30-DAY YOGA CHALLENGE: THOUGHTS FROM INSIDE THE BAD YOGI STUDIO

Last year was all over the place! And sports were NOT at the top of my list.
After one year of watching every Netflix show (tbh, I enjoyed it).
I decided it was finally time to get back on track and get away from the couch.

Just in time for Spring ! Hello, longer days !

MY RELATIONSHIP WITH YOGA: IT’S COMPLICATED

The first time I ever practiced yoga was around 2013. Back when I was studying at university and trying to get healthier and less stressed.

Bruce Banner and I have a lot in common (imgflip)

I couldn’t afford to pay for classes, so of course, I head over to YouTube for answers.

Erin Motz was the first instructor I watched. She also had a 30-day challenge back then and made yoga super easy to understand and follow along. Plus, she was so nice!

I stuck with it for the 30 days and saw improvements very quickly. I felt so proud of myself! Even if it took me a little longer to finish.

Since then, I’ve been in an on-again/off-again relationship with yoga.

I love it! But I like to mix it up with other sports (or TV shows) from now and then.

SPRING 30-DAY YOGA CHALLENGE OVERVIEW

The Bad Yogi Studio is a subscription-based platform where you can find MANY yoga classes with Erin. They keep it fresh with one new class every week.

They started a spring challenge that consisted of 30 different yoga classes over 30 days. The challenge felt like the perfect opportunity to try their platform and hop on the fitness wagon again.

For this challenge, the classes range from 20 to 30 minutes, which was pretty manageable to fit into my daily routine. So I decided to commit and do yoga every day for a month.

CHALLENGE HIGHLIGHTS: MY 30-DAY YOGA JOURNEY

Full disclaimer on my yoga skills before starting the challenge:

• I’ve never been super bendy.
• My feet have only briefly touched the floor on a downward-facing dog pose (Spoiler Alert: I still can’t touch the floor).
• I can hold crow pose for 0.1 seconds.
• My balance could be better.

I struggle to hold some poses, and that’s ok. I celebrate the tiniest progress BIG time. Progress is a nice warm feeling you get to experience.

Week 1, left, compared to week 4, right.

Going into the challenge, I decided to keep track of my thoughts on the videos and how I felt practicing each day. Here are some of my highlights:

Day 1: The challenge starts with a class from the original 30 Day Yoga Challenge. Ah, the memories! It was fun and challenging to do again. I’m so proud of young me for sticking with it.

Day 10: Today’s lesson was very flowy and focused on stretching. Exactly what I needed for a Monday morning! My muscles were super tense going into this challenge, especially the hips. But I do notice my body is starting to loosen up and enjoy the movements.

Day 12: “Plank Awareness” workshop. Who knew there’s so much involved to hold a correct plank pose? It was much needed but oof! I’m still wobbly. This class is for sure one to revisit until you don’t sink in. (PS: Love the new background!)

Day 14: I can do a cartwheel! Even as a kid, I could NEVER do a cartwheel, but today… bam! Full cartwheel! This was me playing around. Not part of the challenge. But it was definitely because of the challenge. I’m thrilled!

Day 28: “Happy Baby” used to feel so uncomfortable at the beginning of the challenge. Not so happy! But I can see a difference now. My hips don’t feel as tight anymore. Now I can actually enjoy the stretch.

Day 30: It’s the last day of the challenge, and I can’t believe it’s already over! The final classes are much more on the restorative side. And, to be honest, that’s just what I needed after 30 days of yoga.

I also decided to document the process and record a short video every day. I thought it would be a fun project to work on. (Video editing: That’s a whole nother story!)

I was so excited to over the footage to see any changes in my flexibility and strength:

I definitely felt more confident practicing over time, I was less hesitant from pose to pose. And I could see a better form in the poses (of course is not perfect, but it did improve). Especially on the push-ups and downward-facing dog, which felt more like a resting pose instead of something to struggle with.

TOP 3 LEARNINGS AFTER THE YOGA CHALLENGE

Practicing yoga or any other sport is very personal, and I’m sure everyone would come up with different learnings from the experience.

Here are the top 3 lessons I learned after completing this yoga challenge:

1. Don’t compare yourself
   Erin does a great job at providing lots of modifications so people at all levels can join. For sure I used many of them!
   It’s ok to modify poses when you need to.
   And it’s ok if you are way more tired than the instructor in front of you (they have been doing it way longer!)
   I was drenched in sweat in many classes, while Erin was as if the class had just started. But that’s ok.
   You can also pause the video! (one extra perk from online classes).
2. Celebrate the small victories
   My heels still can’t touch the flow on downward-facing dog pose. But I’m closer. I still need to drop my knees, but I feel much stronger while doing push-ups now. I struggle so much with my balance! But a little less each time. Enjoy the ride! Celebrate and have fun with whatever progress you see. Recording myself over the 30 days was very interesting to watch. I got to see myself getting better! I think it’s a good practice and I’ll start keeping track of new challenges I go into from now on.
3. Keep going!
   It’s easy to finish a challenge and then stop altogether. I’ve done it. Sometimes you just need a break for no reason at all. Take a few days off! But if you like doing yoga or any other activity, you have to make time for it and push yourself a bit and get back at it! This may sound cheesy, I know, but consistency (and patience) truly is key if you want to see results.

My chaturanga feels like less of a struggle.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE CHALLENGE & ONLINE YOGA CLASSES

I still miss yoga studios. The best part of in-person classes for me was getting to interact with others. Whether you knew your classmates or not, you were all in the same boat: struggling, improving, and celebrating little victories with these fellow yogis.

Going to a class leaves you with a little something extra. And I’m looking forward to going back from time to time in the future.

With that said, online classes are a great alternative! It’s a good way to stay active without leaving your house. You can start practicing from your living room in your sweatpants. No pressure! AND they are much cheaper (or free) than a gym membership!

I decided to get a subscription to the Bad Yogi Studio for this challenge. Do you need it? Honestly, no. There are many free classes you can find on YouTube. But, purchasing it works if you want to be more consistent and have more accountability (and if you can spare the $10/month).

I’ll keep the subscription for a while, as Erin is my favorite yogi. To then mix it up with other sports or running.

I am super happy with the changes I saw from doing this challenge. I feel stronger, my form improved over those 30 days, and I’m more aware of my breathing (tho I need to keep working on it!).

Overall, it helped me get back on track and spend a few minutes every day doing something for me and clear my mind.

I’m gonna keep up with yoga, and you should give it a try if you are looking for something new!