Yoga International is a yoga and meditation platform that earned 4 out of 5 stars from our independent review. Yoga International provides on demand classes taught by seasoned yoga instructors with diverse training backgrounds. The basic version costs $19.99 monthly or $199 annually and includes a 7-day free trial. A premium plan costs $499 a year, but it does not currently come with a free trial.
Pros & Cons of Yoga International
Yoga International provides a wide range of content from yoga classes to meditation, and breathwork. With a paid membership, you can stream yoga classes on your TV, tablet, smartphone, or laptop. While the amount of content available is impressive, it may be daunting for a beginner.
How to Sign Up for Yoga International
You can find information on how to sign up for a Yoga International membership on their website.
What is Yoga International?
Yoga International is an all-inclusive yoga platform that allows members to access unlimited yoga classes on multiple devices. It’s easy to use and provides entry-level and advanced instruction. The basic membership has over 2,000 on-demand yoga classes, costing $19.99 monthly and $199 annually. The premium membership is $499 a year and features one-on-one yoga coaching sessions and access to premier courses.
Yoga International’s basic subscription offers a seven-day free trial period which allows you to explore everything the membership has to offer. There are a vast number of yoga classes to choose from, so thankfully, there’s a filter tool to narrow your search by teacher, duration, level of experience, style (e.g., Hatha, Ashtanga, Kundalini), and much more. If you’re only looking for a 15-minute beginner stretch class that targets the lower back, you’ll be able to find it quickly and easily.
In addition to yoga, you will also have access to guided meditations, breathwork, and educational courses on things like anatomy, philosophy, mindfulness, and nutrition. Some of these courses are included with your subscription, but premier courses with more intensive content on topics like yoga history and philosophy can be purchased separately.
Some great perks of the Yoga International app are setting goals, viewing your progress on the home screen, and saving your favorites. Goals set can be how many yoga classes or meditations you want to complete each week. All of your favorite classes and guided meditations will be located in your library for easy access. Even if you choose to use your smart TV for yoga, your account will sync, so you see your preferred classes in your library on all your devices.
Yoga Teacher Resources
There are a lot of great resources for yoga teachers on Yoga International, such as articles, podcasts, and educational online programs. They offer teacher trainings as well as several in-depth courses designed for professional yoga teachers. Yoga teachers that are registered through Yoga Alliance (RYT) can also get their continuing education hours through this service. Please visit the Yoga International website to learn more about the resources offered for yoga teachers.
Who is the Yoga International Right For?
Yoga International is a significant resource for anyone interested in building a yoga practice and adapting a yogic lifestyle. It’s strongly recommended for professional yoga instructors, those who are looking for more than just a workout, or users who want to try multiple yoga styles.
You Are or Want to Become a Yoga Teacher
Yoga International has courses designed for certified and registered yoga teachers. Yoga teachers interested in completing continuing education hours online can find relevant courses on this platform. Yoga International is also an excellent resource for anyone hoping to become a yoga instructor in the future.
You Want More Than a Workout
If you’re just scratching the surface of yoga, you’ll quickly learn that it’s much more than just a workout. Yoga is an ancient practice that has a deep and rich history. Yoga International offers many educational tools to explore yoga philosophy and holistic wellness. This is a great service for those who want to go beyond a workout and gain a profound understanding of yoga, which is why Yoga International earns 5 out of 5 stars in our “Extra Resources and Features” category.
You Want to Try Different Yoga Styles
Yoga International showcases various yoga styles, such as Ashtanga, Hatha, Jivamukti, Kundalini, Vinyasa, Yin, and Iyengar. It also has specialized yoga classes with targeted purposes like restorative, conditioning, gentle, and prenatal. Yoga International is perfect for those interested in trying various yoga methods rather than focusing on one discipline.
Who May Want an Alternative to Yoga International?
Yoga International is such a comprehensive service that it may not be a good fit for true beginners or anyone who simply wants an at-home workout. Keep in mind that you need to build your own program by saving favorite courses in your library, so those who want to wake up to a premade daily routine may also want an alternative yoga app.
