Surprise! Working out from home for the last year has turned out to be easier than we thought it would. That’s thanks to all of the equipment free training advice and online inspiration we’ve had flooding in, and the fact that we’ve used the opportunity to mix up our workouts with running and HIIT circuits.

But there is one type of movement that is not so easy to replicate at home: yoga. Unlike strength training, in which we can put exercises in any order to structure a workout that suits us, yoga is an ancient practice with specifically designed postures, flows and breathwork. It’s slightly more complicated to make up as you go along.

Nevertheless, you shouldn’t give up on it now. Our backs are more stiff than ever from our working from home desk setups, our stress levels are skyrocketing due to the uncertainty of our times and the aforementioned running habit we’ve developed has made our joints sore.

Plus, a new study has explored how yoga alleviates stress and produced some interesting findings. It found that yoga reduces our stress perception and stress reactivity by increasing our self-compassion, mindfulness and self-control. 

That’s where yoga videos and apps come in. These realtime tutorials will lead you through effective routines to fill that studio-shaped hole in your lives for a few more months. 

Shona Vertue’s YouTube channel includes shoulder and hip releases as well as sport-specific sequences. If there is anything better than the amazing stretch this gives you, Shona also explains why and how the postures are helping you and how to do them correctly, so you end the video feeling refreshed rather than sore. Her yoga offerings include mobility, to activate the muscles as well as stretch them, and are perfect for re-setting aftrer a day at the desk. 

There is a yoga video for everything on Cat Meffan’s channel, from period pain relief to goddess flows to work break stretches. Our favourites are her intense Power Yoga videos, which will get you strong, sweaty and stretchy in one go. 

Every at-home-yogi knows about Yoga with Adrienne. She has over 7 million subscribers for many reasons: that voice! That energy! That dog! But, really, it’s probably because of her 30-day yoga challenges, which are the perfect place to start if you want to nail your yoga before classes re-open. 

You’ll find the best yoga teachers in the country, from Lottie Murphy to Richie Norton, on FIIT. Classes are tailored to you depending on your goals, experience and the amount of time you have, with flows lastinging from 10 to 40 minutes. 

Price: from £10 a month. 

Find out more at fiit.tv

If you prefer one-on-one session, Yogi2Me is the equivalent of a private session. Classes include beginners yoga, relaxing yin and even handstand tutorials. It comes with a price tag, but it’s no more than you’d pay for a fancy studio class back in the real world. 

Price: from £15 

Find out more at yogi2me.com

There are over 1,500 classes to choose from, including mindful practices and muscle burning styles, on YogaDownload. You can easily filter by intensity, time, teacher and focus to find a perfectly-matched class. 

Price: from £8.10

Find out more at yogadownload.com

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Images: Getty / Apps own