The Best Yoga YouTube Channels for Beginners (2026)

Updated August 2026. I originally made this list after doing a large number of beginner yoga videos while travelling. Six years later, the basic test is still the same: can a new student follow the cues without constantly looking at the screen, and does the instructor give you enough time to work out what your body is doing?

YouTube is still an excellent place to start yoga. You can choose a 10-minute class rather than committing to an hour, repeat the same sequence until it makes sense, and try several teachers before deciding whose style you like.

I would start with the channels below. I have removed the old subscriber counts because they age almost immediately, and I have dropped the idea that this needs to be a fixed “top ten”. A shorter list of teachers I would actually use is more helpful.

Yoga with Kassandra — best calm starting point

Kassandra Reinhardt is still my easiest general recommendation for a beginner who wants clear, calm instruction without much chatter. Her library now has a huge range of short morning sessions, yin yoga, flexibility work and longer flows.

For a true beginner, choose a video explicitly marked beginner rather than assuming a short class is easy. Her 30-minute beginner full-body flow from 2024 is a good example: it moves slowly, mixes seated and standing poses, and does not require props.

Yoga with Adriene — best huge beginner library

Adriene Mishler has been one of the default answers to “where do I start yoga online?” for years, and the useful part is the depth of the back catalogue. You can find classes by body area, mood, length and experience level rather than following a single program.

Her old Yoga for Complete Beginners class is still a perfectly reasonable first video. Production quality has changed since then, but downward-facing dog has not.

Charlie Follows — best newer channel for learning flow

Charlie Follows is the main addition to this list since I first wrote it. Her beginner classes are particularly good when you want to move from isolated poses into a proper vinyasa flow without the instructor suddenly asking for something acrobatic.

Her 30-minute beginner flow is deliberately slow and gives you time to find alignment before moving on. She also has substantial training in vinyasa and functional anatomy, which comes through in the way she explains positions rather than simply naming them.

Xuan Lan Yoga — best Spanish-language option

I started doing Xuan Lan’s classes while in Spain because it gave me a physical routine and Spanish listening practice at the same time. That still makes her channel particularly useful for language learners.

If your Spanish is intermediate, yoga vocabulary becomes predictable quickly: perro boca abajo, saludo al sol, body parts, directions and breathing cues repeat constantly. Start with one of her classes specifically labelled for beginners rather than using the language challenge as an excuse to pick a hard sequence.

Lucile Woodward — French fitness and yoga

Lucile Woodward is broader than a pure yoga channel; she works across fitness, mobility and general training. I originally found her because I wanted to exercise in French, and that is still the reason I would include her here.

If your main goal is learning yoga technique, start with Kassandra, Adriene or Charlie. If you want French listening practice while moving, Lucile gives you more variety.

What you actually need for beginner YouTube yoga

A mat helps, especially on a hard or slippery floor. Blocks are useful because they bring the floor closer to you; they are not a sign that you are bad at yoga. A strap can also help with positions where your hands cannot comfortably reach each other or your feet.

You do not need a room full of yoga accessories before doing your first class. Start with a mat or non-slip surface and use sturdy household substitutes for blocks where appropriate. Buy equipment when you know why you want it.

How to choose a beginner class

• Look for “beginner”, not just “10 minute”. Short can mean compressed and fast.
• Choose slower cueing at first. You should have time to move after hearing the instruction.
• Repeat classes. The second run is often much better because you are no longer trying to decode every pose.
• Stop for sharp pain, numbness or dizziness. A prerecorded teacher cannot see what you are doing.
• Use modifications. A knee on the floor or a block under your hand is often the sensible version of the pose for your body today.

If I were starting again, I would do three or four beginner classes from Kassandra, Adriene and Charlie, then keep the teacher whose cueing makes me look at the screen least. That matters more than subscriber counts or production quality.