Yoga with Adriene Return Series (Review)

As with all things, there are times and seasons. Adriene Mischler used to release a 30 day yoga challenge every January. She did that for eight years! Then in 2025, she released just a seven day program, and now in 2026, she's moved to a once a week, four week (with a final live stream practice). I admire her commitment to continuing to release new content, but at a pace that seems more sustainable.

Mischler has been somewhat open about her struggles with burnout, first in 2021 (Barrie), and then again in 2025 (Lucci). Perhaps these new, shorter practice styles reveal her commitment to "less is more," and/or reflect some of her own practices. Regardless, in this season of my life, I enjoy being able to keep up with something that I enjoy, but at a slower, and more accessible pace.

Like with most of Mischler's videos, the new "Return" practice videos (2026) are about 30 minutes each. The third video is closer to twenty minutes, and focused on core, as was her usual practice in day 6 of her 30 day programs. (This was actually the only practice of which I tuned into the whole thing.) The live practice (which I participated in later) was much longer, at over an hour. While I think I would have liked less, I think it was also good for me to slow down and try to practice for longer just once.

Overall, the practices follow Mischler's usual structure, though maybe with a little more slowness and stillness, and a little less humor. One thing I have always appreciated about Yoga with Adriene videos is that they are light on actual yogic philosophy, and that holds true here. These practices are more about movement and breath and less about philosophy. That works for me.

While I have done the 30 day yoga practices in the past, I now try to fit in yoga just once a week. Even if only for 5-10 minutes, it counts! Yoga is a good reminder to stretch, slow down, and tune in. These practices, albeit a bit longer than I have been doing, provided me an opportunity to return to these benefits of yoga, and for that, I am grateful. For anyone who wants to return to a practice of yoga, this new series of videos provides an accessible door, and I recommend them!

References:

Barrie, T. (2021, November 22). Adriene Mishler: ‘In 2021 I was like, “I have to pause. I have to practise what I preach."' GQ. https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/fitness/article/adriene-mishler-interview

Lucci, A. (2025, January 1). Burnout nearly broke Adriene Mishler. Here's how she came back stronger than ever. Women's Health Mag. https://www.womenshealthmag.com/fitness/a63207450/adriene-mishler-essay/

Mischler, A. (2026). Return - A 4 Part Journey - 2026! [Video] YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyWhA68BUms&list=PLui6Eyny-Uzynj9tgds7Qb4EjYYmIx0Ci

Top Ten of 2025

Whew! This year has flown by. Praise the Lord for all that has happened in it, and how He has carried us through it!

This year, yoga once again won the attention on Instagram:

My top blog posts this year were mostly past ones, but these 2025 ones also made the cut:

1) Eats and Empties (Week 4)

2) I enjoy running, but...

3) Everything I Read in January

4) Girls on the Run 5K

5) Real Life Marriage: I Want You to Have Nice Things!

(This seems like such a strange group of posts. Why certain blog posts take off, I will never know!)

Over on Facebook, these were the top posts for the year:

1) Real Life Marriage: The Honeymoon Year (Six Years In)

2) Grieving the (Maybe Not So Little) Things Anew

3) Eats and Empties (Week 17)

4) Nationwide Children's Columbus Half-Marathon

5) Celebrating National Pumpkin Day (Year Five)

To all my faithful readers, thank you. Lord willing, see you for a round of writing in 2026!

Yoga with Adriene Prana Review

There was no 30 day Yoga with Adriene challenge this year. (I guess I missed that last year's was the last.) Instead, she offered a short, seven day journey called Prana. In my opinion, that was just about right. 

The practices this year were all under 30 minutes in link, a little more approachable, if you ask me. The level was more intermediate than beginner, but still very accessible. All in all, I felt like this series was less about flow and more about just tuning into the body and moving.

Full disclosure, I did these yoga practices distracted. That's just me right now, with too many tabs open on my computer, on my phone, and in my brain. Still, this series gave me an excuse to quiet down just a little more, to make time for myself, or as Adriene says in Day 5, take "a quiet moment of being."

Was this practice. worth it? One-hundred percent! I may have had complaints about yoga journeys in the past, but this one was just right for me: a chance to catch a breath, which perhaps is just what Adriene intended given that the series name "Prana" means breath.

