Words by Elesa Zehndorfer
Transport yourself to a world of zen with Alo Moves, an incredible virtual yoga haven that remains one of the best kept secrets in fitness.
Alo Moves Yoga
Almost a year ago to the day, I left behind the bright lights of big city life to move to a small Alpine village by a lake. While the move has been incredible, the one element that I missed was, believe it or not, my city gym.
The awesome bunch of girls, and the super inspiring yoga, Pilates, and fitness instructors that I had to leave behind.
One of the coolest aspects of fitness for me has always been the social element, so I genuinely assumed that I’d just never make the transition to working out online.
It took me experiencing my first long, harsh Alpine winter to discover Alo Moves, an interactive community facet of the ever-popular Alo Yoga activewear brand.
And I’m so glad that I did.
Joining for a free trial as a 2-foot snowdrift stacked up against my front door outside, I was immediately impressed with the slick, easy-to-use interface, and how fast I was able to simply select and stream a huge variety of yoga workouts right into the comfort of my front room.
Workouts felt sociable from the get-go, with motivating, down to earth instructors presenting against beautiful natural backdrops (including the sandy beaches of Hawaii, Baja & Big Sur - all part of the awesome Alo in the Wild series) which always bought a bright and breezy vibe to my day.
The App definitely has that ‘workout with a friend’ vibe that just makes the whole workout process a lot more chill and accessible.
Here’s a fun science fact – just looking at an image of nature for a few seconds lowers cortisol (stress hormone) levels in your brain, which is why the beautifully filmed, nature-framed Alo content really does sometimes feel like a symphony for the senses. It’s not just working out, but chilling out, too.
The beautifully relaxing meditation sessions became a favourite from the start (let’s face it, who doesn’t like to unwind after a long, hard day?) while week-long courses offer a cool spin on the normal single class structure.
Alo Moves Instructors
The quality of instructors is impressive, with a who's who of the best yoga instructors in the US and beyond. Log into the app and you’ll immediately see a fitness course presented by industry legend Harley Pasternak alongside South African supermodel & yoga fan Candice Swanepoel.
Yoga legends Sri Dharma Mittra and Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa offer amazing content alongside the popular fitness favourites such as Kayla Nielsen, Hiro Landazuri, Tawny Janae, Briohny Smyth, Patrick Beach & Eleonora Zampatti, while the hardcore Body Shred series led by Mathew Forzaglia has become one of my favourite free weights workout courses of all time.
Another personal favourite is the Healthy Hips & Hamstrings sessions run by Carling Harps & Patrick Beach - a saving grace & welcome panacea against the many hours I spend every day as a writer, sitting down and typing away on my laptop.
Is Alo Moves Only for Yoga?
Hell, no! I’ve worked in fitness for a quarter-century now (time flies!) and as an instructor myself, I tend to get antsy unless I can switch up my workouts a lot – so I was relieved to see from the outset that Alo Moves has a lot more to offer than yoga (although that being said, yoga remains, in my view, its most stand out speciality).
I love the awesome HIIT, Pilates, barre and strength workouts, the choice of quick abs sessions I can literally fit between work calls, the 20-minute HITT sessions for when I need a quick endorphin and testosterone fix, or the 90-minute-long Pilates and meditation sessions for when I need to switch off and tune out.
I’m currently in the process of learning how to perfect headstands using the Skills Training section of the app, while my 9-year-old genuinely loves hanging out for a meditation session or three with me. All in all, there’s a hell of a lot of content and something for everyone.
Is Alo Moves Good for Beginners?
I guess my only grumble with Alo Moves is that it isn’t perhaps as well-suited to beginners when it comes to yoga. While there are a lot of yoga classes targeted to beginners these days, and way more basics and fundamentals content than there used to be.
Some of the beginners yoga classes that I trialled still felt a little too advanced, which might end up leaving some beginners feeling a little left behind. Saying that, if newbies engage well with the fundamentals content, the app offers tremendous room for personal growth as the months fly by.
I think that, ultimately, intermediate to advanced yogi’s would find Alo Moves a real haven, with fantastic, diverse content, different yoga disciplines (including Anusara, Hatha, Iyengar, Ashtanga & Power yoga), excellent instructors & diverse class formats.
The Flystrong and Daily 10 series by Dylan Werner, for example, are mind-blowing for upscaling the quality of your Vinyasas, allowing you to focus on the mastery of some of the hardest yoga bodyweight poses out there.
I love that blend of technical specialization alongside regular class formats as for the most experienced, that kind of specialist focus is ultimately what is required to take your training to the next level.
How much is Alo Moves?
Alo Moves offers a free 14-day trial, with the price per month $20 thereafter, or one-time annual payment of $199.
I remember the days when I used to charge three times that monthly rate just for a 1-hour PT session - so for me, the price seems to offer great value for the quality of product that you get in return.
What equipment do you need for Alo Moves?
You need very little equipment apart from the ubiquitous yoga mat, water bottle, and (for a few sessions) light weights or dumbbells - although the more advanced Yogi’s and Pilates devotees out there will find that their usual set of yoga blocks, Pilates circles and other preferred small equipment are always beneficial to have.
And after the Free Trial Ends…
After signing up for the free trial, it took me less than 48 hours for me to get hooked. Every morning now starts with an Alo session out on the deck, the sun shining down on me as I greet the day with my best Bhujangasana, or Sun Salutation.
Was it the countless inspiring classes, the world-class instructors, or the chilled-out interface that got me hooked? I can’t say for sure – although as a former Royal Ballet school student, I jumped into the Barre classes pretty fast, & as a Pilates instructor, the quality of Pilates content still impresses me.
Alo is a genuine leader when it comes to yoga and some days, when the sun isn’t shining outside, a hit of Alo in the Wild is all I need to perk up and feel like I’ve had a hit of nature.
Ultimately, I know I’ll be hanging out with Alo Moves for a very long time to come – and I’m pretty sure, once you’ve experienced it - that you will be, too.
Check out our complete Alo Yoga collection online
