People from all walks of life fall in love with travel and it’s definitely true to say that some of these travelers are also dedicated yogis. Both practices are mind-opening experiences that help you better understand your place in the world.
Sometimes though the hectic and unpredictable lifestyle that accompanies traveling doesn’t always leave time to get in a regular yoga practice. Not only are you away from your normal teacher and class, you are also constantly on the go and may spend many mornings and late nights in airports or bus stations.
Luckily, the internet has gone a long way to provide a solution to this problem. There are many online resources to help you get your yoga fix no matter where you are. Here are five of the best apps to get you started.
1. YouTube Channels
The YouTube app is a great resource for anyone looking to practice yoga away from a physical class. There are many specifically dedicated yoga channels, such as SarahBethYoga, that regularly upload videos of different yoga styles, as well as tips for a safe and secure practice. The benefit of practicing through an online class is you are able to do yoga wherever you have WiFi and can modify the practice to suit your needs, ability and time restraint.
YouTube also allows you search for instructional videos and explanations of things you don’t understand to help with technique and to make sure you’re always improving. Although this will never fully replace the interaction between teacher and student in class, it’s certainly a step in the right direction.
One other thing to consider when watching YouTube videos while traveling is to have a good VPN installed to get around geo-blocking. Geo-blocking is the practice of disabling access to certain sites depending on law, cultural and even religious restrictions, and unfortunately in may places, YouTube falls into this category.
2. Yoga Studio App
Although YouTube offers, by far, the widest range of classes, sometimes lack of good WiFi—a regular occurrence while traveling—means you can be stuck with indefinitely buffering videos or the connection dropping out midway through the class. Luckily, the use of applications means a much higher chance of successfully connecting to dodgy WiFi.
There are many great yoga apps out there, and one of the best is Yoga Studio. This app offers 65 different classes with the options to vary between 15, 30 or 60-minute durations for beginner, intermediate and advanced difficulty levels. It also allows you to focus on different elements of your practice by targeting specific routines to focus on strength, flexibility, relaxation, balance, or a combination.
Similarly, it gives you the opportunity to create custom classes and to practice specific poses individually. Created and developed by a trained instructor and available on many different platforms, including iOS and Windows 10, using this app means you can easily continue your regular practice wherever you are in the world.
3. Yogafinder.com
Even though online yoga tutorials can be a great and convenient help when on the go, they never fully live up to the experience of attending an actual class. This can be hard to achieve traveling as you’re usually never in one place long enough to find out what’s around. Yogafinder.com is a quick, easy and simple way to find studios and classes in your local area. Although it’s not an app, it can be accessed from your mobile phone via a browser app and is far to useful a resource not to mention.
To conduct a quick search, simply enter the name of the city, class or instructor and you will receive a list of classes, including their address, style of yoga and contact information. The site also offers listings for yoga retreats in case you decide to dedicate some of your traveling time to a more intensive practice.
4. Yoga Tracker App
When on the go it’s easy to lose track of your daily routine, which means you may miss out on all the great benefits that a daily yoga practice brings. Luckily, the Yoga Tracker app has got you covered. Costing only 99 cents, this app is a cheap and easy way to track your progress and stay motivated.
It allows you to record every time you practice and input the length of time, type and style alongside details of instructors and locations. It then produces easy-to-see stats so you can track the trends and have a real-time reflection of your progress. For more dedicated yogis, you can also record any awards, certificates, training and designations that you have received to create a compact and easily accessible record of your yoga credentials.
5. Universal Breathing—Pranayama App
Sometimes there’s just no way you’re going to be able to fit in your daily practice while traveling; whether you’re on a long haul flight or an inter-country train journey, sometimes they isn’t physically enough room. Luckily, yoga isn’t all about the movement. The Pranayama app is a great breathing technique training experience that is a perfect replacement if you’re not able to physically practice or if you just want to get back to the core basics.
With a simple user interface, the app guides you through easily customizable breathing techniques, allowing changes in difficulty level and the timing of the inhale, exhale, and retention of the breath. There are also settings to adjust the length of practice and a calendar to track your progress. Available in many different languages, this app is great to download onto your phone and help you connect with your yoga practice no matter how much room you have around you.
The benefits of a daily practice are undeniable, so it’s important for travel-loving yogis to ensure they have an easy and accessible way to take to the mat every day no matter where they are. These are just a few of the best online resources for yoga while on the go. Once you’ve solidified how you’re going to continue your practice while traveling—whether online or through local classes—all there is to do now is to decide where to jet off to! Happy traveling.
After reading this, I highly recommend you check the post on how to create your very own yoga retreat.
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