As the leaves turn brown and November nears yoga studios across the world gear up for their 30 day challenge. The 30 day challenge tests your body and mind with a goal of completing a yoga class everyday for 30 consecutive days. Starting on the first day of the month and ending on the last. Depending on the studio it may cost a fee to join.
The 30 day challenge can also be paired with your own additional healthy challenges. Some people choose to eat vegetarian, go raw, juice for 30 days or give up alcohol. On top of this you may decide you want to challenge yourself creatively with a blog or journal of your progress. The point is giving yourself 30 days to find a better, peaceful you.
Yoga 30 Day Challenge
When you first approach the idea 30 days seems impossible. A challenge is never easy but it doesn’t have to be unbearably hard. In modern day North American society yoga is surrounded by many negative stigmas some of them being that participants need to be flexible and lean. This however is untrue and the seemingly impossible 30 day challenge is not as out of reach as you may think, it can be done by everyone with lasting, positive impact.
The first roadblock that people allow into their minds when they hear of a 30 day challenge is time. Is there enough ? Most yoga studios offer a multitude of different classes and times throughout the day. You can catch one before work or after and on your day off with friends. You can even create your own challenge within the 30 days- perhaps hitting the studio 5 times a week. The goal is to do your best and challenge yourself. As long as you’re doing more than when you started you’re winning. There is not way you can lose unless you let yourself down.
You shouldn’t be worried about being too tired either, yoga is used to increase energy with postures that enable blood flow and proper use of breathing techniques. At the end of a class you should feel invigorated and many yoga participants state that after starting yoga their consumption of caffeinated beverages has gone down. Yoga also helps you to focus your energy, the hour you spent procrastinating could be positively focused into a class to realign your thoughts, clear your mind and allow you to complete your task with better effect.
Warning: Yoga may cause health and happiness
“I’m just not flexible” every yogi has started somewhere. If you go into anything thinking you’ve already achieved it there is no point to it at all. Yoga instructors offer variations on poses that allow you to move to your own pace and when you are in the room focusing on yourself you won’t realize the person on the opposite side of the room who has put in their time.
A good feeling also comes with achieving anything by the end of 30 days you can see how your body has changed- you are more flexible, stronger in poses, less tired and perhaps you’ve lost weight or gained muscle.
Many times people will state that they can’t do yoga until they lose weight, instead if losing weight is your goal you should come to class. Yoga is a spiritual exercise that allows you to lose weight along the way. You don’t need to lose weight to come to a class to lose weight.
As well as this due to the philosophical element of yoga the people are less judging and a lot of times their eyes are closed. You don’t have the anxiety that the skinny girl on the treadmill is giving you a dirty look. You want a yoga body ? Do yoga. Cardiovascular yoga also leads to more energy for other work outs, clearer skin and a sharper mind. We regret the things we don’t try more than the things we do.
Are you convinced yet ?
Lastly, if the yoga itself isn’t going to completely sell you how about the perks ? Many studios offer prizes for milestones they see in participants, special workshops with guest speakers, parties with free food and the best of all- who doesn’t want an event t-shirt ?
This is also a great opportunity to make friends or grow closer with them. Make a challenge with your best friend to go, it may push both of you to do better. Or make friends within the challenge itself. A lot of people are moving towards their own goals and yours may mesh or you may learn something new about somebody. If you are going to a studio for 30 days you are bound to see the same people around.
The 30 day challenge appears to focus on one element but its suited to you personally and achieves more than just 30 days of repetitive exercise. Take a month of your year to achieve a resolution and see what you can do. You may fall in love with something new or achieve something you didn’t even know you wanted. Log off. Shut down. Do yoga.
Day 1 – 30 Day Yoga Challenge – Let’s Get Started!
