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Today is the final day of my yoga challenge! Honestly, I’m glad to be done with it — on a daily basis — but will be adding more yoga into my regular workouts. I love projects like this because I love learning and I love fitness projects because it’s simply amazing how quickly the human body can change and adapt in such a short period of time. My goal was to do yoga everyday for a month, but adapted slightly to do six days a week for a month to have a rest day.
<<< Funniest yoga ad. Ever.
I ended up going to yoga classes at my regular gym, taking free classes at Lululemon, buying a $30 for 30 days of Bikram deal (which I didn’t use enough), and trying out a few yoga podcasts (which was really hit or miss). I won’t be continuing daily yoga, but will definitely be going 1-3 times a week instead of 0-1 times a month.
Things I learned, liked, disliked etc:
- Bikram yoga is hot yoga, but hot yoga isn’t necessarily Bikram yoga. Verdict: Bikram isn’t really for me.
- You can overstretch in hot yoga, especially 90 min yoga. Hello, hammies.
- Free yoga classes at Lululemon – thumbs up!
- Time-wise, I ended up replacing most of my regular cardio with yoga, which left me with cardio 1x/week for the past month, and a hell of a lot of yoga.
- Noticeable difference: arms and upper abs are more toned (apparently I look “leaner”, but I don’t feel as fit since I’ve been slacking on the cardio). :P
- I love the spiritual aspect of yoga. When I first started yoga a few years ago, it took me a few tries to get the giggles out. I still don’t like super-meditative yoga, but I’ve found that I feel a lot more ‘meditative’ when I’m moving. I love the mind-clearing peacefulness of yoga. Zzzzen!
Have you tried doing yoga everyday for a month?
Kate Longman
July 21, 2011 at 3:07 pmCongrats on completing your challenge. I agree with the hot yoga – seems to take away from the relaxing side of yoga when you are that hot and sweaty.
Clare
September 6, 2010 at 5:04 pmJust wondering which Yoga Podcasts you tried and liked. I’ve had a few hits and a few misses. Just curious. Thanks.
The Lucid Dreamer
September 2, 2010 at 9:17 amJust found your blog & wanted to say hello, as this looks like a pretty awesome site!! I’m a huge fan of 30 challenges and recently just did one without alcohol. Now I’m currently doing one with a simple premise of simply being active for at least 30 minutes a day. Day 1 was yesterday, and I did Budokan Yoga and it felt amazing.
CëRïSë
August 16, 2010 at 9:16 amDefinitely a fan! I usually do 90 minutes of hot on Sunday mornings after my Saturday morning long runs. It’s a great way to stretch those muscles back out–though I do sometimes seem to feel more sore from the yoga than from the running…
StacyE
August 16, 2010 at 8:20 amYoga is hit or miss with me as well…I’m not very good at stopping and centering myself (mayhaps that’s why I should do it more. Hmmm)
I for one LOVE hot yoga. I feel like I’m working hard, all the toxins are leaving my body, and it’s still yoga!