Top Ten of 2024

Here is my top nine grid from Instagram. No surprises that it is all YSYD Crew poses, as that is the largest community with which I engage there:

As for this blog, most people seem to view posts on Facebook. The top ten posts there were:

1) Real Life Marriage: Winners and Losers

2) 2024 Christmas Movies

3) Everything I Read in June

4) Real Life Marriage: We Believed He Could, and He Did!

5) I Ran a Marathon! (This one ranked top ten in actual blog reads as well.)

6) Real Life Marriage: I'm Abdicating

7) 40 Year of Faithfulness

8) My Cruise Packing List

9) Real Life Marriage: The Business of Marriage (Also a blog top ten)

10) There is a Savior (Another blog top ten)

Thank you all for reading! Lord willing, see you in 2024!

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?)

Crazy, or Taper Crazy?

I think I first read about "taper crazies" in the Run Fast. Eat Slow. cookbook (Flanagan and Kopecky, 2016). I was training for my first half-marathon at the time and wanted to learn more about nutrition. Somehow, though, I picked up that phrase. I do think I experienced them, at least a little

Fast forward a few years and I think I have the taper crazies again. I am only running a 10K, but I dropped from big miles and big workouts to a mere 30 minute easy run. I am thankful for that run, don't get me wrong, but man, I am antsy! I have twice gone through the freezer to inventory stuff. I find myself frittering away time flitting back and forth between house chores. I act a little scatter-brained. I want to solve a lot of life's problems, even though now is not the time.

Granted, probably more than a reduction in running miles is contributing to my condition. I finished 30 days of yoga right as my running volume dropped. The pros say people shouldn't strength train the week of a race, so I dropped that. I got botox in my arm, which mean I could not do any physical therapy exercises or crochet for a few days. I had purposely prepped food so I could cook less the Friday before the race. But now I am stir-crazy!

I heard Steph Bruce talk about wanting to rearrange her house either during the taper, or right after a marathon (both times she needed to rest). I have not quite had that inclination, but I can understand it. I just have restless energy and want to do something with it!

On the flip side, though, I also feel unrested. I cannot seem to get enough sleep. Despite lowering my mileage, I am still pretty hungry. I feel little aches and pains and worry about getting sick. It's crazy, really!

Thankfully, I am not the only one. Other runners experience this, too (eg Wuestenfeld, 2018). So here's to one more day of the crazies, and then, Lord willing, race day!

References:

Flanagan, S., & Kopecky, E. (2016). Run fast. Eat slow. Rodale books.

Wuestenfeld, K. (2018). The taper crazies. Chasing unicorns LLC. https://chasingunicorns262.com/2018/09/05/the-taper-crazies/.

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? 

Top Ten of 2022

I guess my top nine Instagram posts and top ten blog posts (primarily read on Facebook) have really started to diverge. My top nine was all about yoga, something I've done less of, but engaged more with on social media this year:

And the majority of my top ten blog posts had to do with marriage:

Real Life Marriage: Doing Love Wrong...Again!

Three R's for Rekindling Romance

100 Books

It Shouldn't Be This Way

Watching and Waiting with Expectancy

Couple Crafting

Real Life Marriage: Doing it Together

I'm Having a Reckoning.

What to Do? What to Do?

Marathon Marathon 2022 10K Recap

I don't know if people are just interested in my marriage, or if what I write resonates. Either way, I hope readers benefit.

--

Until 2023...

Happy New Year!

Why I Sometimes Choose to Do Hard Things

I have to do hard things, like things I am not good at. Sometimes they're just a flop. Sometimes I fail, like really fail.  Sometimes I surprise myself and actually succeed. But I have to do them. Why? In short, It's good for me.

I always need to be learning and growing and progressing. (If I don't, I'm stagnant.) Hard things require me to risk a little, to reach further. I'm not saying that I try to be a pro. I'm just trying to grow.

I need fun in my life. I need to play. I need to be silly, to be an amateur. Life is so serious. There are plenty of hard, hard things that I don't choose. Choosing a few hard things...for fun is a good reminder that hard things are not all bad.

