Yoga is an incredible way to relieve stress and stay fit and healthy, but it’s not a workout that lends itself well to being done alone in the beginning. If you’re new to yoga, you need a teacher to guide you through the postures. Yoga teachers also know how to put a class together so that each posture flows into the next. There’s also a logical way to build a yoga sequence so that you don’t hurt yourself. Without a knowledgeable instructor, you run the risk of injuring yourself or practicing in a way that does not allow your body to engage in all planes of motion. Sadly many of us don’t have the time in the day to devote to traveling to a studio, practicing yoga for an hour, taking a shower and changing, and then heading back to work. It’s just not feasible unless you have a very flexible work schedule.
Yoga helps connect your mind and body
There are many ways to exercise, but yoga is one of the best ways to promote mind-body connection and support your overall health.[1] By practicing yoga, you’ll become physically stronger and more flexible, but you’ll also learn to listen to your body. Many of us go through our days without taking time to notice what we need. We don’t feel when we need to take a break until we’re exhausted. We don’t notice that we’re slouching in our seats, and it’s destroying our posture. We can’t even recognize the early signs that we’re stressed until we’re in a state of complete anxiety. When you practice yoga, you ground yourself in the present moment. You learn to notice problems and feelings before they become crises. In addition to promoting mindfulness, yoga can leave you feeling energized, productive, focused, and refreshed. This translates into you being less stressed and producing better work.[2]
Even if you can’t make it to the studio, there’s still a way to practice
You shouldn’t have to sacrifice your health because you’re busy. The Pocket Yoga app makes it easy for you to make time for your practice. Using Pocket Yoga is like having a yoga instructor available at your fingertips.
Pocket Yoga supports your practice no matter where you are
Even if you don’t have an hour and a half to carve out for practicing in the middle of your day, there’s a good chance that you can spare shorter increments of time. Since Pocket Yoga eliminates the need to commute, you can focus solely on working out in the time that you have. One of the main reasons that people don’t commit to an independent yoga practice is that they don’t have enough knowledge to set themselves up in the poses safely. Pocket Yoga provides logical sequences, and it walks you through each asana so you’re never confused about what you should be doing.
Pick a Practice
There are three main practices on Pocket Yoga. The first, Ocean, is a brisk practice meant to build strength, get your blood flowing, and open up the body through holding-postures and vinyasas. The second practice, Desert, focuses on detoxifying the body and increasing flexibility. This is a restorative practice that’s perfect for unwinding after a long day. The Mountain practice focuses more on strengthening and long holds. In addition to the three sequence-types developed by Pocket Yoga, you can also focus solely on Sun Salutation A and Sun Salutation B. Sun A and Sun B make excellent warm ups, but they can also stand alone as a way to wake up your body. You can increase the intensity of the experience of Sun A and Sun B by increasing the repetitions and pace. When you click on a practice, you’ll be able to see a brief description, a quote related to what you’re about to do, and a series of options. At the bottom of the details page, you can adjust your practice using a series of drop-down menu options.
Choose your level
Unlike many online yoga offerings that cater only to beginners, Pocket Yoga lets you challenge yourself. You can choose to do beginner, intermediate, and expert postures and sequences. Changing your level adjusts the pace, and it can also impact the types of postures that Pocket Yoga asks you to do. For example, one of the peak poses in the expert level of the Mountain practice is Full Wheel, an intense back-bend. In the beginner level, the back-bend option for students is Bridge, which is a less-intense posture that can eventually support going into Full Wheel.
Select your practice based on the environment
Where you’ll be practicing can also influence what you will be able to do. Pocket Yoga allows you to adapt your practice by designating whether you are practicing at home, in a studio, or at the office.
Preview your practice
If you’re the kind of yoga practitioner who likes to know exactly what you’re going to be doing ahead of time, you can see the sequence that Pocket Yoga has prepared for you. Click on the icon that looks like an eye in the top-right hand corner of the screen. This will reveal the sequence to you.
After you’re satisfied with the practice that you’ve selected, roll out your mat, and click “Start Practice” at the bottom of the sequence’s details page to begin. A smoothing female voice will guide you through your practice. The figure on the screen changes to reflect your Pocket Yoga teacher’s instructions.
Pocket Yoga’s other handy features
Look up specific poses you want to practice
Fear of the unknown and frustration are huge barriers to learning. In yoga, these mental blockages prevent students from reaching their fullest potential. Sometimes, being able to see the right information can help students break down these barriers. In the top, right-hand corner of the opening screen, you can click on “Poses” to reveal all the postures available in the app. The images associated with each posture show you what they look like in their fullest expression.
Clicking on an image can give you more detailed information about each posture, including its Sanskrit name, what areas of the body it targets, its difficulty level, and how to execute it. You can also choose to look up the postures by name.
Don’t let time be a barrier to your practice
Feeling rushed because you are trying to jam a formal yoga class into a busy day negates the whole point of committing to practice. Save the formal yoga classes for times when you can be fully present without worrying about being late for work or neglecting an obligation. During busy times, call on Pocket Yoga so that you can practice consistently and adapt the practice to fit your needs. Pocket Yoga was developed by a reputable team of yoga instructors, which means that if you follow the instructions and listen to your body, you should be able to have a safe workout that challenges you. With Pocket Yoga, you can practice anytime and anywhere. Pocket Yoga is available for iOS and Android devices for the one-time cost of $2.99. For less than the price of a fancy cup of coffee, you’ll have a series of yoga classes that you can take at anytime.
Try Pocket Yoga to enjoy a more consistent practice–no matter how busy you are.
