You'll have heard of yoga - the calming, grounding practice loved by the likes of Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow that incorporates meditation, breathwork training, and movement to boost both your body and mind.
While there are hundreds of different yoga poses, the benefits of yoga are myriad: research has found it to be great for flexibility, strengthening your core, and improving insomnia and sleep apnea (read our guide to yoga for sleep, here).
That said, unless you live and breathe yoga, it can feel hard to stay on track with your yoga practice sometimes. That's where our guide to the best yoga apps comes in.
So, why a yoga app? Yoga teacher and founder of Peachy with Zoe Zoe Warren rates yoga apps and especially recommends them for anyone struggling to find time for IRL sessions. “Very few of us have hours of time for home practices or can make it to a class every day,” she shares.
The beauty of using a phone app is that you can practise anywhere and at any time, says meditation and yoga teacher Aysha Bell. With such a range of options available, and from such a variety of teachers, you'll really be able to drill down into what kind of yoga works best for you.
Remember that each app will have a specific strong point, as we've highlighted below and as Eloise Skinner, yoga, breathwork, and meditation instructor, explains. She uses a range of different apps - for example, Mind for breathwork and Gaia for yoga flows.
Her favourites, and those of Warren and Bell, are listed below. Ready to get going? Keep scrolling for their top picks to download now. Don't miss our guides to the best yoga mats, menopause yoga, and the best yoga classes in London, while you're here.
What’s the best way to use a yoga app?
There isn't such thing as a "best" way, per se - finding a way that's sustainable to your lifestyle and that you genuinely enjoy is best for you.
Bell's advice, on that front? “Set yourself a routine,” urges Bell. Even short scheduled movement breaks in the morning or evening can be beneficial, she stresses
Warren agrees. “With our phones often glued to our sides it is so helpful to be able to squeeze in a twenty-minute wake-up flow before breakfast, a five-minute meditation while the bath runs, or perhaps a ten-minute wind-down stretch after a busy day," she shares.
Do remember, though - what works for you won't work for your best mate. You might only have time to squeeze one session in a week. Every little helps.
Are there any downsides to using a yoga app?
No - movement is always good for body and mind.
That said, technology has revolutionised the way we work out at home, so it's worth being mindful of the fact you're not actually in the room with a qualified professional,
“There is nothing quite like having a real life adjustment - I would say this is the only drawback [to using a yoga app],” says Bell.
Her advice on how to deal with this? "Always stay in tune with your breath," she shares. "Use downward dog to come back to a nice balanced expansive breath and find stillness in between postures.”
Don't feel like you can afford to download an app right now as a result of the cost of living crisis? There are hundreds of totally free yoga flows available on YouTube.
Best yoga apps: 10 recommended by yoga teachers
Best yoga app for beginners
1. Gaia
About the yoga app: Gaia hosts a huge online resource of meditation, alternative healing, and personal transformation content, including yoga classes. There’s a good offering on the app for beginners, thanks to the selection of sessions suited those that are new to the practice, says Skinner. It’s also great for experienced yogis too though, with classes including Vinyasa, Hatha, Ashtanga, breathwork and meditation.
Cost: Free seven-day trial, then subscription of £8.99/month. Available on both Apple and Android devices.
Best prenatal yoga app
2. Down Dog
About the yoga app: “Great yoga anywhere” is the tagline of this popular app, which is loaded with options for all ages and abilities, including prenatal yoga. Skinner likes how the app offers a really personalised experience by taking users through some basic questions about their yoga background and preferences, prior to downloading.
Cost: Free but some content is locked. For full access, a subscription is £9.99/month. Available on both Apple and Android devices.
Best Yoga with Adriene app
3. Yoga with Adriene (Find What Feels Good)
About the yoga app: Yoga with Adriene hardly needs an introduction - Adriene's channel has become an absolute phenomenon and her Youtube channel now has a whopping 11.4 million subscribers. Well, fans of Adriene and the YouTube offering have another area to tap up for bonus content. The Find What Feels Good app - another favourite of Skinner’s - provides users with exclusive content you won’t find on YouTube, plus guest teachers and topics that reach beyond a physical yoga practice (such as meditation and lifestyle topics).