I am also a terrible perfectionist. Try as I might to grow out of it, it always crops up its ugly head. Trying hard things, and failing, forces me to practice my coping skills. It forces me to accept the imperfections. Sometimes my trying really yields an okay result, but I am not satisfied. I have to learn to live with this reality. There is room for self-critique, and growth, but sometimes, I just need to accept things.

So when it comes to hard things, what kind of things am I talking about? Here's a short list of some hard things that I choose to do for my own good (or at least most of the time, for my own good):

• Training for and running races
• The monthly baking challenge from Sally's Baking Recipes
• Weekly Yogi See Yogi Do Crew poses
• Writing (e.g. this blog)

I am not really good at any of these things. In fact, all of them expose my imperfections. All of them grow me, too though (at least right now). I get some joy out of these hard things. When I nail them (or get close-remember, there isn't perfect), I am ecstatic. And hopefully, the world gets something out of watching me, and God gets the glory for that. After all, Christ chose to do the hardest thing, die on the cross for the sins of the world, out of love. That's a kind of love worth emulating, worth choosing, but SO hard!

Move: 30 Day Yoga with Adriene Challenge Review

Yep! Finished another 30 day January yoga challenge from Yoga with Adriene. Quite frankly, I had forgotten about the yearly challenge and did not plan to do it. I subscribe to the weekly Yoga with Adriene e-mails, though, and learned about Move that way. I am currently training for a 10K and did not think I would have time to do both that and this, but then I started. Once I started, I wanted to finish. So I made it work. How? Read on for more.

Scheduling

The first work day, I woke up early and squeezed in the challenge before work. Most of the rest of the weekdays, I did it after dinner and before bed. Yes, I know yoga after eating, particularly inversions, is best at least two hours after eating, but this small chunk of time was what I had. On weekends, I preferred to do the yoga mid-afternoon, as it was a good way to invite both energy and calm into the later part of the day. Enough about timing, other than to say that my husband supported my yoga journey which was important, because completing it took a chunk out of my day.

Pacing

This challenge seemed a little more intermediate than I remember some of the years. There was quite a lot of chatarangas, moderate core work, and the opportunity for advanced poses like crow. Let's just say there was some actual exercise involved, but that's okay. In past years, and other challenges, there have sometimes been entire sessions dedicated to meditation, and that really is not for me, at least not for me in a yoga challenge.

How It Worked

Yoga is meant to be a mindful practice. I will be very honest and say that I did most of my practices distracted. Sometimes I read on my phone. Sometimes I started and stopped. Only a few times did I really sink in and engage. I found the latter easier as the challenge went on, though. I wanted the time to be mindful, and that says a lot about movement through this program.

How it Ended

The last session of the Yoga with Adriene challenges is always a free practice. In the past, I have either 

1) Turned it off and chosen to do another guided practice

2) Obsessively followed Adriene and hurt my neck from staring at the computer screen

This time, I found myself actually practicing. It was effortless and I was in the flow, until I caught myself, and then I felt self conscious and struggled. I finished practicing, though, and I only watched Adriene for a little bit. Maybe after all these years, the Lord is helping me be myself and actually live intuitively, rather than comparing or externalizing. I am at least moving in that direction.

Take-Aways

Adriene always sends daily e-mails during her 30 day challenges. Some provide session notes. Some provide guidance about how to think. Some provide insights that wow. Some of these included for me:

Day 13: If you want to fly, you can’t be afraid to fall.

Day 15: "What do you want to move closer to?"

Day 19; “The process is the candy.”

--

I thought at one point during this challenge: I don't love this. I want to give it up. Then I was glad I finished. I don't have time, or maybe rather, I don't want to make time, to do 30 minutes of yoga a day every day. I honestly experienced quite a wave of relief the day after the challenge when I realized I did not need to find (aka clear) 20-30 minutes of time. Yoga, for me, isn't all the time.

I always question if I will do another yoga challenge. I don't know. January 2023 is still almost a year away. I will see how I move through this year and go from there, because Lord willing, I will keep moving and learning and growing, as the challenge showed me I have over the past few years.

So You Want to Do a Yoga Challenge...