You’re Trying Yoga for the First Time
If you have never stepped foot in a yoga studio or have never completed a yoga class, Yoga International will not be a good fit for you, which is why it received 3 out of 5 stars in our “Beginners” category on our scoring rubric. Yoga International does offer beginner classes, but the videos I viewed seemed like they would be difficult to follow for someone who is new to yoga. The app Yoga for Beginners | Mind & Body might be a better choice. It’s not as intimidating as Yoga International and focuses on yoga fundamentals for true newbies.
You Want to Focus on Fitness
While you can certainly get fit, lose weight, and build strength with Yoga International’s platform, it is not as focused on fitness goals as other yoga apps may be. Asana Rebel is advertised as a yoga-inspired fitness app, making it a solid alternative for those focused on conditioning, losing weight, and burning calories.
You Want a Curated Program
If you want to wake up and have your app tell you exactly what to work on, Yoga International may not be the app for you. While Yoga International has playlists and recommendations based on your yoga level and goals, you are the one building your at-home schedule. If you’re not interested in doing that, the Glo app might be a great option for you. It has beginner’s paths with a preset weekly program to help you find your yoga groove and stay on track.
What Users Are Saying About the Yoga International App
The Yoga International app has a 3.0-star rating from 1.7K reviews in the Google Play Store and a 4.6-star rating from 6K reviews in the Apple App Store. Users appear to love the teachers and the ability to access a wide variety of classes at home, but many others report trouble canceling subscriptions and poor customer service.
Excellent Teachers
Many of the positive Yoga International reviews mention the quality of the yoga teachers at Yoga International. In my experience using the app, I also found my yoga teachers highly knowledgeable and their instructions were clear and easy to follow. They cater to every level of experience and have diverse training backgrounds in yoga styles.
Incredible Variety of Classes
The users who love Yoga International consistently comment on the variety of styles and disciplines of yoga available on the app. Many of these reviewers are yoga instructors themselves, and because of the access to so much yoga content, they’ve been able to be more inspired and creative when developing their own yoga classes.
Trouble Canceling Subscription
The majority of negative Yoga International reviews I read dealt with issues surrounding canceling subscriptions. Many reported that they couldn’t receive a cancellation confirmation after going through the steps on the website. Oftentimes, Yoga International continued to charge their credit cards months after they thought their membership had been terminated.
Poor Customer Service
There appears to be significant issues with Yoga International’s customer service team responding to members’ complaints. Many reviewers mentioned that they were receiving only generic responses from the chat box on the website. Users also said they would see the same exact response over and over again, even after reporting that the original problem persisted. I didn’t experience any issues with their customer service when I reached out with basic questions and they responded within 24-hours. However, due to the list of complaints in reviews, Yoga International only earned 3 out of 5 stars in our “Customer Service” category.
How Much Does Yoga International Cost?
Yoga International’s basic membership costs $19.99 for a monthly subscription and $199 for an annual subscription and comes with a seven-day free trial. There is also a premium plan that costs $499 a year, but it does not offer a free trial.
Get a Free 7 Day Trial Of Yoga International
Yoga International Basic Membership
Yoga International’s basic membership costs $19.99 monthly or $199 annually and comes with a seven-day free trial. The basic membership includes unlimited access to all of the on-demand yoga classes, meditations, articles, and podcasts. You can also take several of their educational courses with the basic plan, but none of the premiere courses.
Yoga International Premium Membership
Yoga International’s premium membership costs $499 annually but does not offer a free trial. The premium membership includes unlimited access to on-demand yoga classes, meditations, articles, and podcasts. It also offers one-on-one yoga coaching sessions and access to its premiere courses.
Yoga International Discounts
When you purchase a membership, you will receive 10% – 30% off add-on content like premiere courses, workshops, and lectures. The discount you receive will depend on which membership you sign up for.
How To Get Started With Yoga International
It’s very simple to get started with your first yoga or meditation class with Yoga International! Keep in mind that you are unable to access classes without signing up for a membership. Be sure to review all of the membership plans prior to signing up to choose the best fit for you.
