I love the idea of a challenge that can keep you feeling good through the holidays even when time/space to train is short, which is why December tends to be a favorite time of mine for challenges that include yoga. So, with that in mind, why not commit to SOME form of yoga / mobility work every day for the next 30 days, bringing us into mid-January a little more flexible (mentally as well as physically!)? I have a few tips from the last time I did this challenge—and you know I’ve kept it up with my morning yoga routine for the last few years!
Keep It Short — or at least have a short option
The last time I did this challenge (adding a bonus yoga session on top of my AM routine), I had grand plans of hour-long classes each day, but that wasn’t realistic. I did a few long sessions throughout the month, but mostly, I focused on 20-30 minutes and actually took the time to enjoy that time rather than stressing about cramming an hour in. (If you can commit to a couple of real-life, or at least, longer, sessions each week, that’s awesome. I know a lot of people really struggle to practice at home with all the distractions.)
Find the Right App
There are TONS of great options out there for yoga videos and classes—and tons of them are free. I decided to use YogaGlo, and the app has been amazing. It’s not cheap ($19/month) but they have a free trial and I suggest taking advantage of it. There are over 4,000 classes on there, they’re all really good quality, and bonus, you can sort by all types of things, from length to style, and even search for things like ‘travel’ or ‘PMS.’ If you aren’t ready to spend $$$, I’d highly recommend taking Day 1 to bookmark a few interesting ones (I love Tara Stiles’ YouTube Channel) so you always have one on hand and don’t waste time starting and stopping videos every day.
When You Don’t Want To… You Need To
The day you want to skip your class is likely the day that you’ll benefit the most. Just trust me on this one. Even if you have to google / search on YogaGlo for ‘easy restorative class’ and spend most of the 20 minutes in child’s pose, you’ll feel better and clearer. It’s always worth taking the time, even if you have just 5 minutes to do a few stretches without a video.
Make It Nice
My favorite session came at the end of the month when I rolled out my a new yoga mat and block. I decided to get fancy and plugged in an essential oil diffuser that my amazing friend had gotten me for my birthday (and of course, I hadn’t used before), and used the eucalyptus oil. It was honestly the nicest I felt the entire month, because it felt really special. Going forward, I want to do that a lot more frequently! (I couldn’t find the exact diffuser I have, but this one has great reviews and comes with a starter set of oils!)
^Now, the caveat here is that you can’t be so precious about it that it never happens, so be careful with getting too fancy! Ambiance should be a bonus, not a necessity.
Don’t Quit If You Miss a Day
The biggest mistake people make with challenges like this is throwing in the towel after skipping a single class. Don’t fall into that trap. Just get back to it tomorrow.
Hating it? Try this.
Once you’ve done your routine for a few days, if you’re still hating every minute of it, do what I do in my everyday morning yoga routine: Stop watching yoga videos and start watching a show or movie you love instead. If you need to, print out a routine step by step and follow that. Or skip the yoga routine and just do the stretches and mobility exercises that you do know. Find a method that doesn’t make you hate every moment. It may take a while to figure out the routine you want to do, but once you do, it’ll become an enjoyable part of your day—I promise!
