YouTube’s most prominent yoga guru Adriene Mishler often starts her video saying, “Hop into something comfy and let’s get started!” While most people who cannot find anything to do during this quarantine, Mishler’s online yoga class is a healthy and productive distraction. In recent months, she was featured in different articles due to her rising popularity as a YouTube yoga guru. Paper Magazine described Mishler as the patron saint of quarantine, while Refinery29 said that she was the most influential yoga teacher on the planet. Similarly, some fans also dub her with names like “Our savior.”
Mishler’s Background in Yoga
Mishler grew up with her family in Austin. She took acting classes during her teenage years, allowing her to learn what she now knows about mind and body practices like yoga. Later on, while she was trying to become a professional actor, where she got a cameo role as a cute female student. In one episode of the TV series Friday Night Lights, she became qualified as a yoga instructor and began teaching some classes. Jane Fonda’s classic 1980s do it for the burn aerobics videos as well as Rodney Yee’s yoga DVDs became her primary frame of reference for doing exercises at home.
Mishler was already famous even before the pandemic. Her YouTube channel has over seven million subscribers and is on the top of search results when you search for the word “yoga.” But the lockdown caused by the pandemic added more to her popularity. Her fans on social media even share and recommend their favorite video of her. To others, create charcoal drawings of her, and post their undying love and devotion to her for keeping them far from boredom during the lockdown. One avid fan even built a digital replica of her home studio in Animal Crossing, an online video game. There are also tons of memes about her on social media. Her pet dog Benji, an Australian cattle dog, even has her fair share of memes as it often makes cameo appearances in most of Mishler’s video.
The Birth of Yoga with Adriene
Yoga with Adriene’s origins goes back to a horror movie set where she met Christopher Sharpe, an independent filmmaker. He already helped his wife Chef Hilah Johnson to create a popular YouTube channel. After their first meeting, Mishler and Sharpe stayed in touch. In 2012, Sharpe was looking for new YouTube projects when he contacted Mishler. She asked if she wanted o start a YouTube channel for her yoga classes. It was September the same year when the two began uploading videos.
According to Mishler, he thought that if everyone did an at-home yoga practice, it would change everything. A daily yoga practice can be medicinal, according to Mishler. She also added that yoga studios, as well as fitness gyms, can be really intimidating places. People may fear the idea of those other people who they do not know would look at them as if they are doing something wrong. Apart from that, yoga studios and gyms can be costly, and some even require commitment.
Yoga Has History with YouTube Subscribers
Mishler aims to remove these stresses through her videos. One good thing that makes her yoga videos appealing is that they were not filmed in fancy rooms with complete workout equipment. Instead, Mishler recorded her yoga videos in a living room. This fact made her yoga classes more intimate and personal. Mishler’s videos were clean and bright. Rodney Yee Videos are filmed on beaches with amazing views or in the mountains covered with snow. Needless to say, Mishler’s yoga videos are not intimidating, which sets her apart from other instructors. The idea that she is doing yoga in the comfort of her home makes her more appealing to her audience.
Working out at home became a thing as people have no choice but to stay home to avoid getting infected by the coronavirus. However, most people do not have much space where they can workout or any equipment to replicate a gym. But even for those who are not devoted to staying fit, working out seems to be a good idea. It can alleviate boredom and sore backs from sitting and laying down the couch all day.
YouTube Views and Yoga Meet At Last
Mishler has been seen as the perfect initial step for those who want to try yoga. She seems to have every remedy for whatever ailment you feel. Mishler has yoga videos for back pain, anger, vulnerability, and self-care. She even has yoga for runners to stretch their whole body before and after a jog. What’s even more compelling is that she has yoga for writers to help them focus their brain and body so they can focus more.
Maybe what makes Mishler attractive to her audience is because she is not threatening and does not have the better-than-you aura nor she is stone-faced and humorless. 35-year-old Mishler looks sweet and wholesome, just like the popular girl in your school who is actually kind and courteous. Her online yoga classes are slow and have clear instructions that even beginners can easily follow. She also clearly explains how to do various yoga poses without getting injured. This is very important since there is no actual teacher in your room to correct you or guide you deeper while doing a pose.
Conclusion
Now that everyone is stuck in their cramped up apartment, crowded living rooms, or dark four-cornered rooms, yoga offers an excellent solution to stay fit and unwind. And as a teacher, Mishler is not doing anything that is kind of revolutionary. Yet, she was able to capture the attention of a lot of people during these tough times. By not doing too much and not asking her audience to do too much, Mishler was able to become the woman of the hour.
Recently, Mishler is receiving a lot of requests, so much that her press office already sends automated emails apologizing in advance for taking a while to respond.