Yoga Challenge

Hi!

21 days ago, my favourite yoga teacher Erin Motz started another instagram challenge. The idea was, that we'd learn/practise an intense yoga pose daily, to become -as they say- 'summer ready'. Honestly, it's not that much about my summer bikini booty as it is about my actual health. I've been seeing my physical therapist a lot lately, and am really working on training my muscles. Also, I'm going to start running soon, I'll keep you up to date! Maybe we can start to run together and motivate each other? So anyway, I did this challenge for 21 days and I really enjoyed it! It's great when someone (in my case, my sweetest boyfriend) can take pictures of you doing yoga, because you really learn a lot from it. Sometimes I think I've got a pose all figured out, when really, I don't. It's only after having looked at the picture, that I realise my back isn't as straight as I thought it was. So you can really use challenges like this to refine your poses. And of course, try out new poses that you never knew existed! 

Another great thing about this challenge is getting in touch with other yogis. Everyone is prompted to add the hashtag #badyogi to their posts, and so when you look up the hashtag, you get this huge amount of photos of people all around the world who are doing the exact same pose as you are. And they are not extremely fit models who can do a handstand on their pinky finger with their legs twisted like pretzels. Nope, just people like you and me, doing yoga in front of the TV, or in the backyard. And seeing them is so motivating!  

I was fortunate enough to go to the beach for a week, which was awesome! I love doing yoga at the beach. Especially the creepy stuff like headstands. I'm still figuring those out, but once I got onto the soft and safe sand, I wasn't at all scared to try them! I also love looking at the vast sea, and the endless horizon. So peaceful. 

And also, the weather! It has been amazing! Aside from the fact that good weather is always awesome, it was extra awesome because I could do my yoga challenge outside almost every day. And I love doing yoga out in the fresh air! 

So... That's pretty much it! If you missed the challenge and feel like trying out some yoga poses, here are my instagram pictures (including some extra pictures of me doing headstands and sundials)! Enjoy! 

✎ Jade

BadYogi Challenge

Hi!

Don't we all want to start the new year off well? Well, I tried to do just that, by joining yogi Erin Motz in her Instagram challenge! For several days she gave her #BadYogiArmy assignments such as "take a picture of a pose that makes you feel celebratory" or "show us a pose you love to hate" etc. I had a lot of fun with it! It was also very educative, because by seeing myself on pictures, I realised I did some poses wrong and tried to perfect them. If only I had enough room in my apartment for a big mirror... 

What have you done to try and start the year with a bang? 

Love,

✎ Jade

#BadYogi

Hi everyone! 

About a year ago I started doing something that has really changed my life for the better: yoga. Now, as you're reading this, you're probably thinking "I should do some yoga too, but I'll never be good enough at it" and that's why I write this post. To say: NO! No no no, that's not true at all! Yoga can seem like (and often is) exclusive to a community of absurdly flexible, strictly vegan and spiritually enlightened people who make you feel like you're chubby and immoral and remind you of the fact that you cannot even bend over to tie your shoelaces or pet your dog.  

I always felt intimidated by yoga as well, until I discovered Erin Motz' youtube channel. She has a playlist called the 30 day yoga challenge which contains 30 videos from about 15-20 minutes, in which she teaches yoga classes for beginners. She is the reason why I got over my fear of yoga. I'm just going to quote her, because she says it so well:

"If you’re constantly afraid of making a mistake or that people will judge you or think you’re weird or stupid, and you base your actions on those things alone, you’ll only get as far as everyone else’s acceptable standard."

She invented the concept of the bad yogi, which means that you can do yoga without feeling like you have to be part of a certain community, or adjust your entire lifestyle and eating habits. Yoga is for anyone, so yes, that includes you! If you want to know if you are a bad yogi too, check out her website here! 

My boyfriend's mom got me the official bad yogi tank, and I've enjoyed doing my morning sun salutation in it, after which I rewarded myself with a bit of chocolate, #badyogi style. 

If you are at all interested, give it a go! Here are the links to:

The 30 day yoga challenge (Do You Yoga Channel)

The 4 week yoga challenge (Bad Yogi Channel) 

Her blog, Facebook and Instagram

And don't forget: it's not about stretching super far until you're injured! Just take it easy, keep breathing and enjoy your practice. You'll feel all different really quickly. :) 

Lots of love, and remember, bad is good.

✎ Jade