picked up from my mom; wevebeen going to Seattle yoga classes together ever since a running injury first forced me onto the mat in high school.

Since then, weve been devoted yoga buddies, butlike blashand hygiene and working in offices,our yoga practicewas recently halted by the outbreak of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, and for good reason: Social distancing isnt really possible in a yoga studio, where all manner of hands pass over all manner of props, people walk around barefootand crowded classes often involve maneuvering around (if not straight into) the prone, sweaty bodies of your neighbors.

But I need yoga more than ever in a crisis, soit was a relief when we found out last week that our neighborhood studio, 8 Limbs, would be livestreaming classes on Zoom. I was so frazzled from working on a coronavirus-related story the day classes opened thatI decided to attend as soon as I could, and texted my mom an invite. She said she might be working too late to make it. (My mother works in health care policy; this is not an easy time for either of us, professionally speaking.) I was bummed she couldnt make it, but ready to remind myself I live in a body, and not just an overtaxed, overthinking brain.

At the appointed time, I put away my work, but not my laptop, rolled out my mat on the floor of my living room and was flooded with relief to see one of my favorite teachers, MJ, smiling in greeting as the names of my fellow students popped up on-screen with each login. The class was a gentle all-levels flow, and it was just like any studio class, with a few major deviations: MJ called up her music on Alexa; we were muted during class and so all of the oms and chanting were performed on the honor system; and, at one point, MJs dog appeared in-frame (honestly, an upgrade).

Id thought it would be impersonal to take yoga through a screen, but it felt jarringly good to become reacquainted with my breathing and to be able to look out at my view of Green Lake and the Cascade Mountains while moving through sun salutations. Andthough theres a feeling of emptiness that comes with following prerecorded exercises on YouTube or an app, I was surprisingly moved by the knowledge that many other people were taking class with me from their own living rooms, even if I couldnt see them. It didnt feel like a YouTube video. It felt like community. Maybe thats one of the unintended consequences of the pivot to Zoom: a melding of our private and public contexts into something that feels a little more holistic than either one on its own.

In class at the studio weeks before, I would sometimes compare myself to the people around me, or get irritated when someone breathed loudly next to me or knocked over a water bottle. All of those distractions were gone now, and I felt nothing but gratitude for everyone in this strange experiment with me.

I thought Id feel all alone, said MJ. But I can feel you all here with me.

Bizarrely, I knew what she meant. At the end of class, we unmuted ourselves to say thank-you. And then I saw Id gotten a text. It was from my mom. Im at yoga with you, she said.

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With in-person yoga canceled due to the coronavirus, I took a livestreamed class on Zoom. Heres how it went. - Seattle Times

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, people are spending a whole lot of time at home. Everyones daily routine is changing as those who are lucky enough to be able to stay inside adjust to the WFH lifestyle. That also means a change in your workout routine, but with all this time within the confines of your abode, theres never been a better time to try out new fitness classes.

Tons of instructors and studios are offering virtual classes on apps, streaming platforms and Instagram. All you really need is a mat (or a towel) and weights (or two water bottles). Whether youre looking to add on a new monthly yoga subscription service to your repertoire or you want to join a free (!!) dance cardio class on Instagram every week, these are the instructors and studios to workout with at home right now.

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For a full-body yoga session thatll make you sweat, try Corepower. You can choose from C1, C2, Yoga Sculpt and Hot Power Fusion classes offered on-demand, which vary from 30 minutes to an hour. A selection of the workouts are free of charge.$19.99 a month for full access.

Kelly Ripa is a fan of this fitness platform, which offers its 28-minute workouts though its app and online, with at least 14 live classes per day plus a library of more than 4,000 sessions. You can choose from sculpt, dance, pilates, yoga, barre, boxing and other options. $27 a month after seven-day free trial.

The Class combines cardio, calisthenics and plyometrics with a spiritual edge. The new digital studio live-streams classes seven days a week. $40 a month after 14-day free trial.

