Everywhere you turn in week who-can-keep-track-anymore of quarantine, there’s an Instagram Live with a celebrity trainer hyping you up to burpee your way to chiseled abs on the other side of lockdown. And then there’s Adriene Mishler—of Yoga With Adriene—the soft-spoken Texan yogi with over 7 million YouTube subscribers who is single-handedly keeping me sane during these uncertain times.
We may technically be dressed the part for any at-home workout—in the age of social distancing, Adriene’s suggestion to “hop into something comfy” at the start of each video is a given—but certain ones just don’t feel right at the moment. I’m not in the mood to get in the best shape of my life right now, or indulge any more anxiety about getting “quarantine fat.” Right now, just getting in a little bit of movement each day feels like an accomplishment in self-care.
This is the gospel of Yoga With Adriene—approachable, calming, friendly—and those devoted to it are growing by the day.
I’ve been a fan of Mishler’s YouTube channel since the beginning of my own yoga journey about four years ago. I was too intimidated by potentially messing up asanas in studio classes when I first started practicing, but with Adriene, I never felt an ounce of judgment coming through the screen at me. There was no talk of perfecting poses, of beach bodies, or burning calories, just a focus on taking time for yourself, giving back to your body, and prioritizing your mental health. Now more than ever, I’m religiously tuning into Yoga With Adriene’s calendar of videos for fitness that keeps it real and takes stock of your mental health and well-being—not just how long you can hold a plank.
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I’m not alone in practicing with Adriene every day during the pandemic—in fact, every Instagram friend I’ve seen posting about at-home yoga is an Adriene fan too. “While I’m in quarantine and unable to take classes at my favorite studio, I find Adriene’s voice, humor, and instruction style comforting and invigorating,” says Beverly Army Williams, 51, from Granby, Connecticut. “And with worries about my students—I teach writing at a university—endless Zoom meetings, and anxiety about the world in general, I’m in dire need of both comfort and invigoration.”
In the past month, Mishler’s channel has gained over 600,000 new subscribers, and video views have increased by 200%, according to her team. And she has converted casual followers into devout disciples.
“I’ve done Adriene’s videos before, usually during very stressful times,” says Alle Connell, 35, from Philadelphia. “This is maybe the most stressful time, and I needed to commit to a form of exercise that didn’t feel like punishment. Her videos aren’t about getting into poses just because they look cool or over-stretching to the point where you hurt yourself. They’re always about being kind to yourself, maybe doing more than you did yesterday—but also maybe not! Also fine!—and focusing on the experience itself.”
Mishler began practicing at age 17, during a time where yoga wasn’t even close to the popular wellness practice it is now. But the philosophy behind the practice (especially the part about everyone’s practice being unique) clicked with her right away, and she decided to enroll in a teacher training to share her practice with more people just a year later. “Yoga guided me to a place of wanting to search for meaning and serve others,” she says.
That same intention has carried over into her YouTube channel, which she created in 2012 with the objective of expanding people’s access to yoga. “It has always been my long-term goal—and dream, really—to make the tools of yoga not only free and accessible, but specifically to create an experience that assists us in accessing these tools on a regular basis at home,” says Mishler. Her videos had little engagement at first, but after about a year and a half, they started to blow up, helping to seed yoga as an accessible mainstream wellness practice. “I’m a registered yoga instructor, and I learn more every single day watching Yoga With Adriene,” says Megan Lane, 30, from Wading River, New York. “I’ve experienced less anxiety, more mindfulness, and better all-around well-being throughout quarantine. She never ceases to amaze me.”
During social distancing and the uncertainty over when it will end, Yoga With Adriene’s curated monthly calendar provides the structure so many of us crave. Each themed video has a different objective, many of which directly relate to mental health. There are flows dedicated to easing depression, finding more vulnerability, coping with panic attacks, and addressing anxiety. (We could all use the latter—we’re in the midst of a pandemic, after all.) “I was doing her videos prior to quarantine but started doing them with my husband once Safer at Home measures began,” says Lauren Lorenz, 34, from Los Angeles. “After sitting and being horizontal all day—I can’t be the only one who works from bed!—her quick 11-minute ‘Wake Up Yoga’ video has me feeling so much better.”
Mishler’s vision is perfectly suited to this moment—in a sense, she has been gearing up with virtual vaccines for the global mental health struggle since she started posting. “I’ve been creating practice videos for many of the things we seek now for years, but the difference is that it’s not just for a few folks anymore—it’s the whole lot of us seeking solace and connection for mind, body, and soul in the comfort, and now confines, of our home,” she says. “We are creating more time and space for preventative care and for total health, meaning not only prioritizing a physical focus, but also giving regular care to the brain and to the heart as well.”
I’m no stranger to illness-related anxiety under normal circumstances, so I appreciate the extra tenderness and attention to mental health and mindfulness right now. I look forward to Adriene’s quirky sayings and bits of wisdom along the way; it’s one of the best, if not the best, parts of my days these days. “YWA is my favorite half hour of my day,” says Kristen Schofield, 32, from Washington, D.C. “She gives me a second to check in with myself and feel a little more loved.” I get it—each time the video finishes with a “namaste,” I feel not only at peace but spiritually more whole, in some way.
One of the most relatable signatures of Mishler’s videos is her mantra “Find what feels good.” She meets you exactly where you are and offers understanding affirmations of your mental health, exactly how it is, without being overly idealistic or unrealistic. “The mantra is not implying that you should feel good all the time, no way—that would not be healthy, nor is it realistic,” she says. “Instead, I think it’s an invitation to dive into a practice that celebrates the process of finding what feels like center today.” The main thing she focuses on is not perfecting your headstand (although there’s a video for that, if you want to) but presence. Even if your mind starts to wander to your to-do list or your worries about your family, she encourages you to return to your breath, the foundation of your practice. No matter what happens, you were present on the mat when you could be. “Your home practice is strong and disciplined because of one reason: You showed up,” says Mishler.
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While we’re all stuck at home, Mishler’s simple flows, which are free and don’t require any expensive gear or gadgets, are wonderfully accessible. For the record, I’m not trying to brand Adriene’s videos as sleepy or not challenging. There are just as many flows that fire up your core, get you moving through Downward Dog, Chaturanga, and Sun Salutations. But even those begin and end with a meditation so you feel centered—and not as though you did a 25-minute exercise routine devoid of any modicum of mindfulness. No matter how short or how long, or how strenuous the practice, by the time the cheerful exit music plays, it makes me feel like I accomplished something, even if that something isn’t a full series of HIIT circuits.
There are plenty of people, I’m sure, who can’t wait to get out the battle ropes and end a workout drenched in sweat—I’m not judging them at all. I can appreciate all the amazing trainers, gyms, and yoga studios posting discounted or free workouts, or live streams on Instagram, but I just don’t have the patience for kettlebell swings right now. The continuity of the same instructor, whom I know I can depend on every day to provide physical and mental support in this moment, is much more important to me. I’ll of course be excited to get back in public to go to a yoga class at my studio eventually, but for now, this is what feels good.
Mara Santilli is a freelance journalist covering politics, women’s issues, wellness, and the intersection between them. Follow her on Instagram @maracsantilli.
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