If you are a yoga enthusiast or want to start your yoga journey, you might be wondering how you can use your Apple Watch to track your fitness and yoga moves. The Apple Watch is a smart device that can help you monitor your heart rate, calories burned, distance, pace, elevation, and more during various types of workouts, including yoga. Here are some tips on how to use your Apple Watch for yoga and make the most of this ancient practice.
Highlights:
- Learn how to use your Apple Watch to track your fitness and yoga moves on the International Day of Yoga.
- Choose the right workout type, band and third-party apps for your yoga practice with your Apple Watch.
- Participate in the Yoga Day fitness challenge and earn a virtual medal and stickers for completing a 10-minute yoga workout.
- Discover the benefits of yoga for your health, harmony and peace and how your Apple Watch can enhance your experience.
- Customize your own yoga practice with different levels, styles, lengths, focuses and music using the Down Dog app on your Apple Watch.
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual practice that originated in India and has been celebrated worldwide on June 21st since 2015, following its inception in the United Nations General Assembly in 2014. The International Day of Yoga aims to raise awareness worldwide about the numerous benefits of practicing yoga, such as improving health, harmony, and peace.
Choose the Right Workout Type
The Apple Watch has a native Workout app that allows you to choose from different workout types, such as walking, running, cycling, swimming, hiking, HIIT, and yoga. Depending on the workout type you select, the Apple Watch will use different sensors and algorithms to measure your metrics and provide a summary of your workout on your iPhone.
For yoga, you can choose the Yoga workout type on your Apple Watch. This option will track your active calories, heart rate, duration, and exercise minutes. The Yoga workout type utilizes your heart rate and motion data to estimate the calories burned during your practice. You can also set a yoga workout goal based on time or calories or track a yoga session with an open goal.
To start a yoga workout on your Apple Watch, follow these steps:
- Open the Workout app.
- Scroll down to find Yoga.
- Tap on Yoga.
- Choose a goal or tap Open Goal.
- When you're ready, tap Start.
- To pause or end the workout, swipe right and tap Pause or End.
Wear the Right Apple Watch Band
Considering the hot and sweaty conditions of yoga, especially hot yoga, it's recommended to wear a sweat-resistant sport band during your practice. The sport band is made of durable fluoroelastomer material and offers a comfortable fit on your wrist. It features a pin-and-tuck closure that ensures a snug fit.
You have various color and size options for sport bands to match your style and preference. Some popular colors include black, white, pink sand, blue horizon, and red.
Alternatively, you can choose other types of bands suitable for yoga, such as the sport loop, the braided solo loop, or the solo loop. These bands are also made of breathable and flexible materials that can withstand sweat and moisture. They feature different closure mechanisms that make them easy to adjust and wear.
Some Best Smartwatch for Yoga Activities other that Apple Watch
2. Huawei Band 6
3. Amazfit GTS 2 Mini (New Version)
4. Titan Smart Pro
5. Mi Smart Band 6
6. Fitbit Charge 5
7. Redmi Watch 2 Lite
8. Huawei Watch FIT
Use Third-Party Apps for Guided Yoga Sessions
If you seek more guidance and variety for your yoga sessions, you can explore third-party apps that are compatible with your Apple Watch. These apps offer different levels, styles, and durations of yoga classes that you can follow along on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV. Some of these apps can also sync with your Apple Watch and display your metrics on the screen or provide haptic feedback during the session.
Here are some of the best yoga apps for Apple Watch:
Apple Fitness+: This is Apple's own subscription-based
fitness service that offers a variety of workouts led by expert trainers. On
Fitness+, you can access different categories such as HIIT, strength, core,
dance, and yoga. The yoga workouts range from 10 to 45 minutes and cater to
beginners as well as advanced practitioners. As you follow along with the
trainer, you can see your heart rate, calories burned, and rings progress on
the screen.
Down Dog: This popular yoga app allows you to customize your own yoga practice based on your preferences. You can choose from different levels, styles, lengths, focuses, and music for your session. The app generates a new sequence every time you practice, ensuring you never get bored. Down Dog can be used on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV, and you can sync it with your Apple Watch to view your heart rate and calories burned on the screen.
Glo: Another notable yoga app, Glo, offers thousands of classes taught by world-class teachers. You can choose from various styles such as vinyasa flow, hatha, yin, restorative, and more. The app allows you to filter classes by level, duration, focus, and teacher. You can use Glo on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV and sync it with your Apple Watch to see your heart rate and calories burned on the screen.
Participate in the Apple Watch's Yoga Day Fitness Challenge
Every year, Apple hosts a fitness challenge for Apple Watch users to celebrate the International Day of Yoga. To participate in the Yoga Day fitness challenge, you need to complete at least a 10-minute yoga workout on June 21st using the Workout app or any third-party app that records yoga workouts to the Health app. If you successfully complete the challenge, you will earn a virtual medal and receive four animated stickers representing stretching and mindfulness that you can use in Messages and FaceTime.
To take part in the Yoga Day fitness challenge, ensure that you have an Apple Watch with watchOS 7 or later and an iPhone with iOS 14 or later. Enable notifications for the Activity app on your iPhone to receive a reminder about the challenge. You can also share your progress and achievements with friends and family using the Activity Sharing feature on your Apple Watch.
Conclusion
Yoga is a wonderful practice that can improve your physical
and mental well-being, especially on the International Day of Yoga. With the
help of your Apple Watch, you can easily track your fitness and yoga moves and
gain more guidance and motivation for your practice. Additionally, by
participating in the Yoga Day fitness challenge, you can earn rewards for your
efforts. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced practitioner, utilizing
your Apple Watch can enhance your yoga experience and allow you to enjoy the
benefits of this ancient practice.
FAQs
1. Can I track other metrics apart from heart rate and calories burned during yoga on my Apple Watch?
Yes, the Apple Watch can track various metrics during your yoga sessions, such as duration, exercise minutes, distance, pace, elevation, and more.
2. Are the yoga workouts on Apple Fitness+ suitable for beginners?
Yes, Apple Fitness+ offers yoga workouts suitable for beginners as well as advanced practitioners. You can choose the duration and intensity that aligns with your fitness level.
3. Can I wear my Apple Watch during hot yoga sessions?
Yes, you can wear your Apple Watch during hot yoga sessions. However, it is recommended to choose a sweat-resistant sport band or a band made of breathable materials to ensure comfort and durability.
4. Can I sync my Apple Watch with multiple third-party yoga apps simultaneously?
Yes, you can sync your Apple Watch with multiple third-party yoga apps. This allows you to explore different apps and choose the one that best suits your preferences and goals.
5. Can I participate in the Yoga Day fitness challenge if I don't have an Apple Watch?
No, the Yoga Day fitness challenge is specifically designed for Apple Watch users. However, you can still join yoga-related activities and celebrations on the International Day of Yoga in your community.
