21 Days of Yoga

I was just reading about the 21-day yoga challenge on Eat, Live, Run, and I decided that it sounded like a great idea! I always feel better when I’m practicing yoga regularly. Truth be told, I’m a bit of a Zumba addict, so yoga has taken a back seat… I’ve been going to a few yoga classes a month, but I haven’t been as regular with it as I’d like to be.

Anyways, so why 21 days? It is good because it is a small, attainable goal. 21 days is the amount of time that Dr. Maxwell Maltz claimed in his book (in 1960) that it takes to a form a habit, so it is now a popular number to choose. Realistically, the “science” behind that isn’t really backed up today. He arrived at this number because that is about how long it takes people who’ve lost a limb to adjust. In actuality, the latest research points to 66 days being the point at which habits take the deepest root. So, since we aren’t losing limbs here, at least 21 days will give us a good head start on forming a new habit.

Even if you don’t stick with it after the 21 days, regular yoga practice for the next 3 weeks can have a positive impact on everything from your stress and anxiety levels to your sleep and sex life.

The rules of the challenge are that you need to spend at least 5 minutes on your mat for it to count for the day. That’s easy enough!

When I’m practicing at home, I love trying the MANY free yoga podcasts. Here are a few that you might like too:

Yoga Today Free Weekly Class Video

Yoga Journal Free Podcast

Dave Farmar – Baptiste Power Yoga – Podcast

Yoga to the People Podcast

Elsie’s Yoga Classes

For my first day of the challenge, I did this overall toning series from Yoga Journal. It is less than half an hour long, so it was a little easier to fit into my day.

Have fun!