article by Eugen Munteanu @eugcn
Whenever I ask my friends or my relatives to join me in my yoga practices, I always get the same answers: "I'm not flexible enough", "I'm too old for that", "I don't have the time", and those are all things that I probably would've said myself three years ago when I started participating in this activity, however through weekly – and even daily – practice I found myself becoming physically and mentally relying on yoga.
My journey started in the summer of 2015 when I went to an English camp and decided to go to the yoga class that they were organising, as I hadn't found anything better to do. Of course, they didn't have the budget to hire an actual yoga instructor, so the teachers set up a projector and played a video for us to follow. I was understandably nervous, as back then I was quite unfit and didn't want to embarass myself, however the yoga class was a beginner's introduction into what yoga actually is, and the poses were quite easy because the instructor was inviting us to focus primarily on our breathing.
After the camp ended, I found myself craving more yoga, and wanted to find out more about this weird subject and, although I was nowhere near a yoga studio, I hopped on Youtube and looked up yoga practices. Voila! The first channel was actually the one that I'd watched at the camp.
Adriene Mishler is an actress, yoga teacher and entrepreneur from Austin, Texas. Aside from running a video-subscription website called "Find what feels good" and holding regular classes at her yoga studio in Austin, she dominates the YouTube yoga scene with her channel "Yoga with Adriene" on which she posts weekly yoga-related videos, practices etc. Her bubbly personality mixed with self-deprecating humor and quality yoga guidance inspires people of all shapes and sizes around the globe as, at the time of writing this, the channel has amassed over 4.2 million subscribers.
She offers a wide range of videos: Yoga for Weight Loss, Depression, Teachers, Golfers, Skaters, Nurses, Change, Digestion, Power Yoga, Bedtime Yoga, Morning Yoga, Yoga for Relaxation, damn it, she even has Yoga for Zombies! (a fun Halloween special that is actually for lazy people who want to get the juices flowing).
She also organises a yearly 30-day yoga challenge for the month of January, and in 2019 she is inviting us to join her in "Dedicate".
The challenge involves showing up daily for 30 days, and although that sounds like a tiring task, you'll find that the program is designed in a way in which you'll never be exhausted. After day 6 (6 pack ab day), for example, day 7 is usually a shorter relaxation day. You'll also be recieving a daily email from Adriene herself with advice about the practice and how to take it into the rest of your day. I know I'll be doing it, and I invite you to join me as well.
Adriene conquered the online fitness world with one simple trick: she makes you want to be her friend. She has a snort-out-loud sense of humour, with a confidence she attributes to a childhood raised by “creative hippies”.
Since finding out about her channel I've embarked on 2 30-day yoga programs, one 2-week yoga challenge and have succesfully done yoga DAILY for a full year, and here's what I have learned:
One, yoga isn't just pretzel-y positions and blood, sweat and tears. Yoga is also about going inwards and expressing yourself on the mat. It's about taking a bit of time out of your day/your busy schedule and making it about YOU.
Two, breathing is essential. Pranayama is the side of yoga that focuses on breathing techniques where the breath is intentionally altered in order to produce specific results. By doing pranayama on the mat I have noticed that I start unconsciously doing it off the mat as well, and that's what yoga is for – cultivating a set of skills that you can use in your regular life.
Three, it's not that deep. Home practice doesn't really go into the cultural, historic and religious aspects of yoga, so it can be really easy to convince yourself you have become a "yogi" right after your second day of practicing. Fear not! Adriene is a down-to-earth, practical individual and, from time to time, will remind you not to take everything so seriously.
Overall, I can proudly say that at-home yoga has definitely changed my life and, if I do get the opportunity in the near future, I'll try going to a yoga studio as I've heard and seen that it's a completely different experience. However, I'll never forget to roll out my mat in my own room and take a moment to breathe.
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