By Ellie

As is the case with most things yoga, it was Nic who first introduced me to Yoga with Adriene. It is no exaggeration to say this was a life-changing recommendation. If you’re a fellow Adriene fan, you know what we mean… 

While I have always done yoga semi-regularly, it sometimes ends up last on the list. When work is busy, or I’m spending too many days tired and hungover, or dating dramas take over: yoga is the thing that falls off the life radar. 

Adriene – with her lovely, moderate and eminently achievable ethos – changed all that. Can’t make it to an hour-long class in town? You can only fit in a quick 10 minutes before bed? Cool. Adriene has a video to help you with that, and will make you feel awesome for bothering at all. 

Best of all, I found I was now in a semi-secret club of Adriene enthusiasts. I was amazed at how many of my friends were in this gang! We’d all use the exact same words to describe her, and evangelise about our shared girl-crush as if we had discovered the meaning of life. 

‘She’s just lovely. She’s not annoying at all. I wish she was our friend. Oh my god, I actually love her.’ 

Since discovering Adriene, and the joys of doing YouTube yoga in the comfort of my own sitting room, I’ve managed to fit a lot more yoga into my life. This can only be a good thing. 

However, before that, I’d already spent years trying pretty much every yoga class in town. While some worked for me more than others, they at least left me with a solid downward dog and a general knowledge of which muscles I should be engaging when. Basically: what it should feel like as well as look like. 

I attempted to introduce an ex-boyfriend to the wonders of Adriene (not that he deserved it, but that’s a whole other story). He was a musician with back problems and I was convinced that yoga could sort out all his issues (including his fear of commitment, tbh). 

Having never been near a yoga class in his life, even the beginners’ videos left him mildly perplexed and only doing a vague approximation of the shapes on the screen. With the best intentions, he was not living his best yogic life. 

It made me realise that, while I was now enthusiastically recommending YouTube yoga all over the place, perhaps it’s not always ideal for the total beginner. I would never want to discourage anybody from having a go, and something is always better than nothing – however, if you find yourself trying YouTube yoga and enjoying it, you might get even more out of it with a few in-person pointers. 

So… this is where the SCREEN TO STUDIO workshop comes in. Nic will look at form and common issues, and generally help you get the most out of your practice, whether in front of the screen or in the studio. There’s no pressure to make the transition to attending actual yoga classes – we know there’s not always the time (or the inclination), and our deep and abiding love for Adriene is going nowhere. 

Top tip: before a first date with a hot young dude the other night, I did Adriene’s ‘confidence boost yoga’ in between shaving my legs and piling on the eyeliner. It sorted me right out. Highly recommended, if a slightly embarrassing addition to my pre-date getting ready regimen.