Online Yoga for Beginners

When you want to learn yoga but are on a tight budget, it can get tricky. Learning yoga online can help you get started. You may also want to try learning yoga online if you want to increase your confidence before enrolling in an offline class. Whatever the reason, here are 5 great sites to get you started in your study and practice of yoga.

1. Yoga Video Podcast: Beginners

http://videocast.com/show/32579/

A great place to start is the videocast.com site which showcases a Discovery Health and Home Yoga beginner series. Each of the six episodes is 2-3 minutes in length. Focusing on a different basic yoga pose in each episode and prior to the model presenting a pose, the name, benefits and cautions, such as those for people with high blood pressure or back injuries are detailed. The six poses introduced in the series are: Tadasana (Mountain Pose), Adhomukha Svanasana (Downward Dog), Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle Pose), Vrkasana (Tree Pose), Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend) and Savasana (Corpse Pose).

2. Yoga Download

http://www.yogadownload.com/

There are currently 10 beginner yoga audio podcasts. With the free membership plan, you can download two 20-minute podcasts for beginners at no charge. For the other podcasts, you will pay from $2.95 for a 20-minute podcast to $5.95 for a 60-minute podcast. Instructor assumes you know the poses so you may wish to listen only the first time to identify the poses used. You can then consult the online pose guide prior to trying out the routine yourself. The free beginner yoga podcasts are conducted with relaxing tones and the instructor's voice is clear and soothing. Premium limited membership ($9.95/mo.) allows 6 free downloads a month while Elite membership allows unlimited downloads (monthly at $19.95 or yearly at $89.95).

3. My Yoga Online

http://www.myyogaonline.com/

With over 30 videos targeted at beginners, this paid subscription site may well be worth it. Once you become a member, you have unlimited access to all the videos on the site. Membership fees are $9.99 per month or $89.95 a year. Plus there is a ton of information about yoga in general, the poses, meditation and even healthy recipes.

4. Yoga Today

http://www.yogatoday.com/get-started-today

This site has a nice collection of first time beginner videos. Unfortunately, the videos are not offered for free. With the free membership, you gain access to one weekly streamed video chosen by the site and you may download 1-hour classes for $3.99 each. With the unlimited membership ($9.99/mo.), you have unlimited streaming access to all of the streaming video podcasts. If you want to download a video, it will cost you $2.99 (a $1 discount).

5. Yoga with Les

http://yogawithles.com/

Les has free 3-5 min weekly video podcast available through i-tunes. Although not every podcast targets beginning students, they are generally designed for all levels. You can also preview some of his videos for free on his website.

With no or little financial investment, you can get started learning yoga online today. Although these sites can not replace a teacher, they can help you until you have the cash or the courage to sign up for a class. Once you have signed up for a class, they can continue to motivate you and serve as a reference.

Once you have familiarized yourself with yoga, you might want to check out my article Best Beginner Yoga Podcasts by clicking here.