This App Has Changed My Relationship With Yoga

...and here's 2 weeks of free classes for you!

**I’m going to preface this post by saying that what I’m about to share is 100% my opinion and not sponsored in any way. The following is a service I truly have found value in and pay full price for myself, each month! That being said, here’s the app/website that has changed my relationship with yoga.**

I’ve been on a bit of a journey figuring out the best way to integrate yoga into my regular routine. Pre-Covid (gosh, 4 years ago now?!) I was a yoga teacher at both a boutique yoga studio here in NYC as well as at a senior center, so I had ample opportunity each week to both teach AND take as many classes as I wanted. It was wonderful! I was in a great routine! I felt healthy and energized and connected with community!

Well.

We all know what happened circa March 2020. For a while, the yoga studio I taught at tried to go virtual, but after a few months realized that model wasn’t sustainable along with the wild NYC rents. Add in the fact that we had just been placed with a 6 month old foster baby, I was pregnant, and had a 4 year old home full time for the unforeseeable future—a formal yoga practice felt more like a “nice to have” more than a “must have”. There were a few years there where a 20 minute recorded class with Adriene from Yoga With Adriene on YouTube was the most attention my yoga practice received. And that was okay.

Fast forward to 2024. Studios in NYC are back to business as usual, and while I’ve played around by attending in-person classes at various favorites, I honestly have a hard time justifying the time it takes to get there (minimum 30 minutes, no matter which neighborhood you’re going to!), the class itself (most of which are hovering around the $40 mark in the city), the commute home, and the babysitter I have to pay to make all this happen. When did self-care become luxury?

Hence, I began exploring other options for yoga that would allow me to practice from home LIVE, WITH a really amazing teacher, anytime classes happened to fit into my schedule. With these pretty strict parameters, I found MyYogaTeacher.com.

Back in 2018 in Iceland! Still one of my favorite Hygge Yoga pics to date:-)

MyYogaTeacher.com is a site that connects yoga teachers in India virtually with practitioners worldwide. I’ve been practicing with them since February, and here’s what I LOVE:

—There’s SO. MANY. CLASSES. Unlike other live virtual platforms I’ve tried, this one has at least one class each hour (and sometimes on the half hour!)

—Even though the classes are worldwide, class sizes still remain small, which is perfect for personalized feedback (which there is a lot of!) I’m getting more specific adjustments now than I ever have in an in-person class.

—I have never once had a tech issue come up, on their end or my end. They use microphones so everything said is crisp, clear, and perfectly communicated, and the way they place the camera and yoga mat allows for great demonstrations from the teachers.

—The classes are unlike any I’ve tried in the states. When I have attended yoga classes in the USA, they tend to be quite flow-focused. Even classes that are focused on holding poses longer still seem quite sequenced. With the teachers in India, it feels more like they give short yoga exercises focused on a particular skill or quality (i.e. downward dog to plank and back sequenced 10 slow times with breath to engage core strength.) I REALLY like this, and walk away from each class feeling challenged yet relaxed, if that makes sense?

—In addition to the unlimited group classes, the app/website gives the option to have regular private 1 to 1 sessions with any teacher you like for an exceptionally good rate. For context, I’m now receiving unlimited group classes on the hour and 4 private yoga sessions a month for a monthly cost of LESS than it would have cost me in NYC to attend ONE live yoga class, combined with the babysitting fee to make that happen.

If you’d like to try two weeks of unlimited group classes and three private yoga sessions, you can use this link to sign up. No credit card needed, and if it doesn’t feel like a good fit to you, absolutely no commitment to go forward. Happy yoga practice, my friends!

How are you enjoying your practice lately?

Sending light and love,

Jess (Your Ayurvedic Health Counselor, Making Holistic Health Cozy, Not Clinical)

p.s. in case you missed it, here’s a simple recipe for the best spring cookies!

p.p.s. Interested in booking an Ayurveda Health Counseling session? You can sign up here, and will have me as your holistic health guru and cheerleader for the entire month!