How to get started with the Yoga International website:
- Go to the website homepage
- Click on Start Free Trial
- Choose a membership and create an account
- Answer questions about your level of experience and personal goals
- Start your first yoga class
How to get started with the Yoga International app:
- Download the app in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store
- Create an account
- Answer some questions about your level of experience and personal goals
- Purchase a membership
- Start your first yoga class
Yoga International Basic Access: Detailed Review
Yoga International’s basic membership costs $19.99 monthly or $199 annually and comes with a seven-day free trial. The basic membership is filled with high-quality on-demand yoga classes, guided meditations, breathwork exercises, and educational articles about all things yoga. You can find almost every style of yoga and each one is offered at beginner and expert levels. Yoga International also offers several educational courses you can take with the basic version, and more intensive courses can be purchased a la carte.
Yoga Classes With Experienced Teachers
The main feature of Yoga International is their wide variety of yoga classes taught by experienced teachers. The classes I tried were easy to follow, and the instructors were very knowledgeable. I was trained in Ashtanga yoga, and I often suffer from lower back pain, so I was pleased to see the variety of classes covering the Primary series, the first series of poses in the Ashtanga practice. There were also tons of great stretches for the back. I saved my preferred classes and teachers in my library, making the videos easy to access.
When you first begin your membership, you’ll set a goal of how many yoga and meditation classes you’d like to complete each week. As you finish each yoga or meditation exercise, you’ll see it tracked on the main screen as well as other recommended classes. It can be overwhelming to scroll through the lists of available classes. I strongly suggest utilizing the filter tool to narrow your search by teacher, duration, style, level of experience, anatomy, or time of day.
Every day on the app, the home screen asks, “What would you like to do today?”, and you can choose to move, meditate, relax, or breathe, then it’ll create a list of suggested activities. Unfortunately, I didn’t find this tool that intuitive. For instance, a few times I clicked on ‘meditate’ and narrowed the search to find meditations for ‘focus’ or ‘energy’ and then it provided a list of meditations for sleep. I had to do a lot of scrolling to find the right one.
Meditation, Breathwork, and Other Resources
There are hundreds of options under the meditation section that include guided meditations, meditation courses, breathwork exercises (also called pranayama), and yoga nidra (translates to “yogic sleep”). I tried several of these meditations so far with great results. You can find everything from a 5-minute energizing breathwork exercise to a 45-minute yoga nidra-guided meditation for sleep.
Other resources include articles written by professional yoga practitioners and therapists and educational courses taught by experts. As an avid yoga practitioner, I found the articles and course topics fascinating, and I was eager to jump into one of the many courses on asana (translates to “yoga poses”) that are offered in the basic membership. If you’re not interested in gaining a deep understanding of yoga, you’ll probably find these extra resources unnecessary.
Live Classes Removed
I was very disappointed to learn that Yoga International was removing their live yoga classes from the platform, especially because the live classes were advertised at the time I signed up for a membership. When I tried to click on the Live class tab, I couldn’t find a class calendar or place to register.
I reached out to customer service on the website chat, and a few hours later, a representative responded and stated, “Come August 10, 2022; we will remove Live content from the site, including replays, the site’s Live page, and the library’s Live section.” The Live tab on the website disappeared shortly after our correspondence.
Community, Social Media, and YouTube
You can learn a lot about the Yoga International brand and community by following the company on Instagram, Facebook, or subscribing to their YouTube channel. You can also learn more about their teachers and sample full free classes on their YouTube channel. Following Yoga International on social media helped me to feel more connected to other yogis, even though I’m developing my practice alone at home.
Yoga International Premium Access: Detailed Review
Yoga International’s premium membership costs $499 annually but does not offer a free trial. The premium plan provides everything you get with the basic membership plus some significant extras. You’ll have unlimited access to all of their on-demand yoga videos, meditations, articles, and podcasts. While the basic version has a limited selection of educational courses, the premium membership gives you access to over 300 of their premiere courses plus one-on-one live coaching.
