Yoga for 30 Days

Over February 2024 I decided to give yoga more of a serious go - I attempted to do yoga every day, for a whole month. It was an interesting experiment, and I'm glad I decided to try it. Yoga isn't a new concept to me, I was aware of it my whole life but never gave it a proper go - usually just the odd stretching session here and there. So here's what I found out after trying yoga for 30 days.

I'm still a beginner to the world of yoga, and so after talking to some friends who knew a lot more about it than me I decided to follow along a series created by Yoga With Adriene. Adriene's YouTube channel can be used by anyone who is interested in yoga, and what was great is the '30 Day Yoga Journey' that she releases in January each year. This year was the 10th (and final) edition of this series, so I used that as I guide and followed it along.

Why I tried yoga for 30 days

Improve Flexibility

As an avid runner, one of the main reasons I wanted to give yoga a proper go was to help with my flexibility and mobility. This will hopefully reduce the chance of injury whilst I'm in the gym or on a run, and will also improve my running performance too. I generally have quite tight hamstrings, which usually leads to increased chances of cramps or pulling a muscle - so yoga was a way for me to try and improve my flexibility. Improved mobility through yoga also leads to better posture when sitting, standing etc., which I wanted to see how much that would change after a month.

Continue Practicing

Towards the end of my year abroad I starting practicing yoga ad-hoc in Melbourne, as well as during my travels in Bali. It was more of a dabble really, following the odd video here and there when I remembered to. But this 30 day challenge made me regularly practice yoga, which was the difference. As with anything, you can't expect results if you only do it once, so 30 days straight helped solve that.

Make Time for Myself

More of a mental/spiritual reason rather than physical, but equally as important nonetheless. Yoga helped me carve out time in my day dedicated to myself and myself only - a chance to slow down, unwind and relax when often schedules are so hectic. Sometimes I don't realise how busy I am, running from one place to another, and yoga allowed me to take that step back and check in with myself. Even if it was only for 10-15 minutes, I found that enough time to reset and calm my mind on those extra busy days.

How it went

Overall, I enjoyed the 30 day yoga challenge and found it to be rewarding. Having videos and guidance everyday via YouTube was very useful to me, and created that sense of community (even it was through a screen). The videos helped explain the practices and the best technique, meaning I could do a session and get the most out of it. What I didn't realise was the emphasis placed on breath work during a yoga session - the idea of 'belly breathing' and deep, controlled breaths. Combined with the physical movement, yoga really is an activity that is for the mind, body and spirit. Over the 30 days my depth of breath improved, which fed into my everyday life.

I usually did my yoga at the end of the day before getting ready to go to bed, finding that it was a nice way to destress and unload whatever had happened during that day. The length of the '30 Day Challenge' videos was ideal - ranging between 10-30 minutes. As I went through the month I got more familiar with the techniques, and the movements became second nature.

Another myth was also busted for me - yoga is physically demanding! Your core is engaged for large portions of the session, with balancing, holds and muscles you didn't even know you had coming into play. Some sessions I actually worked up a sweat - it felt a bit like a full body workout. Some days were more challenging than others, and helps you take stock on what areas you need to work on.

Changes After 30 Days

Breathing

30 days flew by, and before I knew it I was finishing the final video of my 30 day yoga journey. The most immediate improvement I saw was in my breathing. I now try to remember to breathe deeper and take longer, fuller breaths, even if I'm not doing yoga. My 'belly breathing' has improved, and with the extra lung capacity this benefit has spilled over into my running.

Deeper breaths on my run have meant that I begin 'panting' (mouth-breathing) much later, and on my slow runs tend to breathe only through my nose. There is a greater sense of control as I'm running, and probably helps me run aerobically for longer.

Reduced tension

Yoga really stretches the whole of your body, which helped me find tight spots and niggles that needed extra attention. During my yoga sessions I could then work more on those areas, and help relieve tensions or tightness that had built up there. A common one is the area around your neck, shoulders and trapezius muscles, which sitting at a desk for long periods of time can affect.

Small workouts compound

As mentioned above, the yoga sessions were only 10-30 minutes a day, which doesn't seem like a long time to work out (think about how long you go to the gym in a single session). But small actions every day really do compound - as long as you show up and are consistent with it. Of course there were days where I didn't really feel like doing a session, but over time the practices compound and you can start to see the benefits.

Future of Yoga for Jinal

I finished the 30 day yoga challenge in early March 2024, and since then I've been doing it on and off. I would say I definitely have a better idea of the world of yoga, and can now do a session without needing to follow along on YouTube, but yoga has become a tool that I use as-and-when I need it. Is that the right way? Should I restart doing it everyday? I'm not really sure to be honest. I now use yoga as an accessory for running, or on those days where I feel like I need to move more. Regardless, I'm glad I decided to give yoga a shot for 30 days, as I learned a lot about this ancient practice🧘‍♂️.

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