If you’ve ever considered starting yoga but have felt too intimidated to go to a studio, self-quarantine provides a perfect window of opportunity to start your at-home yoga routine. Now more than ever, we can all benefit in this stressful, socially distanced time, from Yoga With Adriene’s YouTube videos.
With 6.6 million subscribers, Yoga With Adriene has become something of a movement. Her channel was recognized by Google as the most searched workout of 2015. In 2016, she won a Streamy Award for Health and Wellness and she was recognized by the Wall Street Journal. In January 2020, Yoga With Adrienne was featured on TODAY to help motivate the nation to stick with their New Years’ resolutions.
“Find what feels good,” is her slogan and mantra, and that’s precisely what she encourages people to do in her practice. Adriene Mishler incorporates a holistic and authentic message into each of her videos. Even for seemingly superficial yoga practices, such as “Yoga for your Core and Booty,” Mishler reminds her viewers: “Appreciate your body. Remember, we can focus on our core and booty, but we need to remember why we’re doing it … What are all the ways in which a healthy core supports me that are not toxic, that make me feel good?”
You might start watching one of Mishler’s videos to get a more cosmetic workout, but you’ll stay for her positive messaging and her connection to yoga’s purpose — to connect the mind, body and soul.
Scrolling through the comments on some of Yoga With Adrienne’s more popular YouTube videos, you’ll find dozens upon dozens of testimonials about how this 35-year-old yogi has changed people’s lives. “Adriene was part of the many people I sought out online to help me with crushing depression. She is a constant feature in my home and while we have never met I consider her my friend, and teacher,” one comment reads, or “As a college student who struggles with self-loathing and anxiety, I find that Adriene’s videos have really helped me learn to take care of myself and find calm.”
While Mishler has instructed in-person yoga classes across the globe to audiences of thousands, she can more frequently be found in her cozy at-home filming setting in Austin, Texas.
“The best part of doing yoga at home, is you can do it in your pajamas!” Mishler said on TODAY. Her dog, Benji, whom she lovingly calls her “assistant,” often makes cameos in her videos.
Perhaps the intimacy of her videos makes the connection she has with her followers so strong. Though she’s an experienced and highly trustworthy coach, she never comes off intimidating or stern. She’s human and doesn’t take herself too seriously. Mishler’s practice is inclusive, spiritual and a little silly, just like yoga should be. Her calm voice, soothing presence, and lighthearted sense of humor — she often chimes in with a “Heyo!” after she makes an innuendo — make her feel more like a close friend than a yoga instructor.
And if you follow her videos at home, mirroring her intimate setup, it feels like it’s just the two of you hanging out with little to no pressure. In fact, Mishler encourages her viewers to tailor the practice for their needs — physical and emotional. She starts almost all of her videos with a holistic check-in, making sure her viewers are aware of where they’re at mentally and physically. And if you’re looking to soothe something in particular, there’s an almost guarantee that you will find exactly what you’re looking for somewhere in Yoga With Adriene’s 552 published videos.
Yoga With Adriene contains a multitude of specialized classes that you might not always find at a local yoga studio. Mishler’s videos range from “Yoga for Vulnerability,” “Yoga for Weight Loss,” “Yoga for Mothers” or “Yoga for Stress Relief.” For the current reality, her “Yoga for Uncertain Times” playlist might be what we all need.
Yoga With Adriene tailors her classes for all experience levels. Her “Yoga for Beginners – The Basics” is a great place to start, as she breaks down many important poses and concepts, like alignment and connecting to the breath. Her channel has ventured into meditation practices as well, focusing on the pranayama aspect of yoga, with videos like “Meditation for Anxiety” or “Meditation for Inner Peace.”
So, as we all stay home amidst a time of chaos and uncertainty, Yoga With Adriene may be able to provide the grounded, lighthearted and wholesome guidance we all need.
