5 Lesser-Known Benefits of Practicing Yoga Online

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What you most likely experience in a sweaty vinyasa studio may be a far cry from the traditional style of yoga class that originated in India many moons ago. Taking yoga online is an even greater leap away from these more traditional ways of practicing yoga.

Yet, there is no right or wrong way of practicing – the greater access the world has to yoga, then the greater the potential for global transformation and radical wellbeing.

Online yoga classes offer many benefits that you’re probably already familiar with:

• You can practice from the comfort of your own home
• You can hit play at any hour of the day that suits you
• You have access to an incredible range of teachers and class types
• An online monthly membership is usually cheaper than a single in-person class

 
In addition to the above benefits to practicing yoga online, there are a few benefits that you may not be so familiar with. These lesser-known perks are a few of the key reasons I’ve swapped my yoga studio pass for my beloved living room floor.
 

 
As a devoted online yoga practitioner myself, I have found several compelling benefits to doing yoga at home. Read on!
 
 

Here Are 5 Lesser-Known Benefits of Practicing Yoga Online:

1. The Absence of Ego

It goes without saying that yoga should be an ego-free playground. Practitioners should always feel free to come and move and flow according to their own unique needs and body types. However, this isn’t always the case.

We are human. Comparison is in our DNA (or so it seems!). It can be very challenging to practice yoga during a full class and not compare your Trikonasana to your neighbor’s. When an advanced modification is given, it is hard not to take it or attempt it, even if we gain more benefit from the pose in the original version.
 

 
 
Practicing yoga online means that you are there for you, focused 100% on your own practice with no distractions or opportunity to compare or compete. Practicing yoga at home makes it solely about your yoga journey and no one else’s – which can create a much more intimate, meaningful and impactful experience.
 

2. You Still Feel Deeply Connected to the Teacher

Having a favorite yoga teacher is one of the things that keeps us coming back to the mat. However, practicing yoga online doesn’t mean that this connection to the teacher evaporates.

The online yoga world offers a smorgasbord of teachers that you can learn from, many of them world renowned leaders in the modern yoga arena.

You no longer need to get on a plane, book a retreat, or pay for expensive workshops to learn from these teachers – you have access to their wisdom and classes anytime, anywhere. With so many teachers available, you also have the opportunity to explore as many teachers as you like to find someone you connect with.

Online yoga creates a very personalized practice where the teacher is offering you something very special – their undivided time and attention. It’s just you on your mat and your teacher on the screen. It’s like a private yoga session in the comfort of your own home.
 

3. You Will Realistically Practice More Often

Practicing yoga online means you have the ability to practice as often as you’d like. When you factor in the time it takes to get your things together, commute to the yoga studio, take class and drive home, it takes a lot more time than what you spend on the mat. For many of us, this means we’re only able to get to a few yoga classes each week.

Inversely, practicing yoga online means you can practice anytime. More time means more opportunity to advance – in every aspect of the practice.
 

4. Your Practice, Your Needs, Your Choice

Let’s face it – you don’t always get what you are looking for in a studio yoga class. While classes are generally well rounded, sometimes our body needs or asks for something in particular.
 

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After a long day perhaps you are looking for a more restorative class with longer-held poses. Maybe you have a lot of energy and are looking for a fast-paced class with short holds and plenty of movement.

Want More Variety In Your Yoga Practice? Try These 7 Unique Online Yoga Classes on YA Classes

Online yoga allows you to choose exactly what type of yoga class you want every time you practice.

The search function on these platforms will usually allow you to choose your level, your duration, your style of yoga, as well as any focus on the class you are looking for – a curated and specific way to meet your needs and make your practice that much more beneficial and rewarding.
 

5. You Have a Pause Button

Literally! Another benefit of online yoga is the pause button.

In a public yoga class, you can’t exactly ask everyone to pause while you practice your handstand for another minute. When you practice yoga at home, you can pause the class any time if you want a few extra minutes to practice a particular pose. That time isn’t always available when studio classes have to stick to set time slots.

You can also rewind the video if you want to re-watch the teacher breaking down a new pose, or watch the teacher get into the pose before you try it yourself. Online yoga offers you more luxury in the time you have to play and learn . . . and pause.
 
 

Practicing Yoga at Home With Online Yoga Classes Is Great For All Yogis

Could online yoga be the way of the future?! Perhaps!

In-person yoga classes are beautiful and inspiring and are obviously here to stay with the abundance of yoga studios around the globe.

Yet online yoga has its own unique space too in the world of modern yoga. It offers its own unique benefits that help yoga be even more accessible to a wider demographic. The discipline, motivation, patience and commitment that you can gain from practicing yoga online has a powerful trickle effect that can infiltrate all aspects of your life.

If you haven’t given online yoga a try, you have nothing to lose and possibly a great deal to gain.

Try these online yoga classes