Maybe you're into yoga. Maybe you're not. Maybe you've wanted to do a yoga challenge like I referenced towards the beginning of this month. Maybe you don't. If you're in the maybe not category, feel free to skip over this post. If you're in the "maybe" category and want advice about how to successfully complete your first (or next) yoga challenge, here are some tips:

1) Download the calendar and print it out. Seriously, do it. I'm not for making more paper waste, but in this case, having the calendar really helps, for several reasons. First, it gives you the run times so you know how to plan for the day ahead. In the last Yoga with Adriene challenge, practices ranged from 15 to 60 minutes. That was a big difference in time! Additionally, a printed calendar lets you check off each day, giving you a tangible sense of accomplishment when you do it.

2) Clear a space. In addition to clearing time, you will want to clear physical space. You don't need a large space, but need space equivalent to the area of a yoga mat. Beware of nearby furniture, and push it to the side if you can. Kicking a piece of hard furniture really hurts.

3) Get padding. Buy a yoga mat or use a thickly carpeted room. I personally don't use a mat, but we have good carpet padding. I would need a mat elsewhere.

4) Find something comfy. Wear a fitted shirt, or tuck in your shirt (so that it doesn't fall in your face; tie back your hair for the same reason, if needed.) Wear pants that allow for movement. (No, jeans generally won't work.)

5) Get grippy. Either wear socks with grip or go barefoot. Sliding around is no fun.

Will following all of these tips make you successful at 30 days of yoga? No, you make yourself successful. I hope these hints just might be helpful along the way. 

--

Let me know what hints were most helpful by commenting below.

Breath: Another 30 Day Journey with Yoga with Adriene

Let's cut to the quick. I did not do this challenge as I should have. Yoga is best done in a studio, with the co-regulation and instruction of a teacher. At home, it is best done with quiet, focus, and solitude. I did none of this. I did the challenge online via video. I often did other things during the video (e.g. reading on my phone). I sometimes got interrupted and had to half and half a practice. But it was still good for me.

Adriene Mischler of Yoga with Adriene posts a 30 day challenge almost every year. I have done them for several years now. Each year, it's a squeeze to fit in the practices for 30 days. Each year, I consider quitting, but my stubbornness keeps me going. In the end, I am glad when I finish.

To be honest, I'm not in the best yoga shape, but I'm not an absolute beginner, either. I get annoyed at the very basic nature of the beginning practices. They seem too slow and too easy, but I think that is part of Mischler's intent. We all need to start with a beginner's mind. We need to reset, not think we know it all, and begin anew. Good practice for yoga, and for life.

Mischler's style is part restorative hatha, part energetic vinyasa, part Pilates with some plain old stretching thrown in. Really, there is something for everyone. Mischler's dramatic flair and quirky humor add to the practice. (If you investigate her videos, beware, that sometimes her humor can be a bit mature.)

I combined the challenge this year with my run training. This contributed to the tight scheduling and multi-tasking, but it worked. I looked forward to the slowness of the practice after a potentially harder run. Making these challenge a success, for me, means using them as meditation, not exercise. For me, they don't do the job of exercise, even though yoga is an exercise.

The theme of this challenge was breath, focusing on the breath to rest. Focusing on the breath to guide through. Focusing on the breath to stay in the moment. I didn't do great with breath. I didn't even practice all of the breaths. But I said the challenge was good for me. Why? It gave me a breath of fresh air. It forced me to focus at least a little bit. I practiced prioritizing. I remembered, even if only for a brief few moments, what it felt like to rest.

Will I continue with daily yoga, as recommended by Mischler? No, probably not. Will I keep doing yoga. Yes, probably so. Will I do next year's challenge? Yes, if I can. It's a good way to reset at the beginning of the year, and if nothing else, motivation to keep my practice going.

Hello, February, goodbye, Breath. But really not goodbye. Hello to keeping the practice going, at least subconsciously, to giving myself a little rest and space, even if not indicated by the clock or the yoga calendar. We all live on air, so yoga or not, breath is important.

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.

Mental Health Days, And Why We Need Them

I took a day off a few weeks ago. I hoped it would be to go see my new nephew be born, but alas, he tarried. So I took the day off to rest. Oh, how I needed it.

