Leave a Review Yoga | Down Dog
What keeps my back and ankle from falling apart
I have been practicing yoga on and off for over 10 years; it began when I walked into a pilates class and the substitute only knew yoga. After years of practicing at the gym I began looking for an app to do anywhere, as my kids are older and their schedules do not coincide with the gym’s all the time. This is the third app I have use for yoga and I have had it for several years. I have lower back issues due to a fall in my early twenties and now scar tissue on my right ankle from missing a step; the wrong move and either injury can leave me out of commission for days. Thanks to this app and its use on a regular basis I have been able to control my ankle issues to the point I don’t need a cane anymore (I am 51yrs old) and I can lift, twist and bend my back with no issues. I love the flexibility that this app gives in terms of time, type of practice and ability to focus on particular areas. The videos are good quality and help double check posture; the verbal instructions are detailed and are great reminders to keep double check how am doing. Well worth the money, only app I need.Show less2013nana
My Absolute favorite
This app is so near and dear to me, I cannot begin to even give an accurate written review because it lives in my heart(without words). It’s a moving meditation for me from the moment I hear the voice, have rolled my mat out and then awaken from my savasana. I choose the spiritual music setting and close my eyes.. in the sunshine under the trees. I’ve used this app while in the woods camping. It’s a treasure on my phone, in my pocket. I adore yoga.. this app took that feeling and quadrupled it. With the pandemic, I’ve done Insta workouts/yoga, zoom yoga and a few social-distanced outdoor classes. Coming back to down dog is like coming back home. The ONLY ONLYYY thing that I can think of to offer for advice that would make this amazing app give me everything, would be to have a yoga sculpt option in the active settings. I have my favorite virtual yoga sculpt teachers(body weight and hand weight)elsewhere.. having that option here would just be incredible. Great app Down Dog, thank you thank you for all that you do🙏Namaste🧡Show lessMoMo~Asana
DownDog
I love this app/company because it allows me to have a daily yoga practice when I can’t go into a studio regularly. The app handles everything you need in a full practice and even has different versions of yoga practices. A couple problems that I’ve noticed is: 1. When practicing, the instruction from the instructor often does not align with the visual practitioner on the screen. Ie.) “warrior 2 with left arm up and right leg back” often shows actually the opposite on the screen. The person will actually have the right arm up and left leg back (the opposite). So that’s slightly confusing.
And 2. The app glitches sometimes. Even with a downloaded practice, the app will glitch and not play smoothly. During a yoga practice, rhythm is a big factor. So, being interrupted by lagging tech can be tedious. Also, when toggling back or forward, it takes the app longer than it should to switch to another pose/position within the given practice. Simply, slow tech. These are the two main fixes I hope to see DownDog improve on, or their competitors strive in. If a competitor performed the above elements better, I would switch my subscription to them. Perhaps this is a simple tech solution.
-DGShow lessDyl G8
Practices I Can’t Stay Away From
I’ve been practicing yoga for about 4~ years now, and this was recommended to me about a year ago by a yoga teacher. It has easily become one of my favorite ways to do yoga at home! The app gives many options before you start your practice. There are lots, but to name a few: you can pick how long the practice is, what voice you’d like to be instructed in, what kind of practice whether that be Yin or a full Vinyasa Flow. One of my favorite features is that you can select music from a list of genres, and the songs match the beat of your workout! It tells you the song and artist on the screen in a non-obstructive way, and gives a song list at the end of the practice! I’ve found a lot of new favorite songs through this app! I can share practices I really liked with friends and family by sharing a link, too! The app has several notable features that I think are worth checking out for yourself! They give you a free trial to try it before you commit, and I really fell in love with it during my trial!Show lessSmilez9015
Tailored to Your Needs
I had been using Down Dog for a while and liked it so much I decided to pay the yearly subscription for access to all of their apps - I am excited to try out their Barre app this week.
The best feature of Down Dog is you can ADJUST almost everything:
- music volume vs instructor’s voice
- a new practice is created everyday, OR you can “heart” a particular routine you like and choose to do it again from your list of favorites
- style of music
- length of practice (in minutes)
- pace (slower or faster)
- style or focus of your practice (salutations, aerobic, flexibility, core strength, backbends etc)
- amount of directions! (I love that they offer a level where they just say the name of the pose! But I used to use the level where they explained everything about each pose when I first got into yoga so I could really learn the correct postures.)
One suggestion I have would be to see if they could add one more feature where you could select a body part that is injured or weak so that the yoga practice would omit certain poses based on that feedback.
Or if they could add a section where they have explanations of ways to adjust for those injuries (like articles or pictures or videos), or tips on how to strengthen those areas, that would be really cool!
