Yoga Camp

Yoga Camp Day 29: I Love

Hey, everyone! Doing a Spartan Sprint had been on my bucket list for about a year when I completed the Greek Peak Winter Sprint in March of 2017, and it was everything I had hoped it would be. Still, doing it served as the final day of the Couch to Sprint Training Plan which had served as my exercise regimen for the previous 31 days. I needed a new plan for exercise, but I was so exhausted from training and from the Sprint that I decided to turn back to an old favorite--yoga.

Yoga Camp Day 10: I Am Present

Yoga With Adriene's Revolution had been so much fun that I decided to check out her other plans. One of them caught my eye, by the name of Yoga Camp. I liked the idea of participating in a kind of "summer camp," even if it wasn't summer and this would all take place alone in the privacy of my home. So, the day after my Spartan Sprint, I did Day 1 of Yoga Camp.

Yoga Camp Day 15: I Am Open

Wow, what a ride it turned out to be. The whole program definitely felt different than Revolution, even though the format and yoga style was approximately the same. Each day, I would complete an assigned practice by following along with a YouTube video, and I also received a daily e-mail that would explain the theme of the day. The themes were personal qualities such as strength, peace, love, and focus, and the practice always included a mantra which mentioned the characteristic. It was cool having such a distinct idea to chew on as I went about the rest of my day.

Yoga Camp Day 24: I Am In Control

The yoga was also much the same, though this time I had experience, so I rarely ever looked at the videos while doing the practices. Usually, I knew from listening exactly what Adriene was doing, so that was enough for me.

Yoga Camp Day 21: I Believe

My emotional experience during the 31 days, however, was significantly different. Some days I would come to the yoga mat feeling excited about a chance to stretch and tone muscle, but other days I dreaded the time it would take, especially since a lot of the practices were 35 minutes or longer. One day, something about having to hold a particular pose for a long time made me angry and I almost started to cry. I'm not sure exactly why this happened, as nothing of the sort occurred while I was doing Revolution. It likely has something to do with the time of year, however. I did the bulk of Yoga Camp during March, which is the season when college acceptance letters come out, and I was anxiously waiting to hear from multiple schools. March is also dance competition season, and I had competitions two weekends in a row. The stress of waiting for news while also trying to decide on a college, keeping on top of schoolwork, and dancing hard almost every day may have just caused me to be more emotionally volatile.

Yoga Camp Day 28: I Celebrate

Despite the occasional frustration with Yoga Camp, I still very much enjoyed it. It was nice to give my body a rest from HIIT and intense cardio and instead return to gentle movement. I loved getting a chance to "give the thinking mind a break" and merely pay attention to bodily sensations. Also, even though the practices were not too difficult for me, I nevertheless felt myself getting stronger. When I started, Chaturanga, a pose where you plank but with your elbows touching your sides like in a tricep push-up, was quite difficult. By the end, I could do it with ease and no longer felt my muscles burn while doing it. Though it may have been just a slight increase in arm strength, it was still encouraging to notice the difference.

Yoga Camp Day 13: I Deserve

Just like for Revolution, I highly recommend trying this program if you are interested in starting a regular yoga practice or just want to try yoga and see if you like it. A link to the playlist of videos can be found here. Also, see the Yoga With Adriene YouTube channel and website.

Yoga Camp Day 5: I Am Alive

Thank you so much for reading! I do not claim to be an expert but merely wish to share my experiences so others can see that regular people can achieve dreams.