Here's what my unscheduled day looked like:

Sleeping in

A slow jog

Yoga

Reading

A nap

Fabric card making

Errands

Dinner with family in town

Was I productive? Kinda. Did I do things that matter? Yes. Did I do everything that needed to be done? Nope. And irresponsible as it sounds, I tried not to think about work.

Why? I needed a Mental Health Day. I needed a break. Our minds can tire just like our bodies break down and get sick. And my thoughts and emotions had taken a beating in the prior weeks. They needed time to rest and heal just like our bodies do after illness. So with the Lord's help, I gave myself that time.

Do I recommend that everybody take Mental Health Days? Yes, actually I do. I'm not saying to shirk duties and call out sick from work all the time. But I am encouraging us to consider that our brains need to be healthy just as much as our bodies. So when we've had enough, feel we've hit a wall, and just don't want to do it anymore, maybe it's time for a break. Maybe it's time to respect our mental health just like we do our physical health.

Metabolizing Trauma

My clinical supervisor and I had a discussion recently about trauma exposure and how it can decrease creativity. All that bad stuff we encounter? It just sits around and lingers if we don't process it. Often times, the bad in life (or in the world around us) is so bad that we just want to forget it, or let it go, or not acknowledge it. But we have to process it and let its after affects be part of us, or it can rule and wreck us.

So how do we metabolize trauma? I don't fully know. But I know it's necessary to have a vibrant and thriving life, especially with the work I do. So here's a starter list of ways I know I can work through trauma:

• Hiking
• Walking
• Yoga
• Movement in general (because it integrates both sides of the brain)
• Talking
• Drawing
• Writing (part of why I have this blog)
• Cooking
• Sleeping (but only if I do the work of processing afterward)

And I'm going to argue that processing often takes several of these methods, several times. And sometimes processing has to happen over the course of time. Because trauma has a way of re-emerging.

And processing takes action, deliberate action, and deliberate choice. But if I don't process, I'm in trouble. My relationships are in trouble. My work is in trouble. Because unmetabolized trauma causes toxic build up. And toxic build up is deadly.

On the other hand, metabolized by-products can be beneficial. The residual effects of trauma, the scars and wounds that have healed, can make us better people. The process of metabolizing trauma can make us stronger.

So let's do the work people. Let's figure out what works, and do more of it. Feel free to contact me, or comment below about additional ways to process trauma. We all need to do it, and the more methods, the better!

Thirty-One (And a Whole Ton of Change)

If you would have told me on May 10th of last year that I'd be getting married in 13 months, I would have told you that I thought you were crazy. Well, here I am at 31, with only, Lord willing, 35 days left as a single person.

A lot can change in a year. Last year, I thought I would be single forever. I thought I would focus on my job and just enjoy life. In fact, those were my birthday goals:

So how did I do?

1) I am almost two years into my job. I am learning. I am figuring out who God made me to be as a therapist. I'm passionate about my work. I have some ideas of things I would like to learn, trainings I would like to attend, and certifications I would like to earn, but still really no idea of what the future holds as far as my counseling. God knows, though.

2) I'm working on stress management. I probably always will be. But God is helping me day by day, and I see growth in areas like my handling of the on-call phone at work and not jumping on the panic wagon when others do. I've hiked more, and done yoga for less minutes, but tried to be more diligent about prioritizing both. (For me, that looks like spending more time hiking outside, and engaging in shorter yoga sessions inside, but practicing once a week, if possible.) And some stress management, like crocheting, has pretty much gone to the wayside due to health issues and lack of time. It's okay. Life changes.

3) I'd say I've lived this year. I started being more social last year because I was desperate. And God used that desperation to make me face my fears of hanging out with and getting to know Chris more. God knows what he's doing. I've had to prioritize and re-organize life and relationships again now that we're engaged and planning a wedding, but it's good. God is good. And I'm working on enjoying and celebrating God's goodness everyday.

My top three memories were:

1) My Bahamas Cruise: It's been on my bucket list for awhile to go to the Bahamas, and having a friend reunion while doing so made it even better!

2) Butterfly Run: Having my best friend and Chris there (yes, he was there, but I didn't post pictures because we weren't officially dating at the time) made it super fun. And I got my best time yet!

