WELLNESS

GUEST CONTRIBUTOR CRYSTAL PICARD SHARES HER EXPERIENCE WITH CANADIAN BASED YYOGA ONLINE SUBSCRIPTION + DISCOUNT CODE

Graphic designer sitting with a cup of tea in front of art supplies

Before the holidays I was chatting with Crystal on twitter, and she mentioned she wanted to try an at-home yoga subscription, as she’s a busy entrepreneur and sometimes can’t find a studio class that works with her erratic schedule. Cue YYOGA! For the last month or so Crystal has been using the Canadian based YYOGA subscription, and below are her thoughts on her experience (+ discount code). Oh and before I forget, not only did she write this blog post for you, but she also created some beautiful custom art work (see below) to go along with it too! Yay thanks girl.

so without further adieu…

ABOUT CRYSTAL

Graphic designer sitting with a cup of tea in front of art supplies Crystal Picard is a Freelance Graphic Designer & Content Strategist, and the illustrator behind Hello Sweetie Paper & Co. (www.hellosweetie.ca) After freelancing for 3 years and seeing the ill effects of not taking care of your body, Crystal is an advocate for body positivity through movement and mindfulness. She writes on topics including Yoga, Eating Disorders, Entrepreneurship and Digital Marketing. Want to be friends online? Find her on Instagram @hellosweetiedesign or twitter at @CrystalPicard


I TRIED YYOGA ONLINE YOGA SUBSCRIPTION FOR A MONTH

It’s a whole new year and that means days slowly getting longer, new year’s resolutions and—unfortunately—jam packed yoga studios all over the city.

As a full time freelancer and lettering illustrator for Hello Sweetie Design (hellosweetie.ca), I take my yoga very seriously. The new year brings the challenge of trying to navigate my days around the less-packed class times, which is not 100% ideal.

So if you’re thinking of starting a yoga practice but want to skip the hot room packed mat-to-mat (I don’t blame you), check out YYoga at Home to start your practice.

Hey, I’m a beginner. I can’t do this alone.


Before you get started in any practice, it’s important to know that your yoga practice doesn’t have to look like anyone else—be that the teacher on a computer screen or the classmates surrounding you in a studio class.

My favorite instructor at my local studio (Andrew of Shanti Yoga) always reminds us that when you are on the mat, your only teacher is your body. The person giving you instructions is just there to provide a helpful guide.

The online Yoga Classes we’re talking about today are with YYoga At Home, and how I’ve worked them into my regular practice.

Why use YYOGA at home.


YYOGA was founded in 2007 by Vancouver entrepreneur, Terry McBride, who had experienced the benefits of yoga and fallen in love with the practice.

Initially growing through partnerships with other yoga studios in Vancouver, YYOGA’s community has grown to 12 current locations within B.C. and Ontario.

They now have an online option to further their mission to make Yoga more accessible to everyone.

YYoga Eliminates the excuses: An online yoga practice takes out a lot of potential excuses you might have had keeping you from starting. There are a lot of excuses our mind will put forward as a reason we’re not doing more for our health, and having online classes available 24/7 makes creating a routine all that much easier.

So. Many. Teachers.


Having access to 21 different teachers in one place, and being able to sort through videos per teacher is pretty much the best part of this platform.

In yoga, you can’t help but connect with one teacher or another just based on how they structure their class and how much or little they chat along the way. I loved being able to try so many different styles.

Different forms of Yoga


This platform has every style of yoga covered, including one for my ultimate fave: Hot Yoga Sequences. They even have a little pilates or barre if that’s what you’re in the mood for.

No matter what movement you’re craving, this platform has a range available for everyone and seems to be adding more regularly.

Available when you are


For me, Yoga has become a way for me to open and close my working day. I’ve spent a lot of time learning about habit cues and have specifically added a yoga session at the beginning of my work day and at the end of it to signal my body when it’s time to focus and when it’s time to shut down for the night.

For this reason, having access to classes at any time of the day has been supremely useful.

How-to guide videos


It’s been a boost to my practice to have access to the tutorial section of YYoga at Home. They have a whole section of videos just for beginners, and another section of ‘How To’ videos so you can start your practice with a solid foundation if you’re self directing via online videos from the very start.

Playlists for every practice level


When you’re in an all-levels studio class, you get the opportunity to see what kind of moves you’ll be aiming to achieve someday. Some of these are downright intimidating to try out with a room full of highly skilled Yogis!

With the separation of classes from Beginner to Advance, I’ve been able to test out advanced moves in the privacy of my home before taking it into the studio during a flow.

Easy to navigate


The way they’ve set up the platform makes finding a class for you easy. They break it down between teachers, skill levels, times and types. As a designer, I can’t help but love how easy it is to use this platform to squeeze extra movement into my days.

at home yoga

Thanks so much Crystal for joining us today! It’s been a pleasure. You can find Crystal on Instagram at @hellosweetiedesign or twitter at @CrystalPicard.

Special thanks to YYOGA for allowing us to try your subscription we love to support Canadian businesses! What we love about the YYOGA online options is that you can practice anywhere, anytime, and you can build up some really great yoga skills on your own should you be too intimidated to join an actual class. It’s a great stepping stone to get started as well as maintain a more advanced practice.


TRY YYOGA FOR YOURSELF BY USING OUR EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT CODE (save 50% off a 3 month membership)

DISCOUNT CODE: KAYLA

(discount code only valid until the end of the month)


 

Thanks for reading and happy new year!

xx

Kayla

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