Is it that time already? Yes, you read that correctly. It is the Final Yoga Chapter. Honestly, I feel like it was just yesterday that we were starting this journey together. You, myself, and Adriene of course have really gone on quite the ride and have learned so much wouldn’t you say? Today – I’m going to take you on a trip down memory lane and walk you through all of our good times [and bad]. Are You Ready For it?
If you can remember, we have already gone through chapter one, two, three, and four of 30 Days of Yoga With Adriene. Unfortunately, Adriene and I haven’t yet had a chance to get coffee because our schedules are just so jam packed it just hasn’t lined up. Okay, just kidding – she has no idea who I am. But, maybe one day I’ll get the chance to attend one of her community events.
The Final Week
Due to how I started this journey, the final week only had about four days left. To be honest, these last few days were not the best four days of the series and here is why:
- I was going through a transition at work that caused my schedule to be quite inconsistent.
- I am going through an allergy situation.
Four days is not very long in the grand scheme of things so these things didn’t affect my practice that much. Initially, I thought I just had the case of the typical – sneeze three times and it’s over deal. But, I found out this week that I am going through some sort of allergies which is strange because of our current season.
What happened during this last week was that I could not stop sniffing and sneezing during my practice all four days. Due to the frustration of my sinuses, I could not focus on my practice what-so-ever. It was especially hard when we were in downward dog or mountain pose and you have to breathe and all I wanted to do is sneeze. I think it is my new way of relaxing. [said no one ever]
Another aspect that didn’t sit well with me this week besides the fact that the challenge was ending, was that the very last day was a freestyle day. So far in this practice, I haven’t been a fan of free-styling when A suggests it because I don’t feel confident in myself or my body just yet to know exactly what it needs. In time, I can see that I will be able to figure that out – however, I am very new to the yoga practice and the confidence just isn’t there yet.
What I Feel I’ve Succeeded With
- A Routine
- I’ve always been inclined to seek out a way for my life to be a routine; doing yoga is not any different. One of my favorite parts about this journey is that I mastered the routine. Every day since July 11th – I’ve gotten up every morning and done my yoga practice and that to me is a very successful aspect.
- Breathing
- In the beginning of these 30 days, I never knew that breathing would be so important and so necessary for a successful practice. I have found myself throughout the day breathing to either calm myself down or to notice how I’m feeling. One thing I notice when I am doing deep breathing throughout the day is how my shoulders and wrists are tense and feel stressed.
- The amazing moment of clarity I had was that it helps me de-stress. Now, I cannot say that it has completely gotten rid of my headaches but – I definitely notice the breathing bring my stress level down.
- Relaxation
- My favorite quote from Adriene is this: ‘Bow, to the greater picture.’
- I often get either over-excited or easily aggravated and stressed. I’ve always wanted to find a way to control these emotions and just calm my nerves. I cannot say that I have mastered these emotions with Yoga but I can say that I am not as… frazzled all the time.
- I believe that doing yoga is the cause of this change. Breathing, dropping my shoulders, working out consistently, and eating healthier are all contributions to being able to know when to ‘bow down to the bigger picture.’
- My favorite quote from Adriene is this: ‘Bow, to the greater picture.’
What I Need To Improve On
- Poses
- Okay, let’s be honest, has anyone ever mastered the yoga poses in their first 30 days? I’m pretty sure that’s a no. That being said, I have seen some improvements but I still have a ton of work to do.
- Strength
- Let me tell you, I never thought that yoga required strength. I’m pretty sure that I didn’t know anything about yoga before these 30 days. Every day I do a new video with Adriene I learn something new about myself and the yoga practice.
- Focus
- This will be my hardest battle during my yoga journey. I say this because naturally, I am a multi-tasker. You could also say that get distracted easily.
Overall 30 Day Experience
Overall, I am extremely pleased with the first 30 days of yoga with Adriene. Every day I try to convince those around me to start the practice because of its rewards. After starting daily yoga, I’ve found that it is not just a standard workout. The practice not only engages your body, it also connects your mind in the process.
