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

Center: 30 Day Yoga with Adriene Challenge Review

I am not sure I actually enjoyed this challenge. It wasn't the challenge, necessarily. It was me. I had a lot on my plate this spring with training for races. I already knew I had limited time during the week due to my work schedule. And I chose to do the challenge anyway.

What Is This Challenge Anyway?

The Yoga with Adriene Challenge is a yearly challenge to do yoga everyday in January. Adriene Mischler, a yoga personality, actress, and entrepreneur, curates and films a collection of practices and then posts them free on YouTube. People who subscribe to her newsletter can get a daily note about the practice, and then do it. The idea is to make yoga more accessible, and incorporate yoga more into daily life. Each year's collection has a theme to unify it. The theme this year was, "Center."

What I Liked About the Challenge

The practices in this journey were a little shorter than in some of her journeys. (Most were 30 minutes or less). Adriene wrote about her intentionality with this in one of her newsletters. She wanted to make the practices easier to integrate into everyday life. I liked that Mischler also included some fitness elements in these practices, like building of core strength, some Pilates-like moves, and even a few push-ups. Some of the quotes in her newsletters were quite moving. I think that is part of what keeps people coming back to Yoga with Adriene. She has a sassy, sweet personality that makes it fun and inspiring to practice with her.

What I Didn't Like About This Challenge

The daily practices were just too long for me. I prefer around 10 minutes maximum. Many days, I did about ten minutes of the practice in the morning, and then I did the other minutes of the video in the evening. I sometimes benefitted from the evening practice, and sometimes really disliked the fact that it extended my to-do list for the evening (but I was bound and determined to finish once I started). Mischler did make a few inappropriate, or borderline-inappropriate jokes (though less than in other journeys) which I could have done without. Nothing striking made me dislike the challenge.

What I Learned

I think I learned through this that I like yoga, but that every day is too much, at least with my life as it is now. Maybe one or two practices a week benefit me, but other than that, running and my other exercise is enough. On the flip side, this journey showed me that I struggle with stillness (I often looked at my phone to read or did my own stretches and foam rolling during slow times), so maybe I actually need more yoga. I guess my takeaway is that I need to center my practices around what matters to me. Right now, that is not yoga every day. Will it be some day in the future? I don't know. Will I do another yoga journey? I don't know. I think I need to consider my priorities and what really matters to me if and when that time comes. (Next year, Mischler?)

All the New Year's Challenges

New year, and all the new year's challenges. Some are designed to get people "in shape." Others are designed to help people make and keep resolutions. Challenges aren't for everyone, and it kind of annoys me that so many fall at the beginning of the year. Still, I am a sucker for them, all of them. I like challenges, because they are well, a challenge. They also add adventure and variety to my life. I might have taken on a few too many this January, though.

It started with the Yoga with Adriene challenge, a 30 day challenge I knew was coming, because I have done it every year since 2017. (Well, I guess I skipped 2019.) I thought about not doing it, but then I decided to go for it, along with the race training I was already doing. Then I added Strong in 20 from Nourish Move Love for my strength training challenge. And then I saw the Good Mood Challenge from Blogilates and thought, why not? Yeah, it was a lot. Twenty minutes of yoga daily, plus 20-30 minutes of strength training (just for two weeks, though), plus whatever was on the day from the Good Mood Challenge. I quickly realized that all of it was not going to happen, at least as written. I considered giving up, but that didn't settle, so I modified.

I did the Yoga with Adriene challenge, but sometimes I stretched during the breathing portions (not the best, but I needed the stretching if I ran). I split up the practices as I needed to. And sometimes I did other things like reading or DuoLingo while holding long poses (not ideal or recommended, but it's what I did). I did manage to make it through Strong in 20, but again, sometimes I subbed other stretches while they stretched, and/or stretched during rest periods. Sometimes I went easier on the weights since I was also doing other training. In turn, I also cut out some of my running workout (eg speed) days because I was tired. And the Good Mood Challenge? I realized it would be really stressful to do every challenge on the day (like trying to make a smoothie while traveling), so I switched it up. The goal was to promote better holistic health, right? Stressing about how to make a smoothie on the go seemed to negate the goal of a good mood?

Am I glad I did all the New Year's Challenges? In the end, yes. They forced me to be flexible. They forced me to decide what I really wanted. Should I do so many challenges again in the future? Probably not. For this year, though, all these challenges stretched me. I learned. I grew. Wasn't that the point? 

I Quit Running...

...for 30 days. I like running. It has served me well in a lot of ways. I've enjoyed completing many races. I've gotten faster and run longer distances in the past year. But I have also gotten really, really tired. I have an excessive, obsessive personality. I have run a lot, especially up until this last month. I was trying to outrun my stress. Trying to outrun problems. Trying to run to deal with COVID. Just running too much. So when all my spring races got cancelled, I figured it was time to take a break, not from exercise, but from running. So I found myself a 30 day plan and had at it. Here's what happened:

Day 1: I don't like the workout. I feel high anxiety, sadness, grief, and feelings of loss. I realize that it's hard to get to my 10,000 daily steps goal on my FitBit. I'm just as hungry as when I was running and didn't expect it.

