I’ve been doing yoga for about a year and a half now, and in order to keep up with the various hassles of life and maintain a consistent regimen, I recognized the need to apply versatility and portability to my workouts. When I bought an iPhone because apps are the way to go when you want your life more mobile.
Admittedly, All-In Yoga was the first yoga app I tried, so there could be better ones, but I am so satisfied that I have no reason to keep looking. But it’s also the yoga application for www.yoga.com: so it’s very professional. Why fix something that is most certainly not broken?
I first downloaded the free version (as I presume any intelligent consumer would do) and gave it a shot for about three months. It has a thorough database of poses, complete with really clear video/written explanations of how to do them: a brilliant and well-executed feature!
It categorizes and sub-categorizes the poses based on body part or other variables, allowing the user to create a wholesome, well-rounded workout.
All-In Yoga does give you the option to create your own programs, which I thought was great, until I realized that the paid version comes with ready-made workouts supposedly designed by professional yogis. This feature is perfect for me for two reasons: 1. Experiencing the professionally designed workouts has helped me understand how to develop a proper yoga workout myself. And 2. When I want to change something up and don’t have the time, I can use a ready-made workout.
The application, however, does require a subscription. That is, if you want the paid version, you have to pay $.99 for the app itself and then if you really want to maximize the benefits, you need to buy a subscription (monthly, 6-monthly, or yearly) which are fairly reasonably priced, but all the same, I don’t like adding yet another bill to an already-too-long list.
There are, of course, a variety of other “exciting features” that you can tap into with the premium version, but you can read them all at the app store here or here.
If you’re serious about yoga, this author’s recommendation is to buy the app, get a six-month subscription, and use that time to learn how to build your own, slick workouts and get expert advice. Once you’ve soaked up all you can, stick to the free version and continue your workouts on your own or with friends.