I think it is safe to say that our world could use some improvement as far as how we treat ourselves and others. I am living proof that if we all practiced a little bit of yoga – our world can be slowly improved over time. Doing yoga isn’t a religion or witchcraft; it is pure connection with your inner self. You might be asking – What does that even mean?
Finding Your Inner Self
I’m not going to say that I’ve completed this after 30 days of Yoga With Adriene because that would be really easy and everyone would be doing it. It would be all over the news, ‘Yoga With Adriene – Cures all problems in the world- Featuring: The World’. Wouldn’t that be quite the headline?
What I mean by ‘finding your inner self’ is simple – it means, acceptance, it means being real, and it means being happy. Yes, we are getting serious up on this post today. Some may find that doing a standard daily workout can bring this aspect into play but others, like me, did not find that until now.
Acceptance
The hardest thing about this is that you have to do it because no one else can do it for you. Which means that you have to want it. So to not be so deep here – with yoga it means accepting what level you are at. Not all of our bodies are equal ‘Woah, did I just say that?’ Yes, it is wild but we all look, feel, and act different which means that we grow at our practice differently. Accepting that has been one of the harder things for me because I know that at one time in my life – I was extremely flexible from doing handstands to doing the splits.
That being said, when I started doing various [relatively easy] poses, I noticed that I could not do them very well. Not surprising, I became very frustrated and disappointed. I kept getting down on myself because I wasn’t at the level that Adriene and all the other yogis are at. Now, I wasn’t expecting that I’d be a master but I figured that I could at least do the basics.
Then, I realized that it takes time. Acceptance started to set in. The fact that every morning I show up on the mat ready to get to work on my inner self and my outer self proves that I’m willing to improve and get better. I accept that it will take time to get where I want to be. Through this path, I will accept my place in the world and with time, I will get where I want to be. It all works together.
Being Real
This one is great. Above, I got extremely deep when it came to yoga. I’d like to switch it up a bit and tell you that yoga should be fun. An amazing thing that Adriene does in her videos is that she brings life to them. She tells us all the time to not be robots but to be free. What I mean by being real is to bring joy into your practice and to your life. You can’t always live your life in a serious mood.
Being real means that when you fall out of your tree pose… you may laugh then get back into it. Being real means that you relax and you smile in your practice which will bring light to your day. Luckily, we have Adriene to bring laughter to us every morning because she sings, laughs and tells funny jokes to lighten up the practice.
So what I mean by this is: Smile, embrace the fall and get back up because we are human – we are real.
Happiness
Doing this practice has brought more happiness into my life. Here is how: Less stress. No one can ever say that they have a stress-free life, however, you can lower your stress. Let’s also be clear that there are several things in one’s life that can cause the stress you might be enduring.
Personally, I have been going through a lot of work stress in my life which I have yet to fix. Luckily, I have found yoga which has had the ability to calm me and bring at least some peace into my mind. Every time I get onto the mat I do it for me and for my happiness. There is something about the fact of doing the workout for myself that brings joy in my life.
My favorite aspect of the yoga practice is the breathing. Who would have known that consistent, deep breaths would bring that much relaxation to my life; I sure didn’t. Every time that A tells you to breath in deeply and then release all of the bad things with the exhale, I really do release all the pent up energy that may or may not be causing my stress. I do this for every inhale and exhale. After my 30 minute practice I drink some coffee, have breakfast with my husband, and head to work with a light and happy smile.
Concluding This Novel
This journey does not end with 30 days and 5 chapters. I continue this practice and I hope that you are coming along with me. Today, I close this book and tomorrow we open another one. Normally, I start something and then move on to something else because I like to learn about a lot of things but in this case, Yoga has become a part of me. – part of learning new things about my body and about my mind.
I also like to tell myself that my life is a challenge and through yoga, I’m going to master this challenge and show it who’s boss.
So, if you’re up for it, I will be starting the Revolution series with Adriene soon. Comment below if you are going to continue the journey with me!
Until next time,