3) Getting engaged: Kind of unexpected based on where I was last year this time, but kind of timely based on where Chris and I were in our relationship. I'm glad he asked when he did.

Goals for 31:

1) Learn to be a wife (because I've never been one before!)

2) Celebrate life. I've been working on this, but want to do it more, because God is always good, even in the hard. I have a feeling that part of this will be finding a better work/life balance. I like my job and feel called to it, but man, it's hard! To celebrate life, I somehow have to live out the hard at work and not let it cloud my everyday. I'm not there yet.

3) Find a new routine. (I'd say "normal," but philosophically, I don't believe that normal exists.) This kind of goes with number one, but finding and fulfilling a new role in life is different than finding a new structure. I've been on my own for most of my adult life and now it's time to merge my life and find out what life looks like for us. (And I want that routine to include celebration! See point number two.)

So here's to another year of life and whatever God has for me in it. To Him be the glory!

A Review of Yoga Fix 30

Another January, another 30 day yoga challenge completed. This seems to be a theme for me. But hey, the New Year is a great time for a reset, and when there are challenges to do, why not?

This year, I completed the Yoga Fix 30 with Lesley Fightmaster. This was a series of roughly 20 minute videos targeting all areas of the body, usually with a meditation on Sunday. Here's what I liked, what I learned, and what I didn't like.

I liked...

• The brevity of the videos: I didn't need to get up early or carve out a huge chunk of time for yoga. I could add the videos onto a shorter workout, or do them after work.
• The duration of the videos: Thirty days is long enough to feel like I worked hard, but not so long that I regretted my commitment. I was ready for a few days break when the series finished.
• The accessibility of the videos: I used to like hard yoga, but after a bout with the flu (or whatever it was), these were challenging enough, without stressing my body.
• The imperfections: Fightmaster leaves the mistakes in her video, which makes me feel a whole lot better when I fall out of a pose. "Fall out. Get right back in," she says. That's a good motto for life.
• The mantra at the end: "Hands to the forehead, reminding us to have clear and loving thoughts. Hands to the heart, reminding us to have clear and loving intentions. Hands to the mouth, reminding us to have clear and loving communications." This is biblical if I do say so myself.

I learned...

• How to do an up dog: I could never figure out how cobra and up dog were different, but I finally got it. Thighs on the floor for cobra. Thighs off the floor for up dog. And in real up dog, I'm closer to the cool feet-flip that gets people back into down dog.
• Long workouts aren't for me: I did add my daily video on at the end of weights or jogging a few days, and I was tired. About 30 minutes is good for me. Much more, and I just don't do a good job.
• To take modifications: I am a perfectionist and want to do things 100%. But with the flu and my overall tiredness, I rested more in these yoga videos. And it was okay. I still got through.
• Yoga, as with any habit, is about priorities: There isn't time for everything, so I had to choose to do yoga over other workouts or activities. Nothing lost, but something gained. Life is about choices.
• You really should wait two hours after eating to practice: I left my video until after dinner one night, and though I waited as long as I could after eating (an hour or more), I didn't feel well afterwards. Lesson learned.

I didn't like...

• Sunday meditations: I would have preferred a shorter, gentler yoga class in lieu of the meditations. But it's okay, because I used that time to try to practice my own flows.
• The ads: It's a peril of YouTube, but I didn't enjoy clicking past the ads at the beginning of each video. I almost always felt rushed going into them, and the ads took a few more seconds of my time.
• The pacing: A few of the videos moved too fast for me, at least in my current state. I didn't like feeling like I couldn't keep up.
• My malaise: I don't think it was the videos' fault, but I felt more disconnected this time through yoga. I didn't feel as relaxed or calm. Maybe that's because I've been sick. Maybe it's because I'm stressed. I don't know, but whatever the cause, the videos felt more like a chore this time.
• The lack of Christian connection: I believe that Christians can practice yoga as an integration of body, mind, and spirit (because that's the way God made us). Fightmaster doesn't tout herself as a Christian yoga practitioner, so I can't fault her secular comments and connections, but some day, I would like to find a Christian yoga video producer.

That's all for this yoga wrap-up. Thoughts, comments, or questions? Please share in the comments section.

