Yoga Challenge

The yoga studio that I work at is gearing up for it’s next challenge. Typically a yoga challenge is to complete a specific number of classes or days of yoga in one month. There are often prizes, but people don’t do it for the prizes, they do it for the personal challenge. The requirement is often to complete 30 classes in the 30 days, this is how my first challenges when. The more recent trend is to complete 21 classes in one month. This is a little bit more doable. With 30 classes some people may get turned off the challenge when there is very little room to deal with anything unexpected that comes up. It is a real commitment and more difficult challenge requiring 30 classes. With 21 on the other hand, it helps get people back in to a routine and they don’t feel like they’ve failed if one thing happens to interrupt their routine.

I did my first yoga challenge probably about 9 years ago. When I started the challenge I was all in. I was so excited and determined to get in all of my classes. I started off strong taking the classes that I typically enjoyed. I usually like hot powerful classes and that’s exactly how I started. Over the period of a couple weeks, I realized that I had to slow it down a bit. I had to find classes that were a little bit more relaxing to give my body the balance that it needed. I learnt that it’s not about going all out. It was about listening to my body but also to my mind. I new that if I was going in to a class dreading it because I felt exhausted that wasn’t any good for me.

I started looking at the schedule to plan balance in my classes as well as in the times I could attend. Of course I was working my regular full time job and doing this …. and if I know me… I was probably working and extra part time job on the side because let’s be honest… I have almost always had an extra part time job. I feel like this is where the real challenge came in.