CorePower's yoga app brings the studio experience home (2024)

What is CorePower Yoga On Demand?

When I moved to LA, I knew I was entering an abyss of bougie workout studios and fitness boutiques. But I quickly noticed that one studio seemed to appear on every block—CorePower Yoga. In studio, CorePower offers four main styles of class: C1, which is a beginner-friendly, unheated traditional yoga class; C2, which is a more advanced, heated yoga session; Yoga Sculpt, which is CorePower’s signature workout combining heated yoga with free weights and cardio movements; and Hot Power Fusion, which is a hot power yoga class that is beginner friendly. Unless you’re taking C1, you can expect the studio temps between 85 and 100 degrees.

The app—which has been around since 2018, but became more vital over the past year—allows subscribers to select from any of the four styles of class, along with individual pose tutorials, meditation, or specialized workouts. Class lengths range from one minute (yes, as in just 60 seconds) to 60 minutes, with options for 10-, 20-, and 30-minute sessions in between, which should allow anyone to easily fit a workout into their schedule.

How does CorePower On Demand work?

CorePower offers two at-home membership options: CorePower Yoga on Demand, which gives you access to more than 300 pre-uploaded classes (with a few added each week) for $19.99 a month, and the full CorePower At Home Membership, which gives you access to the same classes, plus about 20 live classes a day—it used to cost $49.99 a month, but it’s on sale right now for $19.99 (a no-brainer, if you want to see if live classes are worth it to you if and when the price increases). I only tried the On Demand option, so I can’t speak to the live classes. Both options are available on iOS, Google Play, plus apps for Amazon Fire, Roku, Apple TV, and Android TV. You can also log in on your computer and access the classes from there.

I first decided to jump into CorePower On Demand with a week-long free trial. As is usually the case, this requires entering your credit card information and remembering to cancel if you don't want to get charged before the week is up. After downloading the CorePower On Demand app and signing in to my newly created account, I had a range of class options available at my fingertips. Its classes are sorted by type and length, so it was easy to filter through what I felt comfortable with and what I had time for. My lack of flexibility and overall inexperience always made me leery of in-studio classes, so I was excited for my first opportunity to really get into yoga—without worrying about embarrassing myself next to someone doing a perfect headstand or split.

Once you click on the class, the app provides the option to read a brief description and highlights key factors such as suggested props or equipment—usually blocks or light dumbbells, though many classes don't require any equipment at all—as well as poses to expect, targeted areas of the body, and "sweat level," which Core Power ranks from 1 to 3. Most of my exercise experience is with strength and cardio workouts, so I decided to start off with a Yoga Sculpt, the one that combines weights with a yoga flow, and is often considered the most difficult type of class. Because I was just alone in my room, I figured I’d try the signature CorePower class that could ease me into the foundations of yoga by using techniques I was already familiar with, i.e., basic strength-training moves like squats and pushups. The workout made me sweat, but I finished feeling strong and accomplished. If you're newer to exercise, you may want to start with a slower-paced C1 class, but the Yoga Sculpt class made me excited to try my hand at the other available classes.

What we like about CorePower On Demand

First and foremost, the app is a serious value if you're already a CorePower devotee. Attending a single drop-in CorePower class in person usually costs about $30, depending where you live. With the app, you get access to hundreds of classes for only $19.99 a month—plus the week-long free trial, which feels like a gift if you fall in love with the app and decide to continue.

CorePower On Demand focuses on making yoga easy and accessible and, for the most part, I thought it achieved this. One of my concerns with starting a yoga practice at home was how I would fine-tune my technique and ensure that I knew how to do the poses correctly. CorePower On Demand offers a feature called “Beginner Basics” classes, which filters through the existing class library and highlights options that are good for working on a specific pose or practicing a simple flow. Once you get more advanced, CorePower On Demand also sorts classes into other collections and challenges, such as a three-week “Booty Blast” (which is what it sounds like) and a series of flows to help you better connect to your breath.