The strength training and HIIT studio recently launched Fhitting Room LIVE. Its a two-way class, so you can see and interact with the instructor. Its offered every day of the week during scheduled slots; youll need to sign up beforehand, and then you get a link to join the virtual class 20 minutes before the start time. If the timing doesnt work for you, try Fhitting Room On Demand, for a curated selection of workouts. Fhitting Room LIVE: $20 a class, Fhitting Room on Demand: $9.99 a month after 30-day free trial.

The NYC wellness studio is now offering its signature trampoline and sculpting classes online, so you can bounce in the safety of your own home. Theyre also holding weekly IG Live classes. $39.99 after three-day free trial.

This workout is based on physical therapy and functional movement, and you can try out sessions on the online streaming platform. Theyre also hosting free Instagram Live workouts three times a day.$19.99 a month, use promo code ONEPVOLVE for a 30-day free trial.

Megan Roups digital streaming app offers dance, cardio and body sculpting classes, with new additions each week. Theyre also posting IG Live free classes. $19.99 a month after two-week free trial.

The interactive home gym offers dance, cardio, boxing and yoga content to use on the Mirror device.$1,495 to purchase Mirror.

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Peloton Yoga Instructor @annagreenberg wants you to find your purpose in this week's Friday fitness tip: "In the midst of rapid change and uncertainty, doing things intentionally helps to keep me sane and grounded. When we do things with a sense of purpose, even just the purpose of doing the thing itself, theres a satisfying feeling of ownership. It makes us active players in our lives instead of sitting on the sidelines just watching things happen. Yoga gave me the gift of understanding how empowering and uplifting intentional movement can be. A brief practice can put things into perspective even when they feel overwhelming or out of control. Its not just yoga that does this though, any creative, physical, mindful, intentional practice like running, cycling, meditating, strength training, journaling, art-making, cooking, and more can give a much-needed sense of control & direction to our lives as well as filling them with a little bit more joy." #onepeloton

A post shared by Peloton (@onepeloton) on Mar 27, 2020 at 9:30am PDT

Even if you havent splurged on the pricey bike, you can still try out the brands on-demand fitness classes on the app, including dance cardio and strength options.$12.99 a month after 90-day free trial.

The celebrity Pilates instructor, who counts Olivia Wilde and Kerry Washington as clients, is offering personalized, virtual one-on-one sessions at 20 percent off the usual studio price, as well as complimentary twice-a-week IGTV classes. Personal sessions from $128.

The athleisure and wellness brand is partnering up with instructors like Amanda Kloots and Megan Roup for 30-minute workout sessions on Instagram Live every single day at 4 pm.

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Happy Noon on Monday, Soul Fam! Heres our lineup for this week (but always stay tuned for more!) Today, well be starting our week off with some motivating words from Master Instructor @melaniegriffithnyc Tomorrow, well be keeping active with NYC Instructor @jrlkennedy over on his Instagram Live at 5:30pm EST! On Wednesday We couldnt let Aries season go by without celebrating our Aries fam (a belated birthday ride is in order) Thursday, well be doing yoga with LA Master Instructor @purposefulpixie on her Instagram Live. Wed love for you to join us! Friday, well be making our final Soul Appreciation Sale purchases. You can never have too many matching sweatsuits, right? Saturday, well be keeping active with Senior SF Instructor @chrislayda on his Instagram Live. Perfect way to kickstart our weekends (even at home). Sunday, well be spending some time doing self-carethis week through gratitude, led by Senior NYC Instructor @noashaw26.

A post shared by SoulCycle (@soulcycle) on Mar 30, 2020 at 9:00am PDT

The spin studios new Off The Bike program launched last week, with at-home workouts that require zero equipment offered by instructors three times a week. The classes are streamed via Instagram Live on the rotating schedule of instructors personal feeds, so check SoulCycles Instagram every Monday at noon for the weekly schedule.

