By STEPHEN SUMINGUIT 

Online yoga classes are challenging the rule of traditional studio sessions by offering competitive pricing, thousands of classes and flexibility for the time-pressed.

But professional yoga practitioners say the online classes aren't true competition because they don’t offer a complete experience.

Websites such as Yogaglo.com and Yogavibes.com allow users to stream more than 1000 yoga classes across laptops, phones and tablets for a monthly subscription of US$18 and US$14.95 respectively.

Other sites such as GaiamTV.com tend to also include spiritual and diet advice, while Yogainternational.com provides articles from its 22-year-old magazine. Offers from popular sites tend to include one to two-week trials before committing to a monthly subscription.

The Yoga Social studio owner Ambika Chadwick says the online yoga trend has been booming for five years, with many building a strong social media following. Yoga International has 78,700 Twitter followers, Yogaglo 49,000, Yogavibes 24,000, and Gaiam TV 15,900.

Yogapad studio owner Jeanette Derbyshire says online yoga caters to the time-pressed and to those who prefer privacy rather than a class environment.

“There’s definitely many people out there who for various reasons can’t get to a physical class or a gym and it’s just offering another option for them,” Ms Derbyshire says.

Ms Derbyshire has recorded online yoga videos that range from five to 45 minutes from her NSW studio to serve as an extension of her studio classes. She doesn’t consider other online offerings as direct competition.

“Everyone’s got something to offer,” Ms Derbyshire said.

“You can get 10 restaurants in one street and they can all be busy.”

Ms Chadwick also doesn’t consider online yoga as direct competition for her Melbourne studio, which brings in 50 to 60 people a day.

“I think people still want to come and get that hands-on attention,” Ms Chadwick says.

“Especially for The Yoga Social, there’s a community aspect as well that you won’t get sitting at home on your computer … there’s a collective energy that you experience and I think people are really tuned in to that.

“But who knows? More people are doing degrees online so it could certainly change. I do think there are people using these online classes but I still think studios are getting the numbers.”

Ms Chadwick says many yoga teachers subscribe to online yoga for inspiration since there is demand for more creative sequencing and class plans. She has been a subscriber to Yogaglo for three years because she can stream classes from her past teacher, Noah Mazé.

The Department of Health recommends yoga as an indoor and group activity to minimise sedentary behaviour in adults from ages 18 to 64 years. The National Ageing Research Institute, commissioned by The Department of Health and Ageing, says exercises such as yoga can improve balance, strength, gait and function, and reduce falls.

An Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011-12 survey found that, from ages 15 and over, 3.3 per cent of females participated in yoga, up 0.2 per cent from 2005-06. It wasn't in the top 10 exercises for men. 

With the trend of online yoga, Ms Chadwick advises safety.

“If you’re a beginner yogi, I strongly recommend to go to a teacher face-to-face. Explore online yoga a little later down the line.”