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Yoga is a practice that blends mental and physical strength with mindfulness and spiritual practice. There are a multitude of benefits of regular yoga practice, including improved flexibility, stress management, increased muscle tone and strength, and mental clarity among others. While everyone benefits from yoga, college students are facing extreme stress and pressure and arguably need it the most.
Despite the many benefits of yoga, it can seem intimidating to many people—their mind often jumping to visions of crazy headstands and intense flexibility. While there certainly is a practice for this (think advanced power yoga), there are so many varieties and styles of yoga to choose from, such as a classical vinyasa to a slow hatha flow. No matter what your skill level or experience, there is certainly a yoga flow that is right for you.
Now that you might be ready to try yoga, where should you begin? With busy class schedules, jobs and internships you may not have time to leave campus to make it to a yoga studio for an in-person class, which can often be very expensive and intimidating. Luckily, there are plenty of free online platforms where you can try a variety of yoga practices, and I’ll even share some of my personal favorite locations on campus to practice.
YouTube:
YouTube is a fantastic resource for yoga, but with so many videos and creators it can be overwhelming to know where to start. Here are some of the best rated channels, as well as my personal favorites.
This yoga channel has over 11 million subscribers, and for good reason. With playlists and videos based on length, mood, emotion, and all kinds of different plans you can follow along with, Adrienne makes it easy to jump right into your practice with whatever you need that day.
Alo Yoga is a leading yoga and workout wear brand, so it’s no surprise that they offer some great longer flow options on their YouTube channel. I will note that their yoga routines tend to be a bit more challenging, but the great thing about yoga is you can always modify it to fit your needs! I love to bring my yoga mat and go to the Village Fitness Center’s Yoga & Group Exercise Studio to do these flows.
Yoga with Bird is a great channel with plenty of shorter yoga videos to fit into your busy schedule! I personally love her 30 day challenges as they are short and a great way to hold yourself accountable.
Free On Campus
If you want a bit more of a traditional class experience you don’t even have to leave campus! Yoga USC offers classes throughout the week both virtually and at the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life. The schedule can be found on their Instagram @yogausc
CorePower Yoga is located in the USC village and offers a free week if you want to try out classical vinyasa in a heated room or yoga sculpt, which incorporates weights and cardio for a strength building workout! This is a great way to dip your toes into the world of yoga studios without the commitment to a membership.
APPS
The Down Dog Yoga App allows you to customize your yoga practice based on style, pace, time, and area of focus. University students get a free subscription when they sign up with an .edu email address! I love using this app at the Lyon Center Robinson Group Fitness Room (they even have yoga mats to use if you don’t have your own)!
