YWA Breath: What I learned doing 30 days of yoga

Before I get into this I am fully aware the yoga is one of those things that is unhelpfully recommended for people with both chronic illnesses and mental illness. I also know many people are sick of it. I am not here to tell you that yoga will solve all your problems or make your life easier, I am just here to tell you my experience of YWA Breath.

So no pressure here. You know your own body better than me.

But, for me personally, yoga has been a great help – a way for me to get the excercise my body needs without putting me completely out of action the next day.

Each year Adriene (at Yoga with Adriene) creates a tailor made 30 day journey for people all over the world to participate in through the month of January. I only discovered YWA in March last year so 2021’s journey, Breath, was my very first one and I was not disappointed.

If you haven’t tried it yet but would like to it will be up on the Youtube Channel for years to come, so you can access it at any time. And if you’re on the fence, here is my experience of it (and why I think you should give it a go).

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YWA Breath – My 30 day yoga journey

I’m going to start off by saying that when I started YWA Breath I fully expected to miss days, and have many workouts I just couldn’t complete. With working full time, and just general life, I knew it was probably a bit adventurous for me.

I wanted to try though and I’m so glad I did.

Some days I was practicing at 10pm at night because it was the only time I had free to do it. Some days I was walking my friends dog AND doing 30 minutes of yoga. For once, for me, my low energy was completely worth it.

I was able to do so much more than I thought possible, I didn’t miss one or leave one incomplete, and that is amazing in itself.

Each workout is adaptable

Probably one of YWA’s best features is that the workouts are designed to be suitable for everyone, whether they are a beginner or more advanced, and Breath was no exception.

Part of the reason I was able to complete them all was because I could follow the easier poses on days when I was really struggling with them. Adriene is great at giving more than one option for the more difficult positions and stretches, and I love having the chance to try the hardest one even if I don’t always get very far.

The Breath journey is a great way to dip your toe into yoga if you’ve not done it before (and you’ll see why in just a second).

It really gets into what yoga is truly about – the breath

All of YWA’s 30 day journies, and workouts, are great. However, I feel that Breath has just got to the core of what yoga is. It focuses on breathing techniques and using them throughout your practice in order to centre yourself.

It really gets into using your breath as an anchor and as a guide, and I really did feel the shift in the way I was practicing as I went along. I also felt a change in my every day life as a result of focusing on the breath more, which is always a plus.

As an added bonus, I have always struggled with breathing through my nose because my nostrils are so small (an odd problem to have I know). I just never felt like I was getting enough air and so alway opted to breathe through my mouth. By the end of YWA Breath I was able to breathe in and out of my nose easily – something I didn’t think was possible for me.

It spoke into what my mind and body needed

I know it wasn’t a coincidence that 2021’s 30 day journey was centred around the breath. It was clearly planned mindfully to give us the boost we needed after an intense year. And it did deliver.

This journey has been the perfect mix of relaxation and reflection, strength training, and challenging. For me it was EXACTLY what I needed last month. It helped me get through the longest January of my life, remaining strong and calm (most of the time anyway).

If you feel like you need a breather after 2020 then this may be the yoga plan for you!

The breathing techniques are great for anxiety

I was already aware of some of the breathing techniques Adriene taught in this series, through other yoga videos and doing CBT and stress reduction classes, but there were many new ones that I have found equally helpful.

Often when I am struggling with anxiety, or even a panic attack, in the moment the only thing I can really do is breathe. And when I can feel it building in me I also try to use breathing techniques to stop it in it’s tracks. It doesn’t magically fix everything but it slowly helps me to relax a bit in order for the anxiety to reduce.

I also use breathing techniques to help me sleep. By focusing on my breath and counting my breathing, I am able to clear my mind and actually fall asleep.

The breath has so much power in our lives, more than just the obvious. And this yoga journey is a great way to learn more about it in order to make your life off the mat a bit simpler.

It’s not to late to try

As I said before, the Breath playlist is available on the YWA youtube channel, and will be for years to come. So you can drop into it any time if you’d like to try it out.

There are also so many other great videos on the channel you can have a go at. I am not lying when I say that Yoga with Adriene changed my life, which is why I just had to write about it.

Have you ever tried yoga? If not do you think you ever will? Perhaps there is another form of exercise you enjoy more! Do share your views in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you.

Unitl next time

xo