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Love Yoga with Adriene? Her Streaming Service "Find What Feels Good" is a Level Up
I’m just going to put this out there: I didn’t like yoga until I found Yoga with Adriene.
It’s embarrassing to admit, but it’s true. An uber-popular YouTube channel hosted by a telegenic Texan was the thing that brought me to inner peace and a sense of serenity. For years, I have been chasing the charms of yoga. In theory, it was something I wanted to do regularly, and do well. I bought DVDs and mats, spent a year starting my day with sun salutations, and wistfully stared into the classrooms full of serene, happy people, easily contorting their bodies in unison. Did I ever take a class? No, I’m awkward and have goofily long legs and get stressed out when I can’t bend as well as my peers. I have chased yoga as a past-time and never really enjoyed doing it, until I found Yoga with Adriene.
Yoga with Adriene is arguably the most popular yoga channel on YouTube and I found it the old-fashioned way: by googling “free yoga videos” and clicking on the first entry that popped up. Was I skeptical about a YouTube vlogger’s credentials? Of course. Did I enjoy the first video I did? To my embarrassment, I liked it a lot. Have I kept turning to Yoga with Adriene on a regular basis to help me tackle stress, aches, and rainy days? Absolutely. I am now one of the corny weirdoes obsessed with Yoga with Adriene and I no longer cares who knows it.
Yoga with Adriene is a webseries featuring free yoga practices hosted by Austin native Adriene Mishler. Since 2012, Mishler has been uploading instructional yoga videos to YouTube with the purpose of encouraging viewers to “find what feels good.” There’s something for everyone: a flurry of beginner yoga videos, yoga for weight loss, 30-day practices, and even a video that’s entitled “Yoga For Gardeners.” This “something for everyone” mixed bag obviously helps Mishler corner the SEO game, but it also blesses her channel with a hyper-inclusive vibe. Because there’s something for everyone, there is undoubtedly a video in her library that will hit your precise mood. You do feel welcome.
Also making you feel welcome? Adriene herself. I’m the first to admit that I’ve become jaded over the years, and skeptical of the sincerity of uber-famous vloggers, fitness experts, and influencers. However, within minutes of watching one of Adriene’s videos, you immediately understand that she’s become such a sensation precisely because she manages to cut through the bullshit of the online ecosystem. She has an all-too-rare ease on camera that makes you feel like she’s really talking directly to you. Additionally, her instruction style is encouraging, inspiring, and self-deprecating. She makes fun of herself and intuits when you might need an extra joke, sigh, or boost in your practices. (No, it’s actually scary how she manages to predict what I’m feeling mid-pose in my living room.)
While other teachers might make you feel like you have to feel a burn immediately, Adriene’s whole vibe is the opposite. In fact, she often rails against it in her teachings and numerous blog posts. Yes, I’ve started reading her blog, and subscribing to her weekly emails, and I’ve contemplated buying a “Find What Feels Good” tank. I know, I’ve drunk the proverbial Kool-Aid, but Yoga with Adriene is fun. She encourages you to wiggle your fingers when other teachers would stress perfecting your form. She takes a break from poses to pet her adorable dog, Benji. There are jokes! It’s never torturous or aspirational; Yoga with Adriene is simply “a come as you are” practice that encourages you to keep at it…on your own terms.
Because it’s all on YouTube, that means I can fit it into my routine as I see fit. I don’t have to squeeze myself into someone else’s class schedule. Yes, that means I’m doing yoga alone in my living room, but the irony of YouTube is I’m not alone. There is a whole community of folks practicing with Yoga with Adriene, and the channel has become my go-to workout recommendation to friends. Unlike that hip class on the UWS, Yoga with Adriene actually can be shared with everyone.
Thanks to Adriene Mishler, for the first time in my life, I’m not doing yoga and considering how weak or stiff or imperfect I am. I’m doing yoga and focusing on my breath, mood, and body. Which means I’m actually doing yoga, and I’m loving it.
