Improve your physical and mental health with a little bit of yoga
Yoga Studio goes beyond the typical yoga class. Tim Bothwell shows the way to nirvana.
Stepping away from the weights and the treadmill, this month we’re looking at a very different kind of exercise. With a history of more than 5,000 years, yoga is a form of movement that focuses on the body and the breath in order to deliver improvements in flexibility and strength. Not just physical, yoga has also been shown to improve mental health, potentially contributing to a healthier, happier life. With that in mind, we’re taking a look at the very popular app Yoga Studio. With a wide range of poses and virtual classes on offer, this app is perfect no matter how experienced you are in this unique style of movement.
The basics
Getting started. To begin, download the Yoga Studio app from the Google Play or Apple App store. When you first open the app, you’ll be asked to choose a subscription plan. Something to flag upfront is that a lot of the classes and features we’ll cover require a premium subscription which costs $US9.99 per month or $US69.99 per year. While a small number of classes are free, we’d recommend taking advantage of the seven-day free trial to determine whether you think the app is a worthwhile investment.
Browsing. On the Classes tab you’ll find over 180 video classes. If you’re new to Yoga, then you might like to start with the Essentials collection located at the top of the page. Tap one of the tiles to see a list of every class in that collection. In addition to ones covering the basics, you’ll also find classes focussed on mobility, mental health and pregnancy. Alongside classes, you can browse the app’s entire library of yoga poses on the Poses tab.
Starting a Class. Once you find a class you like, tap it to see a breakdown of every pose along with the total duration. You can tap a pose to see a detailed breakdown of how it’s performed, along with the benefits it brings. To mark poses as favourites, tap the star icon. Once ready to begin, tap the download icon to save the class to your device – this means you can play it anywhere, including when without an internet connection. Every class consists of an on-screen instructor who demonstrates each pose.
Step it up a level
Custom classes. In addition to the many premade classes included in the app, you can also create your own. From the Classes tab, select Custom and tap the plus icon located in the bottom-right corner of the screen. After giving your class a name, you can then pick and choose from the app’s library of poses. Once finished, Yoga Studio will automatically build your class, complete with an on-screen video instructor.
Meditation. Not limited to just yoga, you’ll also find class collections focussing on meditation, helping you to relax and unwind when feeling stressed or overwhelmed. You’ll find these under the section labelled Meditations.
Schedule. While it may look easy on screen, you might find certain classes quite challenging at first. If you stick to it though, you’ll be sure to see improvements over time. To
help stay on track, you can schedule classes that sync directly with your smartphone’s calendar. To do this, on the description screen of a class, tap Schedule before picking a date and time. Classes can be scheduled as one-off, or repeated daily, weekly or monthly.
Search. If there’s a particular style of class that you’re looking for, then you might like to try the search tool. Yoga Studio allows you to search for classes by duration, difficulty or intensity. You can also limit results to a particular focus such as strength, balance or flexibility.
Going pro
Achievements. As you begin using the app more and more, you’ll be rewarded in the form of virtual badges. Located on the Achievements tab, badges are earned for completing different classes and collections, plus after reaching certain streaks.
Audio. Whilst performing yoga, you might enjoy the sounds of night time cicadas, or perhaps the noise of waves crashing in the ocean. Alternatively, the sounds of AC/DC could be your yoga jam. Luckily, Yoga Studio lets you change what background music is played during a class. Accessed from the Studio tab in settings, you can choose from a number of background noises, plus select a playlist from your Apple Music library.
Sharing. If you’re an avid yoga-goer, then you may have friends also using the Yoga Studio app. If that’s the case, you can send and receive classes between one another. Not only is this good for sharing your favourite classes, but you can also send custom ones you’ve created yourself. To do this, select the share option on the description screen of a class. The app will create a file which can then be sent via email and opened directly in the Yoga Studio app.
Apple TV. In addition to being available on your smartphone, iPad and Mac, you can also stream classes to an Apple TV using AirPlay mirroring. Not limited to iPhone, Android users can stream classes to a TV using a Google Chromecast. Note that Chromecast is not supported on Apple devices.