I love yoga. Well, I love the idea of yoga.
I am not flexible at all. In fact, when I was younger and had to do the President’s physical fitness tests I always failed at the flexibility part. I could NEVER touch my toes. It actually astonished me that people could. So, the idea of yoga was appealing, but actually practicing it seemed impossible for me.
But then, a few months ago I started to just feel blah. Like, I constantly felt like I needed to stretch my body. My neck and back hurt a lot. In fact, I would crack my neck and back several times before I was comfortable to sleep each night.
I suppose it was my body screaming at me to do yoga. And so, I listened.
I had been told about this 30-day yoga challenge on a YouTube channel and I decided to try it. Every morning I would wake up and do my 15-30 minutes and I have been completely changed.
Week 1
- It was harder than I thought. Actually day four I almost quit as I’m just not very “good” at yoga and I struggled.
- I couldn’t hold poses for very long.
- I felt stronger by the end of the week
- Still wasn’t able to touch my toes, but my neck didn’t hurt as much.
Week 2
- Shockingly the workouts in week two weren’t as hard as week one – or maybe I was stronger?
- I still counted the minutes for most of the workouts to be over.
- My neck and back pain had almost completely subsided. I didn’t feel the need to crack my neck and back before bed every night.
- Still couldn’t touch my toes
Week 3
- The workouts flew by. I didn’t even look at my watch during week three
- I felt strong – I had only been doing yoga for three weeks, but I already felt like it was my jam
- I still couldn’t touch my toes, but my lower back felt much more flexible than it ever has in my entire life.
Week 4
- I missed a few days of yoga during week four and I could tell
- My mind wasn’t as calm
- My flexibility wasn’t as great
- I was more irritable in the morning
- I craved yoga. It was a weird feeling to have.
- I officially became aware of how much yoga had changed me in just 30 short days.
Yoga has made me feel stronger and more mentally sharp. I’m so glad I started, it truly has changed my life and my body. I’m still not the most flexible person – not even close. But I am learning that everything takes time.
And someday I will be able to touch my toes, and stand on my head! It takes practice, just like my favorite YouTuber instructor says!
