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Yoga with Adriene - 30 Day Journey, 'Breath' Review

Monday, 15 February 2021
Girl doing at home yoga - Yoga with Adriene 30 Day Breath Challenge review

Girl doing at home yoga - Yoga with Adriene 30 Day Breath Challenge review

In this blog post I wanted to share my review and thoughts on the Yoga with Adriene 30 Day Breath Journey which I completed during January 2021.

My most popular blog post, is this one I wrote last February sharing my thoughts after completing a Yoga with Adriene 30 Day Challenge. On finishing the January 2020 yoga challenge 'Home' I knew without a doubt it would become a tradition for me to each January to begin the year with 30 days of yoga. 

So again I rolled out my yoga mat each day for 30 days as I welcomed 2021. As my last yoga journey blogpost was so popular, I thought it would be valuable for me to share my thoughts on completing my second 30 day yoga with Adriene challenge, and the comparison of yoga with Adriene's Breath Journey which I've just finished and the Home journey that I completed a year ago. 

As you can imagine the two journeys are pretty similar with the same yoga moves which now feel familiar to me. Through each challenge Adriene offers the same kindness in her voice. She shares alternatives to the different poses making the sessions more accessible. Adriene always encourages you to find what feels good, listen to your body and trust yourself.

The major difference between the two journeys, was the anchor of breath in the 2021 30-day challenge. Throughout the practises, this challenge really focused on the breath, as it's name would suggest. Different breath techniques were taught, and in general the practises felt slightly slower and more meditative. Some practises we're more focused on breath than movement. Last year when completing my first 30 Day yoga challenge I found I enjoyed the practises which felt more like a workout, with the idea of 'the more movement the better', but this time around I found the slower pace refreshing, focusing on the breathwork meant I left the mat feeling in a relaxed haze. 

Breath Journey Details

Personally, I'd recommend completing the entire journey. For me it felt as though each day led into the next and prepared me for the practises to come. But if you'd like to pick and choose your practise below you can find some of my thoughts, and the facts on the individual sessions.  


The shortest practise: 

Day 20 - Pause, where you do exactly that. This practise is just 16 minutes and 21 seconds. 


The longest practise:

Day 30 - Begin is the longest at 50 minutes and 59 seconds - however being the final day of the challenge, this practice is slightly different from the other, as Adriene turns off her microphone and you complete your own practise alongside her, unguided, using the tools you learned in the previous days. 

Day 1 - Invite is also slightly longer at 48 minutes and 12 second.

Averagely the sessions are around 20-25 minutes.


The most movement: 

Day 6: Burn is the one to go to if you're in it for the work out. Day 11 - Flow offers pretty continuous movement throughout, as does Day 12 - