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I Tried Yoga for 30 Days

I Tried Yoga for 30 Days
 

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It’s winter, so it’s time to hibernate and eat chocolate. I stay active running outside in the summer and have dumbbells at the house that are never used. We also have a stationary bike, but it seems to hurt my bottom from sitting than do anything else. I needed a workout that really wasn’t a workout because I wanted to be lazy. I didn’t want to spend any money on equipment. Yoga would be the perfect answer. It’s easy and I won’t sweat… or so I thought.

I ran across Youtube personality Yoga with Adriene as I was searching yoga online. She had a 30 day plan for January and I decided this would be great at keeping me entertained. I get bored of the same routine. I started toward the end of January, but downloaded the calendar to keep track of what day I was on to complete the full 30.

 

*NOTE: I did have to stop for about 4 days while our family was getting over a stomach bug, but other than that, I stuck to my plan of 5 days of yoga a week (I gave myself a break on weekends because who doesn’t love breaks?).

I tried Yoga for 30 days. Find out what happened. #yoga #exercise #new

Reasons I Turned to Yoga

Pilates is focused a lot on abs, so this was not an option. I wanted something I could do while pregnant to stay active. I could’ve tried HIIT instead, but I didn’t want to sweat enough to shower afterward because I didn’t have the time.  There were 3 reasons I was drawn to yoga:

  • Open my tight hips
  • Become more flexible
  • Feel like I’m being more active

 

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It Didn’t Come Easy

After 2 days, my neck hurt. I’ve had past neck pain that comes and goes, so I researched neck pain caused my yoga. Turns out I was straining my neck during different poses. I now pay extra attention to my neck during every pose and quickly learned my limits to keep it relaxed. I am now happy to say I have had no neck pain since!

From Day 12 to Day 16, my daughter decided to wake up extra early. This meant no yoga for me in the mornings. I struggled to find other times to do it. I tried to work out during the day while she was reading books, but it ended up with her lying on my mat under me while I was stuck in downward dog position. It didn’t work. The rest of the days, I did yoga after my daughter went to bed.

I tried Yoga for 30 days. Find out what happened. #yoga #exercise #momlife

My daughter enjoying her yoga.

Remember when I thought it would be easy? It’s not. Adriene breaks down poses to meet your expertise and abilities. She gives a beginner pose and shows how to extend the pose to be more difficult. I fell multiple times in different poses, even on the easiest variations. At times I couldn’t keep my balance for the life of me. Determination kept me going.

Yoga Comes With a Great Outcome

Some crazy things happened during my yoga journey. I used to wake up with back pain, but have yet to experience this while doing yoga. It also helped my knee pain.

 

After my yoga sessions, I would leave the mat thinking I didn’t do much that day. 12 hours later, I was feeling muscles I didn’t know existed! Did you know there is a muscle on your upper arm that is not your biceps or triceps and closer to your armpit? Neither did I, but I worked it.

This one had to be by far the weirdest benefit. My bowel movements were easier and more frequent after doing yoga. I even researched it to find out if I was going crazy, but turns out it’s a thing!

Forward Fold

 

The Takeaway

If I had one takeaway during this journey to share it would be a forward fold (bending over with legs straight or slightly bent) while rocking back and forth with elbows clasped. It feels amazing on your back. While recovering from the stomach bug, my lower back acted up from the body aches. I would take a minute or two just to do a forward fold and it relieved my pain almost instantly. This also helped with aches in my lower back due to menstrual pain.

Now that my 30 Day Yoga journey is over, I will be continuing onto the next one. It feels weird when I wake up on the weekends and don’t do a yoga session. I’m at a point I would feel guilty if I missed a workout. The great thing? Yoga With Adriene has decided to put up a monthly calendar EACH month this year. I’ve already downloaded the February and March calendars!

 

*This post is an honest opinion. I have not been contacted nor paid by Yoga with Adriene to complete this post.

 

Yoga inspiration for beginners and moms. I tried yoga for 30 days. Here's what I learned doing mom yoga with kids around. #yoga #momlife #parenting #workout #healthy

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klaudia

Sunday 25th of March 2018

Would love to try YOGA :)

Rebecca Rinn Powell

Saturday 24th of March 2018

Love yoga and all it's benefits. I just retired from dancing professionally and it's helped me stay active during my transition.

Daima Hussain

Friday 16th of March 2018

My family does yoga as a bonding thing, I have been doing it on and off practically all my life, and Yoga has a lot of benefits, I would recommend everyone try it.

Sara

Thursday 15th of March 2018

I’ve thought about trying yoga for a while but my balance is terrible so just put it off. I started to go Zumba which I love but it’s only once a week near me so I could do with something else. I’m also lazy, I do Zumba because it’s fun, so something that at first feels like you’ve not done a lot would suit me. After reading this post I think I will give it go, 30 days to try it out

Samantha

Thursday 15th of March 2018

Definitely don’t be turned off from yoga because of balance Sara. My balance is terrible too. It’s gotten better during some of the poses, but I stumble out of them occasionally. I still get a nice workout and it gives me something to work toward!

Denise de Castro

Wednesday 14th of March 2018

I love doing yoga, especially when I'm feeling tense or stressed. It does wonders when you also practice your breathing. Namaste.