30 Days of Yoga: My Personal Journey

If any of you have followed me on social media, you might have noticed that I had started posting little tidbits of my personal fitness journey. Now Yoga isn't the only form of physical activity or exercise that I do, but this post is really going to focus on Yoga.

One of the reason's I embarked on this 30 Day Challenge in the first place was I needed something to do on my active rest days. With the weather being as crazy as it was for the past few months getting out for a walk wasn't always feasible. It was suggested that on those Active Rest days I do 20 to 30 minutes of Yoga.

Now in the past I had tried Yoga a few times, but I just wasn't feeling it. It was too slow paced and I just couldn't get my mind to shut off or be quiet. I really didn't understand how laying on a mat and putting yourself in weird positions was going to help anyone. I had only been to a few classes where everyone else was so advanced or regulars that I felt lost in the crowd. Instead of explaining a pose I had felt belittled by the teacher who only pointed out the flaws and questioned my presence there. However, I was willing to give it a try, after all it had been years and was only 30 minutes every few days and in the comfort of my own home, so I could probably manage.

I searched on YouTube for beginner Yoga videos and came across so many I didn't know where to begin. The first few I clicked seemed like it was just people showing a yoga move but not explaining anything. I ended up stuck in some back bend (that clearly wasn't for beginners) I tried a couple of more and began to lose hope. I then came across the 30 Days of Yoga with Adriene. I figured I would give it a shot and try the first video, I had nothing to lose, I had already got stuck in poses and if this didn't work I was going to wash my hands of yoga for good. I did that first video and loved how she seemed so down to earth, she joked, and was smiling and laughing and explained each move and showed modifications for those who may not have the flexibility to get there. She also has these Foundations of Yoga videos for basic poses and flow and I could always go back to those and work on a specific pose as part of my practice. 

I felt amazing after that first 34 minutes. I know I wasn't a Yogi by any means but I felt different in a good way.  I then decided that I was going to stick with these videos. A few days passed and I went on to day 2. After that I decided that I wasn't just going to do Yoga on my Active Rest days but Everyday and challenge myself to commit to the mat everyday. I threw caution to the wind and I started over at Day 1, and so began my Personal Challenge.

Day 1 through 15

I felt fantastic after each time on the Mat but I was struggling with "finding my breath". I never took into account how much concentration it would take to engage certain muscles during poses. Something happened though around day 15, I found my breath. It was one of the most incredible feelings. Each Move felt different than they had before, I felt different but in the most powerful way that I'm not sure I can put into words. It was simply amazing. I finally made the Breath to body, mind and heart connection. 



Day 16 through 30

I was halfway through, I was so happy that I had made it this far and I was really enjoying the yoga. My body was no longer stiff and sore. My energy level had increased and I was able to fall asleep easier than I had in the past. My physical and Mental well-being had taken a huge shift and it was simply from doing something for me, committing to coming to the mat everyday. It didn't matter if I was on the mat for 15 minutes or 45 minutes the difference and progress I saw in myself was fantastic. 

As Mother's, sometimes we feel guilty when we take a little time to ourselves, at the beginning of this year I said I was going work on committing to me and doing things for myself. Self care is super important and Yoga became my "thing" part of my self care.Time for me just 30 minutes a day without distraction (or at least little to no distraction) and it made me feel good.

I learned a lot about myself along the way too. I realized that if I put my mind to something and really hold myself accountable I can do anything. I gained confidence that I don't think I ever had. I was able quiet my mind and relax. I also learned that I really need to work on my patience. Though I thoroughly enjoyed when my kids wanted to do Yoga along side me, I also really enjoyed the me time when I was able to do it alone. That being said when I was in the middle of a pose and my little guy jumped on me I was not a happy camper and totally lost my cool. It's definitely something I need to work on.

I enjoyed challenging myself so much so that I am again going to commit to Yoga Everyday and do the TRUE - 30 Day Yoga Journey. Yoga has given me a way to detox my mind and body and truly connect with myself. One of the motto's that is used often during her Practice is "Find What Feels Good" I can confidently say that I have found what feels good and I look forward to where my practice will take me in the future.

Namaste My Friends

~ Mommy Dearest