Following the words from my own post on September 30^th, I decided to make my own personal commitment. I challenged myself to practice yoga for 30 consecutive days. I’m pleased to follow up letting you know I practiced 27 of the 30 days. (I’m even more pleased to let you know I successfully practiced daily while on vacation.) Initially I was apprehensive doing this challenge on my own verses with a studio or with a class, yet I found my own system which worked out great for me. All of my practices were done solo, outside of a studio and at no cost!  I was even fortunate enough to take my practice to the beach for a day and into the sunrise on another.

Yoga isn’t new to me and luckily I’ve experienced a number of yoga styles and different studios, so during my first few days I was able to draw from these experiences; I gathered my yoga resources and created my own practice. I utilized information from previous classes, The Women’sHealth Big Book of Yoga, Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown, Pocket Yoga App, Yoga Studio App, and even a few On Demand Classes. My best practices came from following my own system and at times forgoing a previously planned routine. Most days I just listening to my body and went where my breath and my flow took me. 

     

I’m a firm believer that ALL things can provide us with a lesson if we look! So what did my practice teach me??? Well, aside from the well known benefits such as increased flexibility and strength, and improved focus, I learned a lot of other unexpected things! Here are the top lessons my challenge taught me:

    I’m a much more productive morning person than evening person. If I didn’t practice first thing in the morning, it was hard for me to “find time” and easy to “find excuses” My most successful practices came within an hour of waking up

    I can be flexible: Even though I prefer morning practice, I stumbled upon a great PM yoga routine that helped me relax and unwind before going to sleep

    Seemingly small successes are indeed a success and should be celebrated as one. Half moon has always been a challenging balance pose for me, however day after day, I found myself smiling as I found myself opening up the slightest bit further than the previous day

    Commitment and Accountability: I’m stubborn so a personal challenge is a great way to hold myself accountable and follow my commitment. When I set my mind to something, you better believe I’m all in

    Increased metabolism: I’ve never been so hungry by 10am

    Tomorrow is always a new day: So I missed 3 days, did I fail at my challenge?  Not at all! In fact I succeeded because after each of my missed 3 days, I didn’t dwell on it, I woke up the next day and picked up right where I left off on the path of my goal!

So what’s the take home: Challenge yourself even if it initially seems lofty! Remember “Only those who risk going to far can find out how far they can go”!

Until Next Time ~ Be Well