Yoga has found a new wave of fandom in this modern era. Where on one hand the very own country where is originated, India, is forgetting about the art, the outside world has come to terms with the innumerable benefits the practice offers. And don’t underestimate it’s power. Yoga offers many benefits like increased muscle strength, flexibility in the body, weight reduction, drastically reduced heart problems, especially chances of a heart attack and a steady metabolism to name a few. And now there is literally no excuse for you not to follow it since all the tutorials and techniques are easily available online. Let’s look at the best tools and apps to practice Yoga.

1. Daily Yoga (Android – free, iOS – free)

This app has a huge presence in the niche and should not be ignored as one of the tools in your arsenal. It offers more than 50 high definition Yoga exercise videos and more than 400 effective Yoga poses. Almost anyone can use the app – beginners, intermediates as well as experts. With the live voice guide feature, it makes you feel as if you are in the vicinity of a yoga guru which has a huge motivational aspect to it. And when you are in need of any further guidance, you can head on to the communities section, start following the actual yoga gurus worldwide and chat with them for advice. The app also scores you based on your Yoga practice and then ranks you on a global list of app users. Moreover, even if you are looking for specific Yoga activities like the ones to lose weight, gain flexibility or relax your muscles, the app provides you with properly segregated practices to chose from. All in all it is an extremely effective package. The basic version of the app is free and in-app purchases can be made to buy further advanced lessons.

2. Pocket Yoga (Android – $2.99, iOS – $2.99)

Although paid with additional in-app purchases, Pocket Yoga is another great app that empowers you to follow the art anywhere and anytime you feel like. The illustrations of poses are detailed and more than 200 in number. The pose illustrations also come with a ‘dictionary of poses’ which keeps you informed about the benefits of each pose along with its description. There are 27 different sessions with both voice and visual guidance along with the ability to play your own music from your phone library in place of the default app ones. The best feature is to make your very own practice routine by adding different related poses to perform one after another. The app is definitely worth your money and provides with what it promises.

3. Simply Yoga (Android – Free, iOS – Free)

If you are looking for any free tools, Simply Yoga is one of the bests to go for. But the free version is suitable for beginners only. Experienced users will have to go for the paid version of the app ($2.99) for advanced lessons. The free version covers 30 plus poses that are split up into 3 pre defined routines of 20, 40 and 60 minute workouts that are portrayed with the help of recorded voices and videos of certified Yoga instructions. Apparently there is not much flexibility in the choice of the workouts but then again you get the app for free! Custom routine can be made in the paid version, if you are looking for that. But i would suggest you to go for Pocket Yoga in that case as both the apps are priced the same.

4. Yoga For Weight Loss (Android – $2.99, iOS – $2.99)

If you are looking to lose weight through yoga, this is the app you want. According to the developers, the app converts the stored subcutaneous fat in your body into energy, hence burning the fat and toning the body. It has 3 levels of exercises for the purpose – beginner, intermediate and advance. Users have to first learn a basic level, incorporate them into their life and then move on to the next. The app can also be used to tone your abs into better shapes. But if you are a beginner, it is recommended that you first surpass the levels in the Core Yoga app, published by the same team, and then move on to this one. This will help beginners to ease into the routine of the specific practice.

5. Yoga Studio (Web, iOS – $3.99)

Available specifically for iPhone users, this is another great app if you looking to spend some bucks and it is perfect for beginners. With a library of over 280 poses and 65 high definition yoga class videos, it offers a tough competition to all the apps in the list. And the best part? The interface. It is gorgeous and intuitive and is one of the bests out there. The yoga classes have to be downloaded through the app and may span a few tens of MBs each. The lessons are segregated into the 3 levels based on your skills and should be downloaded accordingly. You can watch the video below to understand more about how the app works.