Day 2: I am sore. The workout was better. I am less thirsty and less hungry, but feel bloated and swollen.

Day 5: I am getting into this a little more. I find I am less hungry at breakfast, more hungry at lunch, and just as hungry at snack, but I've switched to craving protein than carbs. Walking is getting to be too much. Should I give it up and start coverting workout minutes to steps?

Day 7: Finally! A rest day. I go for a walk and am even more hungry.

Day 8: Legs day. I am less hungry, and my Fit Bit says I've burned a lot less energy for the spite despite moving such a large muscle group. 

Day 9: I feel bloated, weak, and tired. I don't like strength training very much.

Day 12: Easter. I really miss running. I usually like to celebrate with a run. Not this time.

Day 13: I like workout a little more, but I am also on the move more at work. So which is actually the cause of feeling good tired at the end of the day.

Day 14: I like the workout again. I skip my rest day to have two later? Finish early?

Day 16: I recognize that less hard workout days are good for me. That is one benefit of following a program. I am getting used to this life. I feel less bloated. My body feels more toned. I am only a little sore. I am figuring out ways to get my steps in most days.

Day 19: I complain about feeling tired. My husband notes that I seemed less tired when I was running. He suggests I go back to it. I tell him I'm waiting it out.

Day 24: Total body pyramid again. I hate pyramid workouts. Or do I? But I feel stronger than I remembered feeling the last time. I am using 10 pound weights for the most part now.

Day 25: I take a rest day to hike. I hike nearly seven miles despite not having even walked more than three miles in a row for many days. I am slightly surprised. My body can still do this!

Day 26: Three more days and a rest day. My heel hurts (from hiking, old shoes, ??). I'm tired of my daily 10 flights of stairs as my only running. Lord, help me be balanced when I go back. And may I not take running for granted.

Day 27:  I definitely feel stronger, but two more workouts....I'm ready!

Day 29: Last day. (Remember that rest day I skipped? It's coming tomorrow.) I'm glad I'm done. I did okay, but this workout plan was too much, at least with daily walking added on top. I feel like I "need" cardio and sunshine. I know weights are good for me, but I may just do the minimum.

Day 30: Rest day walk. The end. I look forward to running tomorrow.

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In summary, I quit running for a time. It was hard, but as with all hard things, it got easier with time. I hope I don't have to quit running again, but I probably will, and now I know I can do it. 

Quitting running showed me some things: that I get easily stir crazy. That I can obsess. That if I have to choose exercise, I prefer cardio outside (even if walking). That our bodies are resilient. (Now if I can manage not to overdo running and maybe, just maybe take a rest or "off" season.) Lord willing, back to the streets tomorrow. I'll update later....

Your Mat is a Reflection: Reflections on Yoga with Adriene's Home

Yes, I did it again. I took another journey of 30 straight days of yoga (by God's grace, and thanks to the plethora of free video series online). This is my third 30 days of yoga, having completed two in 2017, and one in 2018. You might remember that I did a Yoga with Adriene series in 2017, and didn't like it. But guess what? I did another one. And I liked it. I'm in a different place. Maybe she's in a different place. This year it worked.

What made this yoga challenge work?

1) The calendar. Knowing what time to expect to spend on my mat each day was exceedingly helpful, for scheduling and for life.

2) The daily e-mails. Signing up early meant I got an e-mail each day telling me more about the day's practice and how to embrace it. This helped keep me motivated and accountable.

3) Not using the challenge as my primary source of exercise. Last time I did the Yoga with Adriene challenge, I did it as my main workout. Since switching to running more, I have used yoga as a cool-down and stretching component. It is more satisfying this way.

What did the challenge teach me?

1) That my life is more harried and hurried than I think it is. Adriene said one day, "Your mat is a reflection." (Some teachers say, "Your mat is a mirror.") I noticed that I almost always multi-tasked while practicing. I'd be scrambling to read or reply to an e-mail as I loaded the day's video. I'd be on my phone reading my devotional or looking something up during the seated start to the practice. I'd be checking the slider bar to see how much time I had left as I went through the moves. I struggled to be still.

2) I get out what I put in. I admittedly didn't get the most out of the practice because of the habits above. I wanted to rest and relax, but I didn't. I got the stretch and cool-down out of the practice, but less of the meditation and stress relief (which I also needed).

3) I know more than I think I do (but don't trust myself). I always hate the last practice of Adriene's challenges, because she likes to turn off the microphone and have viewers practice themselves. In the past, I didn't know what to do. This time, I felt I could do my own practice, but I nevertheless found myself glued to the screen, straining my neck to make sure I could copy Adriene. Why? I didn't trust myself. Though I'd done most of the challenge by the sound of Adriene's voice and not the video, I didn't think I could do it right by myself. I didn't trust my body to tell me what it needed. I also feared missing out. I feared I'd miss the workout if I didn't follow her. Sigh. I have a lot of growing to do.

So would I do a Yoga with Adriene challenge again? 

Yes. Actually I would. And I even found myself wanting to practice yoga after the (self) obligatory days of the challenge. Maybe I didn't get the full benefits of this practice, but I got something, and I am both thankful for that, and eager to learn more.