My humble guide for you to avoid losing hours, days, months and the will to practice by yourself
A friend for tools and advice to start practising yoga at home. The thought of her typing "yoga videos" honestly scared me. My first instinct was to prevent her from losing time and eventually even the will to start a healthy habit.
I have my own morning routine, including my Physical Poetry technique body preparation, but some days I just need to be told what to do, and a guided yoga practise is the perfect tool for me to do so.
Here is my humble guide for you to avoid losing hours, days, months and the wish to practise at all while surfing the vast pool of offers.
My favourite platforms are Gaia and Alomoves. Think of them as the Netflix of Yoga.
It offers a wide variety of practices, and their search engine is divided into the following categories:
Style: Beginners, Hatha, Ashtanga, Fusion...
Teacher: I include my favourite teachers later in this post
Level: from Beginner-1 to Advanced-3
Duration: 15 to 90 minutes
Focus: Backbends, Hip openers, Lower back, Balance, Digestion, Core...
There are so many other sites, but nothing I found comes close to competing with the Gaia or Alomoves quality at the moment.
*A small disclaimer: I pay for my membership; I am not affiliated with them in any way.
Here are a few of my personal favourite teachers or some I would recommend:
On Gaia:
Kreg Weiss is also a kinesiologist and has the most functional classes I know.
Nico Luce does it uniquely, which makes very repetitive yoga classes more interesting to me.
Kevan Gale or Clara Roberts-Oss for the hypermobile ones.
Rodney Yee for those who want to go with the mainstream legend and get familiar with the basics.
On Alomoves:
Dylan Werner for strength and power—not too much talking. He has a deep knowledge of anatomy.
Josh Kramer is very athletic, and his classes are ideal for those with a higher level of fitness, looking for best ROI for strength building.
Briohny Smyth is a very overall yoga teacher, the way most of us intend.
You can start by picking beginners' classes which are very well-instructed and safe. There are also series to pick from if you don't feel like exploring.
Both platforms offer free trials.
Audio Yoga
Alternatively, I like the podcast 20 Minute Yoga sessions for a screen-free experience. They also offer video classes if you prefer. You can download the PDF of the poses to go with the audio you choose and have a look at them before your session, or refer to it as needed. Eventually, you will get used to the sequence and won't need this visual anymore.
I prefer their older classes without video, from the years 2007-2008-2009. They are still available on their iTunes channel. It's easy to follow if you are with the basics of yoga vocabulary.
Here is one I like: Hip opening flow 1
A few tricks to make your home practice successful:
Consistency: Make it a habit in your daily routine; keep it short at first.
Prepare your gear in advance: mat, water, clothes.
Choose your guided class the day before, so you are ready to start when it's time.
Practice in front of a mirror for the right form. It's much more motivating to see your improvements.
I also advise attending a group yoga class once in a while, so a teacher can correct possible errors you may have developed independently. If you prefer, you can have a private session at home.
Why Self-Practice
Apart from helping you to develop discipline in your days, it's a big time saver. Between packing your stuff, commuting, checking-in at the studio, spending time in the locker room to change, being there early to pick your spot at the mirror, showering, dressing, then commuting again, you may have to block 3 hours of your day for a 60-minute practice.
Motivation
A group class provides you with the right motivation to go through the whole class once you are there and started and perhaps encourages you to push yourself a bit more due to peer pressure.
A home practice does not have this peer pressure factor; however, it's easier just to get started on a dime instead of thinking it over and having to schedule it. You can make it a habit to start the day with 20 minutes' practice every single morning.
Self-Awareness
Many people are not comfortable wearing revealing clothes and having to bend ridiculously in front of others. I tend to listen more to my body if I am not surrounded by people. It's also possible to test new kinds of practice, new movements without ever thinking about the way you look. Although yoga should be a practice of non-judgment, I can assure you, for most mortals, it isn't free of it. I am well aware of people looking at me instead of themselves in the mirror. It doesn't bother me, but I can understand it does for you if you are not comfortable in the first place. Home practice offers you a carefree option, and you do not have to wear Lululemon :)
If you are looking for the meditative part of yoga and are more into the mindfulness practice than the physical part of yoga, you can find a few tools here: Meditation: Happier, Wiser, Younger and Thinner?