6. Yoga Journal (Web)

Okay now enough of apps. What if you are looking for an online resource? Then Yoga Journal is all you need. It is free to use and has a huge database of hundreds of Yoga poses and videos that can be referred by anyone and anytime. The videos are posted in the form of aggregated content for specific purposes that range from the likes of ‘poses for mindful meditation’ to the ones to ‘cure hangover’. You can also chose your level of expertise to get content based on your preferences. Below is a video as a sample of what the content is like. To be honest, if you can take some time to search inside the website and find what you are looking for, this elaborate blog for a website is as good as any other Yoga resource.

7. Yoga For Office Professionals (iOS – $0.99)

As you may have guessed, this is an app for individuals who are too busy with their work life and should follow some stretching and yoga exercises to keep the muscles flexible as well stay away from the unnecessary weight gain. It consists of both video clips and poses and the very specific purpose of stretching exercises it offers is of value to the targeted users which will help them to relax and improve upon their work productivity at the same time. There are many poses that are allocated according to the body parts they affect and are followed by proper pose descriptions of the same. The exercises aim to relieve users of many common ailments arising due to long sitting hours which include back pain, neck pain, eye strains, pain in hips and legs and much more. The interface is also very good and the price tag makes it an extremely affordable app to try. Watch a sample video clip below.

8. Do Yoga With Me (Web)

This is another great online website that offers hundreds and hundreds of Yoga class videos absolutely free! It can’t get better than this. Videos are continuously added to every level and are ever ready for online streaming. It also has a page specifically catering to Beginners with all videos rated out of 5 stars by other users. And if you are looking for a particular yoga class or even a specific teacher, you can move on to the Yoga Classes section, select the search queries from drop down lists like difficulty, class length, style of yoga and the teacher name. In addition to the videos, there are of course a host of poses accessible through the ‘Yoga Poses’ section and can be searched on the basis of the body parts, pose position and difficulty. Unlike the other entries in the list, this resource also offers all types of audios to meditate and keep your mental health in check. Watch a sample video below.

PS – The videos can also be downloaded from the website for a fee of $3, $6, and $9 each based on the quality of the videos you want.

9. The Mindfulness App (Android – $1.99, iOS – $2.99)

This is a very specific app that offers meditation yoga techniques to keep the user in the best state of mind. Users can listen to guided meditation tracks that range from 3 to 30 minutes each. Additional lessons also include silent meditation techniques that involve minimal sounds like ringing bells. If you want more options out of the app, you can make your every own meditation track through the personalized meditation option where the tracks can last as long as you want them to. One distinct feature is that it lets users set a custom reminder to use the app through a notification whenever they set the time to.  Another special feature is to keep a track of your meditation practice with analytic details of your app usage and hence your development. Therefore, this app caters to only developing the mental strength in individuals and provides a means to relax and meditate.

10. Grokker (Web, iOS – Free)

The last but not the least in the list is Grokker, a website (now available as an app on iOS) that provides host of lessons and videos on how to lead a healthy life. Therefore Yoga,meditation and workout occupy a large part of this web tool. There are literally thousands of videos to choose from when it comes to Yoga and meditation. The video network is divided into 2 broad categories, non-premium and premium. The non-premium videos are free to watch anytime but the premium videos are only available to paid members. In addition to the free videos, non-premium members are also provided with 2 premium videos to watch for free every week. The final verdict – this is one of the best video network in the health niche and therefore safe to invest your money in (plans start from $9.99 a month).

Which App/Tool Should You Go For To Practice Yoga?

Based on your preferences you can chose one or two apps from the list to try out and see how it works out for you.

For both iOS and Android users – 

Best Paid Apps –

1. Daily Yoga’s High Quality in-app purchases

2. Yoga Studio

Best Free Apps –

1. Daily Yoga Free Version (perfect for beginners)

2. Simply Yoga

If you are looking for the best website to watch Yoga videos, ‘Do Yoga With Me is the best source that can take you a long way in the process since all the videos are free to watch online.

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