is one of the most popular yoga channels on Youtube. 11 million subscribers are engaged with Adrian Mishler, and our editor is no exception. Over the past 10 years, Adrian has become one of the most recognizable yoga instructors, and her channel, importantly, is comfortable for beginners.
Adrian published her first video in 2012: at that time she began her career as an actress, and also did yoga for donations. Soon, the theater in which her classes were held in the lobby closed, and Mishler, along with a partner, decided to record the first online lesson. According to the New York Times, by 2018, 4 million people were already doing yoga with Adrian.
The girl told the Self portal how to start regular practice.
Yoga is always about inner feelings, not about competition
Adrian talks about having more silence in your practice. When creating videos for a huge audience, she always starts with ten minutes of meditation or just relaxing before she gets to work. “My main goal is to create a safe space for people where they feel comfortable. Therefore, during the practices, I became quieter: I just open the door, and you yourself take the steps. I accompany you, and you do the real magic.”
Start with the basics
“The first videos we uploaded were foundational. And the very first practice was devoted only to sukhasana – a simple pose when you sit with your legs crossed. I think it’s important to start with the fundamentals, feel comfortable in them, and then move on to the movement. But in general, I have never been interested in bright, flashy asanas.
The main task of a yoga instructor is to help you in the current moment. And most, as a rule, are just beginning their acquaintance with yoga. Therefore, we do not make clickable videos with the promise of burning more calories while practicing or mastering some acrobatic poses. At the same time, the channel has videos with practices that improve mood or relieve menstrual pain.
Yoga is a practice, not a striving for perfection. Think about it in the moment. You are already practicing yoga.
To practice for a long time, do not think of yoga as an achievement
Often, beginners are frightened by numerous videos with complex asanas – it is not possible to achieve this. But the truth is, you may not need them. Handstand or headstand is not the goal of yoga. And the goal is to try to connect with yourself during practice, to find harmony between the body, mind and heart, in order to feel wholeness. Yoga is also about tools that heal you, and the experience of falling, which also turns out to be useful.