The challenge
30 Day Yoga Challenge with Erin Motz
(Doyouyoga)
Website: DoYouYoga
Rating: 5/5
Product Category: Online tutorial
Price: Free
Description
30 Day Yoga Challenge with Erin Motz
30 days of yoga in 10-20 minute long online video sessions which get sent directly to your email inbox one day at a time, once you have signed up. Doyouyoga provides the classes and the teacher, and you get yoga in your living room every day.
Who can do it?
All levels. The description tells me I don’t need to have had any previous yoga experience, and apparently I won’t need any special props like blocks or straps (at this point I don’t even know what these are), I can still participate even if I’m super short on time (classes will run for 10-20 minutes, so this already interests me, as I am short on time most nights after work) and I won’t even need to step foot in a studio. Doyouyoga explains they have designed these videos to be simple to follow and small-space friendly.
Who’s teaching it?
Yoga challenge teacher Erin Motz
My teacher will be the amazing Erin Motz. She has been teaching yoga for over 7 years, is a 240-CYT certified yoga teacher, and her take on it is pretty simple: Yoga should feel good, period. Her goal for the 30-day challenge is to teach it in accessible, bite-sized videos that anyone can follow and use any day, any time.
Bonus
This particular challenge is totally free! A lot of Doyouyoga’s classes do come with a charge for the more advanced/specific classes, so it’s really nice to have a beginner class free for a bit of a taster of what the practice of yoga entails.
Initial thoughts:
Price:
For beginner yogis like myself, FREE is a good word to see. Over the next year I know I’ll be spending a fair bit of money on different pursuits (my year of trying new things/learning), so to get a taster of yoga in 30 days for free was super exciting to know.
Design:
As a creative, design and usability is important for me. Why would you want to use a service if it was ugly and clunky. So the Doyouyoga website and 30 Day Challenge page definitely got a tick for me in terms of how friendly and clean it is. The classes are easy accesible on the left hand side, as well as giving me a video title so I can be prepared for each class.
Daily emails:
Daily emails sent straight to my inbox prompting me to do 10-20 minutes of relaxing, fat-burning, core busting, flexy yoga practice, all in my own home and when I want to? What’s not to love! On a practical note, it’s like having a buddy support you and remind you. I think this will really help me get into the habit of practicing daily and fitting it into my schedule.
Class structure:
So as I had never done yoga before (Okay maybe once, and all I could do was laugh at the weird pose names and hold my nose to the smell of feet) so I really didn’t have too many expectations. I think that maybe this was a good thing, as I began the challenge with an open mind, as at that point there was nothing I was really aiming to achieve, except to commit to the 30 days.
And I fully recommend this as a beginner yogi.
Try not to begin with unrealistic expectations about twisting yourself into a pretzel first thing. Don’t spend hours tying yourself in knots (metaphorically) over your beautiful instagram feed of advanced yogis strutting their stuff. They all started where we did, and look at them now!
Just believe that by building a good base of knowledge, and taking your practice slow and at your own pace, and learning from people who are experienced and want to help, you will become a better yogi for it.
Review:
I did it!
My very, very first I thought when I finished this challenge was how proud I was of myself. Sticking to something for 30 days, in a world when fads last a week, and resolutions crumble after a day, is no mean feat. It had been so long since I actually had felt proud of my body and what it could accomplish, that I knew I had to write a review and see i I could show others this amazing resource.
When I first made the resolution to try yoga on December 30, I really wasn’t sure about doing this and even more unsure that I would be able to stick with it. Now I can honestly say, it was one of the best things I’ve done and am SO glad I decided to commit and give it a try.
After signing up for the challenge at DoYouYoga.com, I got my first of many daily emails sent to my inbox containing links to the short videos I would be doing every day with yoga teacher Erin Motz. This really got me on board from day one, as staying on track is something I find pretty hard, but getting instructional videos, on schedule, with structure, every day, and getting that notification in my inbox, was like having a personal yoga teacher in my pocket!
I was surprised at how much I learned and how much better I felt just from becoming more consistent and practicing every day. I signed up in the hope I would get a good idea of yoga poses and basics, and that is exactly what I learned.
Erin was an amazing teacher, so funny and down to earth, and someone you could laugh with even when you want to cry from desperation. In the 30 days, I learnt to do basic yoga poses, learnt about breathing, and a bit about the benefits of consistent yoga practice. Erin’s guidance was super friendly, without overloading you with too much mumbo jumbo, and she made me feel comfortable and encouraged enough to try every position and pose.
The first few days were hard for me (as a total beginner who couldn’t even touch my toes) , but Erin kept me motivated and hopeful. Because of the 15-20 minute length of the videos, I really felt like I could keep going and complete them, and didn’t feel like I had hours of pain stretching out before me. I felt a bit the pain of the first couple of days, as you stretch out muscles that haven’t been moved for a while (or ever!) but at the time, I saw the pain as progress, and I still do. Feeling a good sort of pain in certain places means I had been moving the parts that Erin had instructed, and just reinforced that I was making progress. Every day seemed to get a little better, and my muscles got a little bit looser. Poses that killed me at the start (Downward Dog with heels to the floor still evades me, but I am getting closer!) began to look accomplishable. Crow pose which terrified me upon first seeing it, now can be done just by breaking down each element of movement and really just taking it slow.
After experimentation with different timing of when I did the challenge, I found that doing the class after work, but before tea, really worked for me. It meant I could stretch out the woes of the day, have a relaxing dinner, followed by me-time and then bed. There was no time to make excuses, as I had to change after work anyway, so going straight into my yoga gear was a blessing. And using the time before dinner productively made me feel so much more energized, rather than potato-ing out in front of the tv for an hour (I get home around 5:15, and dinner is usually around 7).
As I ticked the days off, I would look forward to the next class, as I saw results not just in my yoga ability, but my ability to stick to a plan. So If you’re looking a way to dip your toes into the world of yoga, get a bit more flexible, or just to try something new, I highly recommend this routine as a starting point. You don’t have to be great to start, you just have to start to be great.
So have I kept going since I finished the 30 Day Yoga Challenge? Hell yes!
Because of the way the classes are structured, where you get just a teaser of the yoga world, really made me want to keep on practicing and pushing to progress. The resources below helped me stay inspired, and also feel more confident by creating my own plan, following other yoga videos, and just generally giving everything a go.
Other resources to help you continue on from the 30 Day Yoga Challenge, and keep progressing:
Browse the doyouyoga website for more challenges, inspo, giveaways, and helpful tips:
Doyouyoga – http://www.doyouyoga.com/
Follow these fantastic women and download their E-books for stretches and progressions:
Elle Fit Active – http://www.ellefitactive.com/
Jessica Olie – http://www.jessicaolie.com/
Check out the Yoga Journals Pose Library for inspiration and guidance:
http://www.yogajournal.com/category/poses/
Hope this has been helpful!
Nic x
The Sunshine Exchange 