What are the benefits of a 30-day challenge

thank heavens i found this forum…because i thoroughly enjoy sharing and reading others experiences. i feel totally comfortable sharing my challenges and accomplishments. it’s comforting to know that there are others all over the world who have their ups and downs.
have a wonderful day!
natasha

LOVETHEHEAT:

Hm, well, that’s totally weird that you’d be stiff after 23 days of stretching! I hope Gab has an answer for you.

Guess what I’m doing tonight? I was two days into my 30-day challenge and my non-yoga daughter talked me into going to aerobics with her. We’re starting tonight! I swear I haven’t done aerobics since the ’80s. Should be interesting…

Well, it turns out the aerobics class was easy and fun. Although when I looked over at my daughter she was sweating a lot and I was casting glaring looks at the open windows, finding it kind of chilly.

The aerobics moves haven’t changed much in 20 years, it turns out. The best thing about it was getting to spend time with my daughter.

I have taken a bit of a rest w/ a maintenance practice and am thinking about a challenge myself…. going to see doctor today (to get some levels tested) will talk to him then look inward and feel what is right for me. I will let you know

You’ll get a T-shirt? I can’t get my studio to participate in a challenge at all. The owner says she loses too many people after 30 days. Although I’ve been at the same studio for eight years and have never seen any challenges going at any time. Real bummer.

You’ll get a T-shirt? I can’t get my studio to participate in a challenge at all. The owner says she loses too many people after 30 days. Although I’ve been at the same studio for eight years and have never seen any challenges going at any time. Real bummer.

From what I understand the owner lost lots of folks after a challenge about a year ago.
It is really weird how that happens. I guess folks are intent on finishing something and get it done.
But that is not what yoga is, and for me I see now what a day-to-day practice is and what it can do for you.
Increases the meditative nature of the practice, pushed me beyond what I thought I could do.

I hope you are able to convince the owner there to do a challenge, be it 20, 24, or 30 days. Sometimes the shorter time-frames are good to!

You’ll get a T-shirt? I can’t get my studio to participate in a challenge at all. The owner says she loses too many people after 30 days. Although I’ve been at the same studio for eight years and have never seen any challenges going at any time. Real bummer.

Why not quietly do your own personal challenge? I’ve done challenges both as part of the group at the studio and also just picked a day to start and done it myself. Benefits and differences to each.

Take Care,
Lee

I think part of a challenge is Not Doing it Quietly.

There is something about going in and out of there everyday and toward the end doing a countdown with the owner or instructor or receptionist. Sometimes it is nice to hear the instructor mention to the other students that you’re on day 25 or whatever . .

Anyway, tonight I FINISHED!
but are we ever really finished. No we can always do more, stretch further, lift higher !

So, 2 days off for me, and I will be back after a brief rest!

It’s nice to hear others talking about their challenges. I recently finished my 30 day challenge; for me it was extremely stressful. And I felt like my body got stiffer and more stubborn every day. For some reason in the beginning I put in my head that it would get easier everyday but it definitely didn’t. I was considering doubling my 30 day challenge to 60 days because of Bikram’s recommendation in his first book but I had to decide not to. There’s just too much other stuff right now; So, at least for now, I have to be content with my 30 days.

Well, I’m still continuing with the aerobics, Mon, Wed, and Saturday. Oh my lord, though, it’s making me stiff …

Course, my shoes are ancient. I’m not ready to quit, though, as I want my daughter to keep going. I’ll get some new shoes and give it another few months. At which point it will be the beginning of my golf season and I won’t have time to fit it in.

Oh, and re the challenge, today I finished Day 54 and feel fabulous!

I am restarting after taking a few hot yoga classes 5 years ago and I was interested in this thread because I want to be motivated to stick with a regular practice. I have to say, after reading the full thread; I really question the benefits of not taking a day or two off every week. It has been posted often – by Gabrielle and others – that even the original concept of the challenge was based on taking some time off.

I know this form of activity is not completely analogous to the resistance training workout many people are familiar with, but the fact is you do contract muscles during many of the poses and you are expected to hold this contraction for 30-60 seconds. This does damage to your muscles that only time can repair. I am not as familiar with the “damage” done when stretching a muscle, but it makes sense the some recovery time is necessary. Often one day might be enough, but not every single day.

I’m a newbie so I could be very wrong about this. I’d really like to know the value people get – physically or mentally – from practicing 7 days a week. Part of my problem may be that at 5’11” and 245 lbs, the routine is so taxing on me physically that it probably takes more out of me than others.

VERY new to this forum!
I am set to start my first 30-day challenge tomorrow and am excited. Our studio rules are: 30 classes in 30 days. You can do this however you like as long as you get them in. I’m going to try a class a day. I may need to do 2 classes in a day (6am, then 4pm) at times with a day of rest (still less than the Instructors’ Course does). My dear husband suggested that I slack off for 24 days, then do 5 classes a day for 6 days! Hahahaha! I got a good chuckle out of his suggestion!

Yes, it closed a year ago this week, October 30th! They have two others studios, one in Kits and one in the West End, and I have no idea when or if they will re-open a third.

I have switched to the Richmond studio and love it (different owners than Cambie) – for many reasons – consistent heat, high ceilings, microbiotic flooring, 30-day challenges, pot-luck get-togethers, supplyin of towels and mats, etc.