I've mentioned a few times here that I've gotten into Yoga in the last few months, and I've had a lot of requests to share my experiences and tips, and whatnot, so this is going to be a bit of a mash up!
I'd done yoga before, but it's never been a regular thing. Back in college I used to attend Body Balance classes twice a week, a mix of Tai Chi, Pilates and Yoga, and I loved that, and I had that in mind when I started this whole process!
I started off by taking part in the 30 Days of Yoga challenge, on Youtube and this was the perfect way for me to get into the habit of daily yoga practice. All the videos are between 10-35 minutes, so easy to slot in in the morning, your lunchbreak, or in the evening. I found that the videos ran really well, you work your muscles hard one day, and you have a more restorative practice the next. Some days work your arms and some work your legs, but you never feel like you've done too much. There were a couple of days where I didn't feel up to the longer videos, and instead of skipping a day, I did one of the shorter more restorative videos instead, and picked up the next day, so I never missed a video or a day. I came back to this video a lot, because it's just a great all over stretch, without being too much. What I love about Adriene's videos is that she gives different options for if you're struggling, and encourages you to find movement and stretch within each pose, which I much prefer to standing totally still for ages in one pose!
Since I've finished the 30 day program, I've not been sticking to one routine, but going with what I fancy. Sometimes I follow Adriene's videos, sometimes I use routines from Pinterest (just search Yoga and a thousand and one routines will come up!), and sometimes I just make it up as I go along, doing poses and stretches that I feel like my body needs. On these days, I tend to go for a full Sun Salutation routine first, and then work in any other poses after. I always always ALWAYS end my practice with Savasana, for as long as possible, it helps so much with my anxiety, and keeping awareness throughout the day.
I've also done a few classes at Triyoga in London and I've loved it, but it is a little pricey! Nice as a Sunday treat every now and then though!
I also follow a few lovely yogi's on Instagram if I need a boost of inspiration! I particularly love Caitlin, Tara, Rachel and Honza & Claudine!
In terms of equipment and stuff, you really don't need much! I got my Yoga mat in TKMaxx pretty cheap, but there are loads on Amazon too for not much money! You can use a block for some of Adriene's videos, but I just use a rolled blanket and that works just fine!
I don't have expensive workout gear, I'm most comfortable in leggings and a loose fitting tshirt! I have some Nike leggings, but a lot of the time I just wear plain old Primark ones, or some crazy patterned ones from Monki! I have a few sports bras from Shock Absorber, but a lot of the time I wear my Primark one! It's not a high-impact sport, so it does the job!
And lastly, I wanted to just touch on how I feel since I started this journey of sorts. I've been practicing yoga daily now since the beginning of February, so around two and a half months. I was a total novice to start with, and whilst I still can't quite get my heels on the floor in Downward Facing Dog, or my feet off the floor in Crow pose, I feel amazing. I have more energy than I've had, literally in years, I'm calmer, less anxious and I feel stronger.
I'm definitely a yoga convert!
