by | Apr 22, 2015 | 8 comments

Happy Workout Wednesday!

workout wednesday

I’m constantly working on incorporating more yoga into my regular routine.  Not only is it wonderful cross-training for my running, but it helps prevent injuries, stretches my muscles, and provides such wonderful mental and relaxation benefits.  I’ve spoken many times about the benefits of yoga, so I won’t review them all here.  Please see this post for some of the many, many benefits of yoga!  Today, instead, I’m going to share a new-to-me, membership-based platform that allows you to stream yoga classes on demand!

Asia Day 14-15 458

When The Yoga Collective contacted me several weeks ago, I was excited to try out their classes.  I’ve talked about how much I love having the ability to do yoga at home (or in a hotel), without having to make the time to get to a class.  Yes, a full yoga class is amazing for the mind and body, but I don’t have time to fit it in as often as I’d like!  So, streaming classes online is a great solution.

the yoga collective logo

Between my trip to California, when I practiced yoga every day on my patio overlooking the ocean (so amazing!) and the past few weeks of fitting in short flows before dinner, I’ve gotten to try over 10 classes from The Yoga Collective.  I feel very confident in giving it my full endorsement, because I’ve loved almost every class!

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When assessing an online yoga class, I look for the following things: how easy it is to follow the instructor, how many levels and classes are offered, how enjoyable the class itself is, and how I feel after the class.  Here’s how I felt about these factors when using The Yoga Collective:

  • Ease of following instructor: Each class is presented in the form of a video that streams right alongside you.  There is one instructor speaking throughout the class, and 3-4 students are doing the moves right alongside you.  So, you always have someone to look at if you can’t follow by voice alone.  I found the instructors’ explanations very complete and never felt that it was difficult to follow along.  They used a good balance of technical yoga terms and “plain old English,” making the classes suitable for any level.
  • Levels / classes offered: This is the best part about The Yoga Collective, in my opinion.  They offer everything from beginner yoga videos (I enjoyed the Level 1 “Deep Yin” yoga as a great relaxation practice, but it certainly was not physically taxing) to very challenging advanced classes (The Level 3 “Arm Balancing” class was way out of my league, showing me that I have a lot of room to grow with these classes over the next year!).  I found my sweet spot around Levels 2 or 2+, and enjoyed several of these classes (with fun titles like “Jump for Joy,” “Soul Sweat Sesh,” and “Cardio Flow”).  You are able to sort all classes by level, duration, teacher, style, and focus, which allows you to customize to exactly what your body needs on any given day.
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  • Enjoyment: I really did love these classes.  The teachers did a great job of keeping things lighthearted and emphasizing that participants should listen to their bodies.  I found the voices of the teachers to be soothing, the flow of the classes to move smoothly, and the variety of the classes to work different parts of my body.
  • How I felt afterwards: One word … ahhh.  Yoga does great things for my mind and body, and each time I practice, I’m reminded that I would like to do it more!

A giveaway for you!

The Yoga Collective has been generous enough to give TWO of you a free 1-year subscription to enjoy The Yoga Collective’s great classes!  If you’ve been wanting to start practicing yoga but are afraid to get to a class or have been struggling to find the time, this is the perfect opportunity for you!  To enter, just click on the link below (it says “a Rafflecopter giveaway”) and follow the instructions to gain up to 17 entries per person!  Giveaway ends May 8th, 2015 at 11:59pm CT, and I’ll announce the winner shortly thereafter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Disclaimer: I was given a free 1-year membership to The Yoga Collective in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are, of course, my own.

Edited to add: SoMuchYoga.com did a review of online yoga classes … check it out here for the lowdown on a few more options!

Now it’s your turn … What would you like most about a membership to The Yoga Collective?  Have you tried yoga at home before?

8 Comments

  1. Karen

    oh wait…..Venice, CA ??? Nope. 🙂

    Reply
  2. Karen

    Yoga Collective in VENICE ??? I’ll be there in June. 🙂

    Reply
  3. Esmerelda

    What an amazing opportunity filled with so much health and wellness.

    Reply
  4. Cassie @ Rural Running Redhead

    Since I live in the middle of nowhere, there are no yoga studios within an hour of me. Something like this would be perfect!

    Reply
  5. Katherine

    This would be perfect to do when travelling for work! Great giveaway!

    Reply
  6. Katie

    I’d love to able to follow a yoga practice in my own place! I sometimes get lazy when I’m on my own and traveling out to a yoga studio can get pricey.

    Reply
  7. Erin

    There are some awesome teachers on the site. I’d love to win!!

    Reply

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  1. Consistent Small Steps toward a big goal - […] of my giveaway to The Yoga Collective for 1 year of FREE yoga are Deb and Karen!  Congratulations!  I…
  2. Keep Trying Healthy Foods to Learn to Enjoy Them - […] Reminder: You have until Wednesday to enter my giveaway for free yoga for a year! […]

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Megan Lyons Headshot

Hi! I'm Megan Lyons,

the voice behind The Lyons’ Share. I love all things health, wellness, and fitness-related, and I hope to share some of my passion with you. Thanks for stopping by!
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