The fitness instructor teaches at least two dance cardio classes a week, which he streams poolside from Miami.

This fitness brands in-person classes combine cycling, bootcamps, circuit lifting and stretching, and theyve modified it for an at-home experience. AARMY is offering multiple free daily classes via Instagram Live, and theyre partnering with a few of their celeb clients, including Karlie Kloss and Ashley Graham.

The personal trainer, who has taught at ModelFit and Equinox, offers dance tone classes twice a week on Instagram Live.

Variis recently launched a Social Fitness-ing series, with workouts ranging from yoga, HIIT and meditation from brands like Equinox, Pure Yoga and HeadStrong. There are seven classes available on the brands IGTV, and new classes are posted each day.

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We miss our fit fam! Now, more than ever, its important to band together, support one another, keep our bodies moving, and stay connected. Tune in live @barrys twice tomorrow: once at 9am PDT as Barrys CEO, Joey Gonzalez, and again at 12pm PDT as VP of Curriculum, Chris Hudson, lead us through 20 minute total body workouts. Bodyweight only. No equipment needed. 9am: Joey Gonzalez 12pm: Chris Hudson

A post shared by Barry's (@barrys) on Mar 16, 2020 at 7:47pm PDT

The intense cult-favorite fitness class is offering free daily workouts on Instagram Live twice a day.

The New York-based fitness studio is holding free daily classes via Instagram Live, with no home equipment required.

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The Best At-Home Workouts to Try in Social Isolation - Observer

Yoga has always been India's way to perform fitness for ages. Its lockdown time and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is here for the rescue

March 30, 2020 3 min read

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

For ages, Yoga has been India's way of life. It's a mix of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that keep you strong in every sense. With Covid-19 cases increasing every single day, its time to get active and take self-responsibility.

The fitter you are, the better is your immunity. While what you eat plays an essential role, physical activity/ workout holds the utmost importance.

Talking about the same was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who on Monday shared fitness routine and also requested people to perform yoga to remain fit during the lockdown.

He tweeted about his fitness routine and said, "During yesterday's Mann ki Baat, someone asked me about my fitness routine during this time. Hence, I thought of sharing these Yoga videos. I hope you also begin practicing Yoga regularly."

Prime Minister Modi took this to Twitter and tweeted, "The Yoga videos are available in different languages. Do have a look. Happy Yoga practicing..."

The videos bring out his playful side where he can be seen performing different yoga asanas. You have a pool of 17 videos which gives you an in-depth knowledge about 14 asanas. From Vrikshasana, Ardha Chakrasana, Padahastasana, Bhadrasan, Ustrasana, Trikonasana, Tadassana to Bhujangasana, Shalabhasana, Pawanmuktasana, Vajrasana, Vakrasana, Shashankasana, and Setubandhasana.

Everyone is aware that he is an ardent yoga follower. While sharing the video he wrote, "I am neither a fitness expert nor a medical expert. Practicing Yoga has been an integral part of my life for many years and I have found it beneficial."

At the time of this crisis, yoga can be a great source to keep you safe, healthy and fit. He has also asked people to share their fitness mantra.

"I am sure many of you also have other ways of remaining fit, which you also must share with others," he said.

The fitness channel is available in 12 Indian and 12 foreign languages, making it accessible to everyone around the globe.

While you might be following your fitness routine, awaken the yogi inside you and practice this ancient, spiritual and ascetic discipline for a better life.

Also Read:

Coronavirus Preventions: 6 Practical Tips to Follow Without Shutting off Yourself from the World

Coronavirus: 6 Nutrition, Vitamins & Supplements Tips to Strengthen Your Immunity

Coronavirus: 20 Do's and Don'ts To Stay Safe, Fit & Healthy

Coronavirus: 6 Workouts You Can Do At Home To Stay In Good Shape

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Coronavirus: Perform These 14 Yoga Asanas and Stand United with PM Narendra Modi in Fighting This Pandemic - Entrepreneur