‘I’M NOT SURPRISED AT CALLS FOR YOGA TO BE PRESCRIBED ON THE NHS’
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO GET STRETCHING AT HOME
Every weekday at 6pm I close my laptop, go into the living room and roll up the carpet. In its place, I lay three yoga mats and wait for my students. Before the crisis, my housemates, three men in their 30s, didn’t practise yoga. Now they rely on the classes I teach them to segue from work stress to evening relaxation. It has, I would argue, kept them (and myself) happy and healthy under house arrest. A pleasurable peak in a day that might otherwise have been shapeless.
So I read with interest, but not surprise, that experts are calling for the ancient practice of yoga to be clinically prescribed on the NHS.
It follows a new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine that found that regular yoga can help reduce depression for people with other mental health disorders.
The beauty is there is no one type of yoga experience, and under lockdown, with studios and teachers finding new avenues to students online across Youtube, Instagram and Zoom, it’s an exciting time to explore what yoga can offer you.
While nothing can quite replace interacting with a teacher in person, whether from a safety perspective for adjustments or simply for community and connection, tutors are working hard to bring the essence of what they offer to your living room – and often for free. With an online workout, you can do a class when it suits you and squeeze shorter classes into your routine.
So if you’ve always wanted to try yoga for the first time, or new styles and top international teachers, but didn’t know how then there’s no time like the present.
There’s nothing quite like your first heady savasana at the end of a tiring class.
Head to Us-based yoga platform GLO for one of Jason Crandell’s precise alignment-focused vinyasa flow classes, which have an intelligent anatomical approach that will keep those joints safe.
Ashtanga has a reputation for being a physically intimidating school of yoga, but is surprisingly constructive for those who learn best by repetition and structure. Let Kino Macgregor’s course on Omstars.com strip back the layers and guide you into this meditative form of yoga that links breath with movement. Closer to home Stretch London – a community-focused studio in east London – is offering free beginner’s classes online.
Have a blast
No time for a 90-minute class? Even yogis live in the real world. A 20-minute or 10-minute dose is often all you need to get your fix; studies have shown short bursts of physical activity – mini-workouts – can be just as effective as one concentrated session. Yogaia.com have a wealth of 10-minute short classes that you can either hit once or link up to tailor your practice to your time needs.
UK Insta star Cat Meffan does strong and stretchy 20-minute flows on her Youtube and two new 30-minute flows each month on her platform catmeffan.com/yogamembership/
Not at your peak?
If you’re feeling unfit, then the last thing you want to do is end up in a class that leaves you feeling physically and emotionally depleted. Yoga should lift you up, not bring you down. Go straight to Yoga with Adriene, on Youtube and subscription, and let her bathe you in her love and kind flows.
Rishin Paonaskar takes a relatable approach to yoga – find him at various studios online including Yogagaia, where he won’t be taking himself too seriously.
Yoga on the Lane founder Naomi Annand, might be an ex-royal Baller dancer, but she keeps it real and soulful.
Advance your practice
If you’re feeling strong and ready to push for more complex arm balances and inversions, let Antonia Reed-felstead – at Toto Yoga – take you under her wing. Her classes are physically demanding, and executed with pinpoint precision, but with warmth and heart.
Not for the faint-of-heart, Emi Tull’s Dharma Yoga classes are also
Sweat it out
Hotpod yoga is famed for its inflatable dome studios, where they pump out 37C heat. In lockdown they’re channelling the same intensity online. Hot yoga studio Fierce Grace is also bringing its trademark signature style online. Turn up the temperature. Smart studio FLY LDN is offering three free IG live classes a day.
Get your HIIT
If relaxation for you means long hold squats and the occasional kettlebell, then here are the yoga teachers for you. Sadie Nardini Yoga HIIT takes the best of both worlds with a rock-hard attitude.
US yoga behemoth Alomoves has a strong hold on HIIT – check out Ashley Galvin’s Body Blast. Over on Yogaia, you can try to keep pace with Mario Valverde’s kettlebells.
Devote yourself
Bakhti is the Sanskrit word for Devotion. If you’re in need of some song, seek out Sangye Yoga, a Jivamukti studio that makes time for chanting. The Sivanada School has a schedule of chanting classes online. Over at Triyoga, Stewart Gilchrist mixes a strong, sweaty practice with juicy dollops of spiritual teaching.
Over-70s
My 69-year-old mother thinks Yoga is waffle, but even she softened up doing one of Yoga with Adriene’s seniors classes. In the UK Amy Slevin (@flowmotionyoga) teaches an over-60s class on a Tuesday. While most classes labelled restorative should be suited to older bodies. Over on Movement for Modern Life you can find plenty of slower classes, including chair yoga.