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30 Days of Yoga Challenge

Did you know I recently turned into a couch potato? I’m blaming the hot Canary Island sunshine and binging on Lost for the last 2 months.

Alas, it’s time to fix that so I started the 30 Days of Yoga Challenge with Adriene.

30 Days of Yoga

I’m going to be using this blog post as a sort of accountability thingy so I keep going. I’ve already done 3 days (not consecutively but it’s a start) to make sure:

  • I actually like Yoga
  • and
  • That my body can handle it

If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you will know that I’m a bit of a Zumba freak. Having only been to 1 live class my XBOX and I had an understanding that most evenings things were going to get crazy in my lounge with the likes of Zumba Fitness World Party.

I also have a dodgy kidney!

Without getting into a long story, my kidney was in the wrong place making me ill, the technical term for this is Nephroptosis (with symptoms) I had kidney surgery to fix it and I got better.

Then on a check up scan of my kidney, they discovered my other kidney is now in the wrong place and functioning at 40%. So my Dr basically said Zumba is going to make it drop down quicker than it already is.

Anyhoo, I was browsing the Youtubes for some belly blasting Yoga and I discovered the #30DaysofYoga with Adriene challenge. Yes! Something I could do that would involve lying down on the floor (little did I know).

This challenge is for all levels and body types which is great because this couch potato is a total beginner. No need for fancy yoga clothes (although now I really want some), just bare feet and something comfy!

Day 1 of 30 Days of Yoga

After day 1 I quickly discovered that Yoga isn’t all about ‘ommming’ and ‘ahhhhing’ but it’s about listening to your body and making it stronger physically and mentally. I also realised that the normal sitting position killed my ankles and that I should probably get myself some kind of mat for the floor. My whole house has tiled floors and the towel I was using wasn’t cutting it. Despite being loose jointed and in some ways overly flexible, my body is really stiff, especially my hamstrings. Mmm ham.

Day 2 of 30 Days of Yoga

I now have a Yoga mat. Well it’s not a proper Yoga mat, it says it’s for camping, but I’m giving it a go seeing as the mats are about 25€ for the cheapest and I want to see if I will stick with it before investing.

 

Update: My Yoga mat tried to kill me. Sweaty hands combined with downward facing dog fail = precariously sliding backwards and almost flat on my face. I think I need a good Yoga mat before I feel confident in that pose again.

Day 3 of 30 Days of Yoga

I’m not so good at the daily part of this challenge, but I was sick last night so I decided to take it easy and try again today. Today’s poses were working on the core but from a standing pose. I really enjoyed it and surprised myself at how I was able to stand on one leg without destroying something. It’s interesting how one side seems more balanced than the other. During the floor work I even managed to rock back into the Plough pose! Later on I became aware how much more extended my upper body feels. The breathing is really helping my anxiety, to switch off and do something for me.

Day 4 of 30 Days of Yoga

Today was all about Yoga for your back and although I struggled a little (still blaming the slippy mat) I’m feeling stronger and really enjoyed the sideways twisty pose. If I learn the name I will edit this. Only downside really was I had indigestion from a cereal bar I ate a few hours ago. I will wait until after Yoga for this snack in the future.

If you want to join in with 30 Days of Yoga just head over to the website and sign up for free to get encouraging words to your email with the daily video, there’s even a printable calendar that you can give a nice big tick once you finish a session.
Let me know in the comments below if you decide to join in and how you are getting on.

Did I mention how awesome and chill Adriene the teacher is?