My Prescription for Good Mental Health

I wrote this post awhile ago, as life and work got a little crazy. I'm revisiting it now and realizing how much I need a dose of good mental health. I've stopped doing some of these things, but I need to start again.

1. Three rows of crochet: I don't get to this every day, but overall, it's an activity that calms my brain (by crossing the center line, EMDR folks) and makes me feel like I've accomplished something for the day. More than three rows is not good self-care because of my "dystonia."

2. Positive mental input via podcasts and radio: In the midst of external criticism and feelings of inadequacy, filling my mind with the good stuff (aka crowding out the criticism) is vital.

3. Daily Scripture intake: Usually via reading, but sometimes via the audio One Year Bible recording. If I'm not starting the day with truth, I'm starting the day with no foundation

4. Good nutrition: It's easy to forget eating or eat junk when I'm busy, but neither turn out very well. Meal prep and snacks are vital during this time

5. Comfy clothes: When days are long, it's not good to be uncomfortable. I'm not talking sloppy here, but wearing clothes that fit and cover me thoroughly is vital to survival. Layers are also helpful for the widely varying temperatures in Arizona.

6. Floor sitting: There's got to be some science behind this, but sitting on the floor (usually to crochet) winds me down and helps me relax before bed.

7. No social media during nighttime snack: Scrolling Instagram or Pinterest before bed isn't a good idea. I'm in a brain-numbed state and I can't seem to stop. And if I do it while eating, I often violate point four by eating junk food mindlessly.

8. Crosswords: The antidote to my social media scrolling. These engage my brain and help me not think about the day past or the day future, or much else but my intense drive to finish. (Yes, I'm competitive with myself.)

9. Creative outlets: I need to make and create, even if I'm not an artist. This also goes back to number one, but also feeds into my need to make fabric cards and cook.

10. Prayer: I often don't want to do this, but I need to, and before the crisis, not after or during. Prayer is my power connection, as well as a way to calm my mind and remind myself that I'm not in control.

11. Yoga: I am trying to get back into practicing, at least once a week. Yoga is a good way to create a quiet space to detox mind, body, and spirit. It is also a way to stretch and unwind the kinks that build up in my body after a log week of work.

I'm not saying that I'm perfect, or even that I practice these things well, but I think it's important to make a list, to realize what works and what doesn't, so on those bad days I can remind myself to "take the pill" of my prescription for good mental health and chill.

What is your prescription for good mental health? Please share in the comments section.

*This post is inspired by Georgie Morely of In It For the Long Run.

Pursuing Rest via Yoga

I started a more intensive yoga practice last fall while working at a school that offered after-school vinyasa classes for staff. Our teacher was a wonderful woman that knew just how far to push and challenge us. I'd come out of each hour class feeling sweaty, tired, and at peace. I thought that was how yoga was supposed to.

I couldn't go to yoga classes in January, so I committed to Do Yoga With Me's 30 Day Yoga Challenge. I realized that not all yoga classes were an hour in length, and I had to accept the fact that sometimes yoga didn't stretch me and energize me like the vinyasa classes. Sometimes it just rested me.

Fast forward to March and another yoga challenge that involved way too much lying on the ground and philosophizing, and I was pretty set in my yoga ways. I wanted the classes to be long and tired.

But then life got in the way of yoga, our yoga teacher left, and I didn't find time to fit in my weekly hour of yoga. I put yoga off or just did it occasionally. I toyed around with a new video yoga instructor, Lesley Fightmaster, and did a few short classes. But I wasn't committed.

After reading HummusSapien's Love Letter to Anxiety last week, however, I think I'm ready to recommit to a more regular yoga practice. Though building strength to survive those hour yoga classes is cool, what I really need from yoga are the components of muscle stretching and brain rest. Lesley Fightmaster's classes have just enough chatarungas to keep me moving and she always ends with an inspiring quote, so for now, I think I'll still with her classes. So long, hard, sweaty vinyasa. Hello, rest, because right now, that's what I need more of to moderate my life. 

*And if you're like me, living a busy lifestyle but in need of  the rest of yoga, I recommend Lesley's Fightmaster's "10 Minute 'Emergency' Yoga Sequence." As said in the video, some yoga is better than no yoga.*