30 (Consecutive) Days of YouTube Yoga
You too may find yourself whispering namaste every night.
In late June of this past year, my brother and I reconnected after a three-year hiatus. We had no ill-will against each other, it’s just the Irish code that if someone crosses your dad, you don’t speak to them—even if it’s your own blood. For the record, he crossed our dad, not me. We didn't rehash the past with any he-said, she-said, but moved on to clear the air and catch up. In little time, after comparing mortgage interest rates and 401k lump sums, we began to talk about training—frequency, body splits, ailments, new challenges, and what’s been working.
Feeling stale, I was looking for something new so we recircled on the topic of new challenges. The Kool-Aid my brother was drinking was to choose an exercise of his choice (something that would push you to complete) and perform it daily for thirty days. The first challenge was fifty pull-ups. I split my fifty reps into ten sets of five and did five sets before work and the remaining five sets after work. Over thirty days, my form got better and my lats grew. What’s gratifying is completing one-thousand-five-hundred pull-ups in a month’s time. When’s the last time you did pull-ups for one-thousand-plus reps all while completing your normal training?
From one thirty-day challenge to another, I went from pull-ups to squats, to push-ups, back to squats, an upper- and lower-body combo, and then to yoga. I chose what to do each month based on what I felt was lacking and in need of TLC. Why yoga came into the picture, I have no idea, all I know is some internal voice (some call it the gut) urged me to go there next and so I did. What I found was so unexpected and plentiful.
Aside from falling into the political-conspiracy-theory-with-a-dash-of-Vogue-makeup-tutorial rabbit holes, I’ve found YouTube to have a great library of yoga instructors and classes (we’ll get into more of this below). Here’s why my thirty-day yoga challenge transformed into a daily practice—and why you too will be whispering ‘namaste’ every night.
Reconnect with your breath
When’s the last time you took a deep breath in? I’m not talking about the deep sigh you took in earlier as the car in front of you remained braked as the light turned green. I’m talking about deep breaths in and out in a cyclical fashion for more than a minute. There are so many benefits to deep breathing and here are some of the big ones: strengthens the immune system, boosts energy, increases oxygen in the blood, slows the heart rate, reduces blood pressure, and more.
I was a high-chest breather before yoga. Now I find myself automatically reconnecting with my breath on and off the mat. It takes time to get a full belly of air at first, but once you do, it’ll be like riding that pink Schwinn without training wheels again.
Reduce stress
Most of us when stressed, climb to new levels of stress as the day goes on. It starts with being late to work, to having a hangnail, and escalates to thoughts of climate change and job loss. It accomplishes nothing.
I’ve found yoga to squash these thoughts in their tracks and instead channel my energy to the task at hand, even if it’s reconnecting with my breath. Again, once you learn this on the mat (and it will take time and patience), you’ll be able to transfer this skill at the office, at dinner, and with your in-laws.
Flexibility
If you lose range of motion in the body, it has a direct effect on how your brain functions. Google it. Discover movement to get all cylinders firing.
This was a big one for me. For one, it hurt to sit cross-legged. The cross-legged position is the foundation of yoga, at least what I’ve experienced thus far. After two weeks or so, this position was no longer uncomfortable. My hips were obviously tight.
Another big moment in this category was a week where I was sitting for more than thirteen hours a day (I was writing a book so don’t judge me). After four days of this habit, I was having problems walking and wasn’t far off from calling my doctor. I chose a yoga class on the topic of low back pain and tightness and after a forty-minute session of deep stretching, the pain subsided.
Strength
We tend to stray away from what’s hard and I don’t know about you, but my training schedule tends to leave out one exercise my body really needs; namely planks. Why? They suck.
Think of all the muscles required to remain in a plank position. You’re flexing your abs without flexion, squeezing your butt and legs, all while countering the pressure of your body weight on your wrists and ankles.
After thirty consecutive days of getting into the plank position and holding it for time (all while lifting a leg or hand here and there), I see plank strength transferring to my push-ups, squats, and pull-ups. It’s a keeper!
Newfound space
To practice yoga, it’s recommended to create a space that's quiet and calm. Look around your apartment or house and figure out where you can chill out for ten minutes to an hour, void of distraction.
Personally, I wanted to create a space that was just for yoga. I transformed a small, spare bedroom into a yogi dream. With less than two-hundred dollars, I purchased: paint(Sherwin-Williams Agreeable Gray), outlet covers, a rug, a mat, a round mirror, a framed painting, plants, lights, pillows, and candles.
So regardless of what’s happening in my home, I’ve created a designated space that has one intention and that’s to be one with body, spirit, and mind.
Clear skin
Our skin is a direct reflection of what’s happening internally. Stressed? Here’s a pimple for you!
I’m in my thirties, and I still get a pimple here and there. It’s annoying. Along with pimples, I also tend to experience redness as I get closer to my period.
In this thirty-day period, I’ve found breakouts to be non-existent and for my redness to be, well, less red.
Variety of instruction
Each day is different.
One day you need an instructor to be calm and caring…
On another day, you want someone with conviction and pep in their step…
On Wednesdays, you know it’s a long day at the office, so your hips and lower back are crying…
On Fridays, you only have ten minutes to practice…
Today you want to learn how to perform the crow pose…
You get the point. YouTube has a ton of channels. Choose an instructor and subscribe to someone you like. You’ll find progressions, yoga for beginners, classes that pinpoint an ailment, and classes that are organized by time.
I personally love Yoga With Adriene.
Presence
We are so overloaded with gadgets, notifications, and apps, that we’re often more in tune with how our iPhone is performing over our mind and body. Who knew?
Aside from whatever device you’ll be using to tune into YouTube, shut everything else down. Turn off notifications and alerts.
Use this time to check-in with your body.
Pay attention to how you’re feeling.
Observe your thoughts. Stop bad ones.
Replenish your energy.
Breathe.
Be present.
Recovery
Refer to reconnect with your breath above. The benefits of deep breathing alone jump-start your ability to repair muscle tissue and lessen anxiety and fatigue from spiked cortisol levels.
If yoga will be your main source of movement, I wouldn’t recommend going right into hour-long classes. Look for ten-minute, beginner classes and gradually work up from there. Some channels have courses that will slowly progress from one day to the next so you gradually build strength and don’t overdo it.
If you’re a busy-body who lifts weights and does some type of cardio weekly, yoga will complement these activities and soothe any ailments along the way. I’m a busy-body who trains with weights three times a week. Every day I average 18k steps. Before yoga, I’d take a week off of the weights every fourth week. Through yoga, I’m relying less and less on that fourth week of rest.
To get started, simply search yoga in YouTube’s search engine, choose a class, and press play.
Namaste.
