Udaya

Udaya is an online streaming platform that enables you to do yoga from the privacy of your own home, at your pace and when your schedule allows it. My experience using Udaya was disappointing, so I am giving it 1/5 stars.

COVID-19 has forced the shutdown of gyms, yoga studios, rec centers, etc. As a result, many of us, myself included, have been forced to shop around online for ways to continue working out from home. (Thank goodness this particular pandemic happened to land during the internet age. If this had happened during the 80s, I would have lost my mind by now for sure!) A simple YouTube search for yoga videos led me to an instructor by the name of Travis Eliot, who I’ve pretty much decided is my favorite yogi of all time. That said, there are only 2 full-length videos available on YouTube of his classes, but there are ads directing you to Udaya. So, I signed up for the service, expecting the best.

PROS: There are a lot of different videos available to choose from on the site. That’s about it.

CONS:

1. The search function is abysmal at best. Users can choose to search by instructor, length of session, type of yoga, etc. However, once you do a search and decide on one to look at, you can’t back out to your original search if you don’t like the one you chose. In other words, you have to start your search all over again which is a royal pain.
2. The search results aren’t accurate. For instance, I chose a “power” class for one of my sessions and found myself so bored I was ready for a nap. (That particular class should have been classified as “restorative” or maybe “yin” – but “power”, no way.) Also, the length of sessions is totally inaccurate. When asking for “60+” minute classes, I get back 50-55 minutes or so per session. Maybe that’s nit-picking, but when I say I want a 60 minute class, I want a 60 minute class.
3. Some of the yoga styles are really under-represented. For instance, when searching for an ashtanga class, I came up with under 10 videos total. For a site that claims to have thousands of videos available, that seems pretty lacking.
4. There are extra charges beyond streaming. Remember the instructor I really liked that led me to the site in the first place? Well, the 2 videos available on YouTube are also the only 2 videos available on Udaya. If you want the rest of his collection, you have to buy it. Really? What’s the point of paying for an online subscription service if I can’t access the videos I want?
5. The instructors aren’t great. Over the 2 weeks or so that I tried the service, I tried quite a few instructors. Honestly? Meh.

Obviously, it’s preferable to practice yoga in a studio setting with other people. But, given that it isn’t always an option (certainly during a global pandemic) options are needed. But, I wouldn’t recommend this one. I just signed up for Gaiam online. I’m hoping for better results.

If you know of other outstanding online yoga classes, please comment! I prefer really moving in a yoga flow (vinyasa, power, ashtanga….anything that gets the heart moving!)