A More Accessible Yoga Challenge

Yes, I did another 30 day yoga challenge. I kind of stumbled into this one, finding it when looking for a weekly practice. The challenge was the Flexible Body, Flexible Mind yoga challenge from Yoga with Kassandra. The challenge features around 10 minutes of yoga, along with an optional activity to stretch the mind. I never did the optional activities, but I looked at most of them, and some seemed like they could be beneficial.

What I Liked About This Challenge

The practices were short. Meant to be done in the morning to wake-up, I did them in the evening to wind down. The general slow flow and stretching felt good. The cues were not exactly minimal, but Kassandra did not talk too much, meaning I could just be still and focus on relaxing.

What I Did Not Like About This Challenge

I like yoga as an athletic practice, as a calming and soothing practice, but not as a meditative or religious practice. Kassandra ended every practice in this challenge with a chant of, "om," which comes from Hindi sacred texts, and is definitely religious (Allard, 2020). I got pretty good at noticing when the, "om" was coming, and just turned off the video before then. That might not work for everyone, but it worked for me.

Conclusion

I liked this challenge. The shorter length practices and focus on stretching worked for me. The slower flow reminds me of the benefits of yoga and stretching, especially at the end of the day. While I think adding on 10-15 minutes of practice at the end of the day did result in some later bedtimes, maybe the benefits were worth it?

Reference:

Allard, S. (2020, July 16). 5 things to know about om. Hindu American Foundation. https://www.hinduamerican.org/blog/5-things-to-know-about-om