Week 1 Of Yoga With Adriene's Breath 30-Day Challenge

I started taking yoga classes back in 2019. I only ever took one per week and the level was ultra-beginner. I loved it. My goals when practicing those yoga classes weren’t (and still really aren’t) about acing it, but instead about learning what “practice” actually means.

A bit of that intention was lost during lock-down. Since lock-down started last March, I’ve turned to YWA videos on days when I needed something specific, whether it was to stretch or to simply feel calmer, but I had a hard time sticking to a regular practice. I’ve landed on it being a perfection thing for me, something I’m actively working on in therapy. I grew up always striving for perfection, but now that I’m settling into my late 20s, I’m especially craving different things than what that perfection has ever offered.

Cue Yoga With Adriene’s 30-day challenge.

With these challenges specifically, I’d never done one for the same reason that I got A’s in college — I was aiming for being perfect and being perfect only. I wanted to be the best at yoga and if you ever watched me practice, you’d know that I float between “average” and “okay.”

2021 is the year I not only embrace that, but tell you that being “average” at something can be awesome, it means you’re showing up and trying and not pretending like you need to be perfect at everything. It also leaves a lot more room for real life.

Last week, in addition to the start of the 30-day challenge, I had to deal with the emotional hangover courtesy of the holidays, the lead up to my mom’s death anniversary, and on a national level, a literal coup d’etat attempt. So, I have something to share — I did not do all 7 days in a row of yoga.

I finished Day 7 of YWA this morning. I’m “technically” 3 days behind on the 30-day challenge, but that’s only if you (or I) think about this challenge as one that’s focused on doing it as assigned and I’m not.

Opportunity vs Assignment

After 1 week of following along with the challenge, I’m settled into the belief that the challenge is an opportunity not an assignment. You don’t get graded at the end of it, instead it’s about the process and how you treat yourself along the way. It’s an opportunity to teach yourself something new, to realize that you can move your body or the mountains in your mind in ways you hadn’t anticipated, or simply an opportunity to be.

If you’re punishing yourself, it isn’t worth opting into a challenge

I had this huge epiphany last week when I realized I didn’t have the energy to practice yoga because I was in between so many emotions — if I was going to punish myself for something I was volunteering myself for then I had my priorities misaligned. The heart of self-care is that it fills your cup and serves you in the short or long term. Punishing myself for missing a day of yoga is not on the list of things that qualify as self-care.

Taking up a practice means giving yourself the room to practice

Circling back to where I started — practice does not mean needing to be perfect on the first attempt. I want to develop a yoga practice that feels like a safe haven amidst the chaos of my world or the world, but I am not there yet. Right now, it’s a challenge. It’s having to push myself to get up early to do it or having to remind myself that there is time in the middle of the day for me to turn on a YouTube video. Last week crawling towards yoga didn’t feel like a replenishing task, but instead like a depleting one. It doesn’t mean I’ve failed at the challenge or that I’ll never get there. It does mean that I’m being honest about where I am right now and that giving myself the space to practice under welcoming circumstances will help me develop a positive connection with the practice itself.

If you’re taking part in #YWABreath too - let me know how it’s going for you. Whether you’re doing it at your own pace or sticking to the daily releases, I’m rooting for you!