The Birthday List: Do a 30-day yoga challenge.

Just like everyone else, I create goals I don’t achieve and set intentions I don’t follow through on. And I’m not immune to beating myself up when this happens.

But I’ve found my birthday lists are super helpful in making sure I follow through. I think this is because I’ve announced my intentions to the world and also because I like ticking things off of lists. Yes, I’ve learned how to let go of items that I no longer want or that deep down don’t feel good, but having them on my list makes it easier to push through when the going gets tough.

This was especially true of my 30 day yoga challenge.

Beforehand, I’d practiced yoga a handful of times but never had a regular practice. I didn’t know what most of the poses were and I felt intimidated about going to classes. I’ve wanted to start a yoga practice for a long time but I was afraid I’d feel out of shape and wouldn’t be able to keep up. I figured that by doing yoga for 30 days in a row I’d get over the intimidation factor and see some real progress with my practice.

Coincidentally, the charity I work for opened a yoga studio this year and I’m responsible for managing every aspect of it from finding instructors and scheduling classes to marketing. So not only did a yoga challenge support my personal goals, it was really beneficial for my work as well.

I set out these parameters for my challenge: I’d go to classes 3-4 times a week and on the days when I didn’t attend a class, I’d practice at home by doing 10 sun salutations or following along with a video on YouTube.

And I did it. For 30 days I practiced yoga every damn day, no excuses got in my way. I practiced yoga when I was sick. When I had a hangover. When I got home late. When I was tired and wanted to skip class. Whatever excuse I came up with, I practiced yoga anyway. And it felt good.

Yes, my muscles were sore for almost every single one of the 30 days (so many downward dogs), but within a week I started to feel better in my body. My body awareness increased. I was more focused and my mind felt more clear.

I found out that yoga classes aren’t nearly as scary as I thought they would be. The instructors were more than happy to walk me through things and modify poses to suit my body’s abilities. And I was always able to get through the whole class.

While I still have a long way to go in my practice and many poses seem far out of reach, I definitely noticed improvements in my stamina and flexibility. My challenge finished two weeks ago and while I’m not practicing yoga everyday at the moment (I recently injured my back), I plan to continue a regular practice as it’s a form of exercise I’ve come to really enjoy and I can already feel the many benefits it’s having in my life.

If you’re new to yoga and want to start your own practice, I think a 30-day challenge is a great place to start as it allows you to explore different styles (it turns out I love vinyasa flow). You’ll make a real commitment to your goal and start to see the benefits quickly. Many studios offer a 30-day pass for new students at a drastically discounted rate. And if you’re looking to practice at home, I highly recommend checking out Yoga with Adriene and this 30-Day Yoga Challenge.

Do you have a yoga practice? Would you consider doing a 30-day challenge?

Love, savasanna, & raw cacao smoothies,

Top photo by Sarah from The Prosecco Diaries, second photo c/o East London Community Wellbeing.