REVOLUTION--31 Days of Yoga

REVOLUTION Day 8: Practice Serenity

Hey, everyone! So at the beginning of 2017, I made it my goal to exercise more regularly and to check off some of the easier items on my bucket list. As I was considering what exercise regimen to begin in January, Adriene Mishler, the host of Yoga With Adriene on YouTube, released a video detailing her upcoming yoga challenge, "Revolution." The idea was that participants would do yoga every day throughout the month of January, thus completing 31 days of yoga over the course of the month. Since I had been wanting to try out a more regular yoga practice for a while, I figured it was the perfect way to start my year.

REVOLUTION Day 21: Practice Strength

Each day of the program had a theme, including such ideas as Light, Rhythm, and Truth. Adriene sent out an e-mail every morning with some of her thoughts on the topic of the day and how that theme could be applied in both the yoga practice of the day and in life. Each e-mail had a link to a video where Adriene would guide viewers through a yoga practice that emphasized the theme. And that was it--simple and quick.

REVOLUTION Day 6: Attention (and Abs) Practice

In the beginning, I found the practices quite easy. I have been dancing for twelve years now and dancing competitively for four, so I am pretty flexible. Also, the practices start out rather slow so that Adriene has time to explain exactly how to recreate the poses and breathe properly. Still, I kept going because it was rather pleasant to relax for a bit and clear my mind of distractions.

REVOLUTION Day 14: Forgiveness Practice

Over the course of the month, the practices got progressively more challenging and fast-paced, matching with my growing knowledge of Adriene's particular yoga style. Soon it was at a level that matched my experience and abilities, allowing me to strive for improvement while also not feeling overwhelmed. The end of the month was particularly good as Adriene no longer needed to explain things in as much detail, allowing me to focus more on the yoga.

REVOLUTION Day 26: Creativity Practice

I definitely noticed changes in my practice throughout the month. In the beginning, I had to look at the video almost the entire time since I didn't know the poses or how to transition between them. By the end, however, I could go through a whole video without looking at Adriene once, as I had grown so familiar with the names of the poses. Partway through the month, I went to a dance class in New York City where the teacher incorporated yoga elements into her warm-up, and it felt so good to know exactly what she meant when she said to go into Child's Pose and so forth.

REVOLUTION Day 5: Practice Rhythm

I also felt like my approach to yoga changed over the course of Revolution. In the beginning, I merely strove to match Adriene's shape for each pose and then quickly transition to the next pose when she said to. This did not last long, though. Eventually, I realized that yoga is also about fluidity and creativity, so if I wanted to approach the pose differently than Adriene was, I just did instead of worrying about doing something wrong. Even my breathing changed, as I began to "tap into the breath," as Adriene says, and actually synch up the rhythms of inhaling and exhaling with the rhythm of the yoga practice.

REVOLUTION Day 9: Empower Practice

Revolution is a program that I am so glad to have participated in. It felt so good to come to the mat every day and take a break from school and work to stretch and breathe and be quiet for a time. I loved how Adriene gave a variety of different options for many of the stretches so that participants of all different abilities could still find something to work at. Though it wasn't strenuous exercise and didn't usually tire me out, it nevertheless left me feeling refreshed and loose after each practice. This experience has definitely inspired me to practice yoga on a more regular basis, although for now, I am turning to other forms of exercise. 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.

REVOLUTION Day 13: Practice Opening

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.