Here’s what I learnt from 30 days of Yoga with Adriene

I’m going to let you into a secret; every year I tell myself I’m going to do the 30 days of yoga with Adriene and subsequently quit about 4 days in.

However this year I wanted it to be different. I was going to complete 30 days of BREATH and show up to the mat everyday to practice with Adriene and Benji.

When I see rhumatology, they always tell me to practice yoga to help with my joints. I know the benefits of yoga for my mental and physical health but actually doing it, well that’s tough.

Usually by day 4 fatigue is hitting me and my body aches so I stop. But this time, seeing as I didn’t have to leave the house due to the pandemic I went against my gut instinct and was going to do yoga every day, no matter how my body felt.

And this is what I’ve learnt…

Showing up for 30 days of yoga is the hardest part

It’s true what they say, showing up really is the hardest part.

There were some mornings I woke up and genuinely couldn’t think of anything worse than getting up and exercising. But I did and once I actually got my mat out and my gym leggings on, it really did get easier from there.

Getting that mat out was hard especially around the day 14 mark. Plus, the endorphins after because you did it feel amazing.

I can do more than I thought

Let me give you a quick background to me and fitness. At school I played hockey, netball and danced twice a week. I loved doing things but when I became ill, all that stopped. And since then I’ve really struggled to find a fitness routine which works for me and my fibromyalgia.

I was surprised to find that even on medium pain/fatigue days (I don’t feel I had a high pain day during the 30 days of yoga) I managed the practice.

Don’t get me wrong, some days the only thing I did was my yoga practice before spending the rest of the day sleeping. BUT on those days previously, I would never have imagined that I could do a full yoga flow.

Yoga actually can help my chronic illness

Before anyone jumps on me, I’m not saying I’m cured or anything like that. But I’ve fond my fibromyalgia is more manageable and my hiatus hernia hasn’t been causing me as many problems.

Lets start with the fibromyalgia. My doctors have actually recommended yoga to me before but I struggled to find the right routine. Pain wise, I still have pain but my joints feel better for being stretched out.

I struggle with stiffness a lot and it can take hours for me to be able to move some days. During the 30 days of yoga I had a few days where stiffness was an issue. But I still showed up to the mat (a little later than usual), took the practice at my own level and pace and felt the benefits afterwards.

Fatigue was probably my biggest worry throughout the 30 days. This is usually what stops me from doing the challenge to be honest. But thanks to the pandemic, and having no need to go out, I thought now was the best time to try and push my boundaries. Yes there were days I was sleeping the whole day afterwards. However, more often than not, I had energy afterwards as well.

And those days were I had to sleep and rest, I found the day after I felt fine. For me, those fatigue days linger for around 2-3 days minimum. So to bounce back 24 hours later was a surprise.

Now, I don’t have any evidence to prove it was the yoga which improved this, and I’ve found myself eating and sleeping better which may have contributed to this as well.

My hiatus hernia improving was the big surprise for me though. I often have chest pain from it, trapped air and not great breath control. All of this has improved majorly. I’m not in as much pain, I can breath a lot better and I feel more comfortable in that area.

I now have a good routine

I’m going to let you into another secret here; I really struggle to create a morning routine.

I always ended up feeling a bit crap, struggling to get up and out and had no real routine. So adding a yoga practice into my morning has helped me create a routine.

Now I get up, straight to the mat, skincare, breakfast then dog walk. And that works for me. I feel ready to start the day once I’m up and I’ve found that when I’m working, I’m more productive too which is always nice.

The physical changes from 30 days of yoga

The motivation around doing 30 days of yoga wasn’t to loose weight or gain muscle. So I have no clue if or how my measurements have changed.

The motivation behind me doing this was to become healthier. I wasn’t exercising regularly (except my daily walk) and my apple watch informed me that my cardiac fitness levels were below average. And that was the kick up the bum I needed.

Since January 1st, my cardiac fitness levels are improving at a gradual pace and daily getting better.

I’ve felt stronger in my arms, legs and core. I was worried about my stoma but everything feels good there too. I feel leaner and that I have some of my shape back too.

Overall, my health is feeling a lot better. I don’t get as breathless and I feel good in myself which, for me, is the best measure you can have.

The Mental health benefits of 30 days of yoga practice

I’ve read so much about how yoga can benefit your mental health, and practicing for 30 days straight has proved that to me.

I’ve felt calmer, happier, more in control and more optimistic. Practice for me has been a form of self care and really helped me prioritise what makes me feel good.

I’ve spent less time staring at my screen and found I’ve got more of a wellbeing routine.

Motivation is something I often struggle with but I’ve found it less of an issue in the past 30 days. I’ve felt more on it, my sleep has been better and I’ve felt more in tune with my mind and body.

Have you tried regular yoga practice? How did you find it impacted your mental and physical health?