Premiere Courses and One-on-One Live Coaching
The premiere courses offered in the premium plan have a wide variety of subjects that range from a 45-min yoga lecture on relieving neck and shoulder pain to a 20-hour course on yoga therapy and research. In addition, you gain access to one-on-one live online video coaching with this membership. I confirmed with their customer service representative that they will continue to offer this live personal coaching feature with the premium membership.
The premium membership is great for yoga enthusiasts and yoga teachers, but I wouldn’t recommend this costly plan for someone who is simply looking for a yoga routine for exercise. Purchasing Yoga International’s premium plan is like having access to all the materials at a yoga university! If you don’t plan on taking the courses or utilizing the live coaching, I recommend saving money and finding a free yoga app or purchasing the basic membership.
History of Yoga International
Yoga International was founded by the Himalayan Institute in 1991. Its mission was to share “the ancient wisdom and spiritual roots of yoga with the modern world.”1 Yoga International began as a print magazine and then transformed into a digital platform and mobile app offering various yoga resources. Yoga International was recently acquired by Gaia Inc., a global video streaming service that produces “conscious-expanding media” that includes yoga, meditation, original shows, films, and documentaries. This acquisition shouldn’t affect new or existing Yoga International memberships or services at this time.
Yoga International VS Glo
Yoga International and Glo (review) are both very popular online yoga platforms, and Glo earned an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars from our independent review. They both offer a wide range of yoga content that you can stream on your smartphone, tablet, laptop, or TV. Glo costs a little more than Yoga International, with their subscriptions starting at $23.99 monthly and $244.99 annually. Glo offers a 7-day free trial but does not have a premium plan.
While Yoga International focuses more on traditional yoga and meditation disciplines, Glo offers these classes as well as pilates, barre, HIIT (high-intensity interval training), and other guided workouts. Glo also provides live classes, which have been removed from Yoga International’s platform. Overall, Glo offers more options for fitness, making it a better choice for those who’d like to do more than just yoga.
Yoga International Vs Gaia
Yoga International was just acquired by Gaia Inc., so those with a Gaia (review) membership will probably start to see related Yoga International content on its platform. Gaia and Yoga International both earned 4 out of 5 stars from our independent review. Gaia’s monthly subscription costs $11.99 for a monthly subscription, $99 for an annual subscription and $299 to Events+, which gives you access to all their content, including Gaiasphere Events, which are live conferences, lectures, and workshops.
Gaia appears to be the Netflix of yoga and conscious living! In addition to yoga and meditation, they have original TV series and films that you can’t find on mainstream platforms. If you’re looking to submerge yourself in media featuring Eastern philosophy, enlightenment, ancient yoga practices, and famous gurus, Gaia is a great choice.
Frequently Asked Questions About Yoga International
How Do I Cancel My Yoga International Subscription?
To cancel your Yoga International subscription you must go to the website. I purchased my membership through the app, but when I went through the usual steps to unsubscribe from a mobile app, it did not show my Yoga International subscription listed even though it was still active.
To cancel your subscription:
- Log in to your account on their website
- Click on your profile icon at the top right-hand corner
- Choose My Account from the drop-down box
- Choose Membership
- Click ‘Cancel Membership’ and fill out the cancel membership form completely
Does Yoga International Offer Refunds?
Yoga International does not offer refunds or credits for partially or unused periods. In addition, payments for any purchased courses are also nonrefundable, even if you did not complete the course.
See their Terms of Service/Privacy Policy to learn more.
Final Verdict
Overall, I found Yoga International to be an incredible resource and I would recommend it to those who are serious about building an at-home yoga practice, which is why it received a rating of 4 out of 5 stars in our independent review. The amount of content and the quality of the teachers are their two biggest assets. I thoroughly enjoyed the classes, and I could spend hours diving into their articles and courses. However, I have a strong background and interest in yoga, so a basic membership would be a good fit for someone like me. I would not recommend Yoga International to those who are not interested in extra educational tools and just want a straightforward yoga-inspired workout at home.