Beyond technique, the app made my at-home workouts easier from a logistical standpoint, in that I could do them from the comfort of my bedroom without worrying about knocking into walls or furniture or needing a lot of gear. Some classes call for yoga props like blocks and straps, but you know before you start the session, and it's pretty easy to substitute or skip the props. The workouts challenged me, too, which I liked—from my experience, some yoga classes don’t really feel physically demanding enough, but CorePower provides countless options to sculpt your muscles, break a serious sweat, and stretch it all out. (And if you're just looking for a stretch, the C1 yoga classes work well.) The teachers are enthusiastic and motivating, walking you through every flow and making you feel like you’re right alongside them in the studio.

I also liked the broad options for class length. It can be a challenge to fit a workout into your schedule at all, let alone to find the motivation to spend an hour on the mat. The fact that CorePower On Demand offers sessions as short as a minute long (as well as 10 and 20 minutes), makes it much easier to sneak some movement into your day. I loved using it as a way to diversify my workouts, such as incorporating longer slow flow classes with quick pose practices, or stacking a sculpt class with a meditation session. As for those minute-long classes: most of them are structured in a “Break It Down” format, allowing you to walk through a single pose with an instructor and make sure you feel solid prior to beginning a full class.

What we don't like about CorePower On Demand

If you’re looking to invest in a fitness app that offers a wide variety of workouts, CorePower On Demand isn’t for you. As someone who always likes trying new kinds of workouts and pushing my body, I didn’t love the fact that purchasing a subscription to CorePower On Demand would limit me to only yoga-based workouts and really only four types of those. Even though Yoga Sculpt is a more intense option than a more traditional vinyasa class, the app is still limited (and more expensive) compared to competitors like Peloton ($12.99 a month) and Nike Training Club (free) that offer HIIT, strength training, Pilates, and more in addition to yoga.

Even with the class collections on beginner basics, it’s still hard to know if you’re really doing a pose correctly unless there is an instructor to physically adjust you. As with any at-home workouts, there is no way to ensure your technique is correct, which may lead you to develop some bad habits, especially if you’re new to yoga like me. The CorePower On Demand instructors are great at walking you through movements and breaking down poses, but nothing can replace the in-person experience.

Also, one of the key elements to working out at a CorePower studio is the heat. You can choose to work out outside in the summer or get creative with a space heater to replicate it; otherwise, CorePower On Demand won’t provide you with the same experience. There are certainly people who don’t prefer hot yoga due to the added challenge and increased heart rate. If that’s you, CorePower On Demand could be your preferred option. But if you’re looking to get the true feel of a CorePower workout, you won’t get it with the app.

Finally, as you don't need to pay for CorePower to get a good flow in at home. CorePower certainly has its distinctive elements and makes you feel like you’re practicing with the most elite of yogis, but there are hundreds of other studios and instructors that offer yoga classes for free on YouTube. Of course, the app provides a more structured experience than simply typing "20-minute yoga" into YouTube's search bar does, so if you find that you get overwhelmed with the sheer volume of classes on YouTube, knowing that the CorePower app takes a lot of guesswork out of finding a quality class could make it worth it for you. But when it comes to the classes themselves, a lot of free YouTube alternatives—think Yoga with Adriene and Yoga by Candace— are just as good as CorePower's pay-to-play offerings.

Is CorePower On Demand worth it?

Ultimately, I didn’t end up continuing my CorePower membership after the trial. I loved the classes, but I wanted to invest in something that would offer more than just yoga. But if you’re someone who’s really into yoga or dreams of becoming a yogi, CorePower On Demand is an easy and relatively affordable option at only $19.99 a month.

Still not sure? At the very least, it’s worth trying out some classes for free. This can be the 7-day trial or, if you don’t even want to make that kind of commitment, you can check out some free classes on CorePower’s site. Among those are an hour-long Yoga Sculpt class, 20-minute C2 class, hour-long C1 class, and a few others. This should give you an idea of how CorePower works and if it’s something you’d like to pursue.

All told, CorePower On Demand won’t give you the same experience as working out in an actual studio—the instructor isn’t with you, the music is quieter, and your space likely isn’t heated. But it is a great way to experience the sweaty, crowded workout in a much less sweaty, much less crowded way and, if your experience is like mine, have you feeling stronger and more flexible. As a yogi—especially a beginner one—what more could you want?

Try a 7-day CorePower On Demand trial

Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.