Yoga for the Quarantined: Down Dog App

Ah yes, if you're here in Sunny SoCal, you've hopefully (or unfortunately depending on your perspective) sheltered at home. As an introvert, I'm ecstatic. As a yogi, I also am ecstatic because I didn't have the luxury of attending in-studio classes before quarantining. 

Indeed, this shelter-at-home has placed limitations across every facet of our lives. Dropping things off at my parents' house has left me apprehensive. My grandmother asked me to go buy bread for her and a large part of me didn't want to leave the house. 

Before #quarantinelife, I struggled (and still struggle) with exercising routinely. For two weeks, I may exercise four to five times, and the next, z-e-r-o. I strongly dislike this habit of mine and seek to actively change it. 

No time like the present to foster new habits! Indeed, weak willpower and quarantine conditions will result in sedentary behavior. Snacking from boredom and binge watching TV will wreak havoc on your physical and mental health. 

This I try to tell myself as I fight to not settle down on the couch. At least not yet. For a week, I was munching on all sorts of snacks and not so great ones! 

For our temporary lifestyle in our one-bedroom apartment,  I've decided to do some kind of movement every day. Whether it's 15 minutes or 40 minutes, ideally 30 minutes, yoga or HIIT has been my go-to. If it's nice weather, I'll do a HIIT workout on the backyard patio. 

But most of the time, I'll do yoga in my entry hallway. No carpets, no dirty tiles like the kitchen and enough space to windmill my arms.

With the least time being 5 minutes, how can you not do yoga? 

 

First, I started using YogaWorks' online streaming service. However, the downloading speed has not been the smoothest and I found myself holding plank on one side three breaths longer than the other! (Note to self: work on core!) I also disliked that I couldn't sync my Bluetooth earbuds to my laptop so it was really hard for me to hear the instructions even with the volume turned all the way up. 

Introducing Down Dog App AKA my savior. I LOVE that the app is on my phone which streamlines the bluetooth earbuds. The music and voice volumes are adjustable (you can even play your own music but I don't mind their music so far). You can choose the level, a focus (back bends, flexibility, core, etc.), duration and the length of your ideal savasana. Down Dog App is one of many: There's HIIT, 7-minute, Yoga for Beginners, Yoga for Prenatal and Barre!

An additional bonus for me is that you never do the same session twice. Now, you may have to do Boat Pose for 10 out of 15 sessions, but generally, each session greatly varies. Exposure to new poses and revisiting forgotten ones is one of many pleasures derived from this app. Different types of yoga offered are: Hatha, Gentle, Restorative, Yin, Quick Flow, No Warmup, Chair Yoga, Ashtanga, Sun Salutations and Yoga Nidra. On the website version, it offers Yoga for Prenatal! 

a style for every mood

Down Dog gets two thumbs up from me. Plus, they're offering free membership until May 1, 2020 for the general public. FREE! That's a blessing in these financially hard times.

For students and teachers, if you sign up with your school domain, you have access until July 1. Most importantly, if you're a healthcare professional, you also have until July 1 to access their services. I highly recommend it!

In sum, though I'd much rather go from bed to couch and couch to bed, but with the Down Dog app, it's been easier to do some movement. For starters, I tell myself I can't have coffee until I do my workout (which has been extremely motivating. I want that coffee!). And second, even if I don't do anything productive for the rest of my day, at least I'll have done a wee bit of yoga. Over and out!