Yoga with Adriene: Flow (Review)

Another year, and yes, I did complete the Yoga with Adriene challenge again this year. I will share about the challenge and then how I did it, and what my experience was like.

Session lengths: 9-27 minutes

Style of practice: Slow flow vinyasa, with some core work; overall, I found this a simpler, easier, gentler practice than in years past

How to access: Via the Yoga with Adriene YouTube channel or via her website

What I did: Not the challenge exactly-rather, I used the daily yoga time to stretch, foam roll, and then participate in whatever part of the yoga flow was left. I felt that I needed to continue my stretching and foam rolling and without time to do that and 20 plus minutes of yoga, I combined the two. I found that most practices started slow enough that I did not miss too much.

My experience: As usual, I found Adriene to be a calm and fun guide. I think she had a little more flow, and less sarcasm this time, which was a balm for my weary soul. As always, she gives great cues and plenty of grace.

I appreciated these practices because it did feel like they were more about flow: smooth moves and transitions, rather than just poses and performance. The practices encouraged a lot of yogi squats and other mobility moves, which my tired body appreciated and enjoyed.

I found the e-mails less helpful and insightful than in the past. This might be me more about me than the actual content, though. Day 25, "Action," however, held this nugget, and I think it sums up a lot of the journey: "Remember this practice is about meeting you where you are at each day. No acting or performance skills required. "

I did manage to carve out time for a fairly undistracted Day 30 (the day participants plan their own flow). I did do a lot of flowing to find what felt good. After a long day, that looked like a lot of cat/cow, full body stretches, several periods of savasana, and of course a little crow practice, the one challenge that Adriene includes in most all of her journeys, and which I can now do, at least for a few seconds.

Conclusion:

I enjoyed this journey. All in all, it was good just to have time and space carved out for me, to stretch or foam roll and/or scroll my phone. A few nights, the yoga really came in clutch and helped calm my nervous system. While I am relieved to not have a practice I feel like I "have to" complete every night, I will probably continue to practice shortly, as it is helpful and good for me, for time, space, flow, and all the other reasons....