Cost: Free seven day trial, then subscription of £9.99/month. Available on both Apple and Android devices.
Best quick yoga app
4. 5 Minute Yoga
About the yoga app: "A perfect option for anyone who feels like they don't have time for yoga,” enthuses Skinner. “Each five-minute sequence is carefully designed to give you a balanced - but brief - experience of the practice.”
The app even includes a timer, so you’ll be sure to stick to those precious five minutes.
Cost: £2.99-£16.99 depending on selection. Available on both Apple and Android devices.
Best fun yoga app
5. Frame
About the yoga app: From London studio Move Your Frame comes Frame, the yoga app which hosts more than 200 on-demand and live-stream classes (plus lets you book into in-studio classes if you're in the area). Skinner loves their fun and energetic vibe and says it's a go-to for yoga classes with a more lighthearted, playful practice.
Cost: App is free but on-demand workouts cost from £6/month. Available on both Apple and Android devices.
Best simple yoga app
6. Pocket Yoga
About the yoga app: A popular yoga for beginners choice, Pocket Yoga is a well-known and loved app thanks to the ease and openness of its flows. Both Skinner and Bell rate it, with Skinner adding that “instructions are clear and straightforward, plus you can select your difficulty level to tailor your experience even further."
Cost: £2.99 one-time cost. Available on both Apple and Android devices.
Best meditation yoga app
7. Insight Timer
About the yoga app: AWhile this isn't strictly a yoga app in that it'll offer vinyasa and Hatha flows, it is great if you're looking to improve your meditation, mindfulness, or breathwork skills. Skinner likes Insight Timer, thanks to its huge variety of meditation practices, with highly experienced teachers. She recommends it as an app for yoga students who are looking to supplement their practices: “Try adding on to the end of a yoga session, or even start your practice with a brief meditation.”
Cost: There are 130,00 free guided meditations and the app is free. For Member Plus subscriptions, there is a seven-day free trial followed by $59.99/year Available on both Apple and Android devices.
Best meditation app for beginners
8. Headspace
About the yoga app: Possibly the best-known meditation app out there, but did you know that it’s also very yoga friendly, too? Skinner has this handy tip: “One type of meditation that yoga students might be particularly interested in is Shavasana - traditionally the closing meditation to a dynamic yoga practice."
"Headspace has a dedicated article to the practice which takes you to their recommended accompanying meditations," she explains, and advises you check out. Warren is also a fan of the app, calling it “a simple but highly effective meditation app for beginners and beyond.”
Cost: Free seven-day trial, then a subscription of £9.99/month or opt for a free 14-day trial and then a subscription of £4.17/month. Available on both Apple and Android devices.
Best yoga and pilates app
9. Alo Moves
About the yoga app: For those who also love pilates and barre, this app is a great option as it offers those practices, too, while maintaining a strong yoga offering. Skinner is a fan of the easy-to-use filtering system, which allows you to swiftly maneuver through a huge variety of styles, instructors, and class lengths to find the perfect match.
Cost: Free 14- day trial, then subscription of $20/month. Available on both Apple and Android devices.
Best free yoga app
10. Happy Place: Fearne Cotton
About the yoga app: Warren advises checking out Fearne Cotton’s new app, complete with yoga meditation, breathwork, and more from her top pick of experts.
Cost: Free. Available on the Apple store and via Spotify.
What is the best yoga app available?
Good question - as the three yogis have pointed out, all ten apps recommended in this article are great for different reasons.
Work out what kind of yoga you're keen to incorporate into your day-to-day, pick the one above that's most suitable, and - downward dog.
Which yoga app is best for beginners?
According to both Skinner and Warren, Gaia, Pocket Sport and Headspace are all a great start if you've never tried yoga before.
Remember to be patient - that's one of the core tenets of yoga. It'll come with practice and time.