I am not injured, but I think it would be pretty cool to have a section where they show you how to “train” to build up strength or flexibility to reach certain poses.Show lessk.yoojung
Anyone can do Yoga with down dog
This app is so great for beginners (or people who have been beginners several times over and never made it past that phase🙋🏻♀️). It’s easy to use and understand. I like that you can change how much instruction/ sound or music you need. I LOVE the boost options for when some places are just tight as hell and you need to hold that pose! And breathe, girl!
I’m the type that needs a lot of specific instruction so the combo of the video, the narrative instructions, and the ability to choose the pacing, it feels like I actually have the time to focus on my breath!
I love this app. Also, you can pick how long you want it to be. Anywhere from like 5 min to over an hour and every increment in between. So I never wanna do it and I’m like “ok, but I can do just 5 minutes.” And then after 5 minutes I’m like “woah, I need more!” And then I usually end up doing another slightly longer practice.
Mars is my favorite instructor voice☺️.Show lessceh1014
Easy to Use and Generous Company
I started using this app when my gym and yoga classes were shut down due to COVID-19. Being a full time clinical grad student, I have a very limited budget, and this company was gracious enough to give teachers and students free 3 month trials. As my trial was reaching its end, I was sad to think I couldn’t afford this monthly bill on top of my other bills that are coming back due to reopening.
Just got an email today saying they are extending the free period for students/teachers to JANUARY 2021! I’m thrilled!!! What a generous company that understands not everyone can afford the big price tag that often accompanies studios and Western yoga practices. They make yoga accessible, as it should be!
On top of being a generous company, the app is easy to use and modify to your wants and needs! Depending on your mood they offer everything from yin to full vinyasa and everything in between! It’s so easy to modify speed, length, voice, music, focus areas (e.g., glutes, core, shoulders, etc.). I’m so appreciative of everything this app offers, and that I’ll continue to be able to afford it throughout the rest of the year!Show lessAlliOopYoga
Update KILLS your Battery, No Fix
For a week or so, my phone’s battery life has been pitiful. Finally, today I sat down to figure out what was draining it. It’s this app. It is using HOURS of background refresh activity which is draining my phone’s battery life. And guess what? THIS APP IS NOT LISTED IN BACKGROUND REFRESH LIST!! So, this means the app is not asking for your permission to refresh in the background. It is simply doing it without your OK. Not acceptable!
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I LOVE this app, and I use it nearly everyday. Some days, I need to have the practice through my wireless headphones, but the app does not allow me to adjust volume through my headphones. I must go through my phone to adjust the volume for my headphones which is extremely inconvenient during a flow when a new song is just a bit too loud. (Swipe up to unlock, pause practice, adjust volume, relocate the time I stopped to change the volume to ensure I’m not missing a step, rewind, start again... it’s a hassle!) That’s not to mention needing to have my phone next to me. I’m doing yoga-the whole point is to get away from my phone. Having the ability to adjust volume as the songs change in type over the practice would take this app to the next level for me, personally. This seems to be its only flaw. But it’s a really big one for me.Show lessbriznit
Best Yoga App!
I used Down Dog while they were offering the app for free due to the COVID crisis, and I fell in love. Easy to use, excellent for any level, and really the best features such as selecting the sounds/music you’d like to hear, the voice of the instructor speaking, how much the instructor says during the practice, how long the practice will be, and my personal favorite it the ability to customize the actual practice. This customizable feature is what really sets this app apart from others like it. You are able to select something specific you’d like to add a bit of focus to during your practice, such as neck stretches, flexibility, core strength, etc. Between that feature and the variety of the flows (although you can always save a practice if you really liked it and access it again) I knew as soon as I tried this app that I would remain a customer even after the free trial ended. So I just purchased the yearly and I encourage you to do this same if you are on the fence about buying this app, just do it!!! It’s worth it!Show lessLittle Miss Math
Nice but not for true beginners
I like this app a lot and maybe will come back but even beginner 1 at 10 minutes with normal time is not for a beginner. There are asanas that cannot be done by me. Maybe young beginners can do them. The yoga for beginners app does not provide a context or continuity to move to the app. For me I need to have something that does not assume I can wriggle into some position at beginner 1 that is highly doubtful. The random natiure while interesting does not really bring me any positive thoughts I can even do part of the 10 minutes. You should take the yoga for beginners app and build that to a true seniors or beginners focus and also have continuity between the app.
I don’t think the app is intended for old folks like me at all. So I will keep the subscription but not use it. It’s just too hard and yoga is not supposed to be hard. You should have a senior 1 and senior 2 category so more of us can move in and call the app a home.Show lessmikesplaces
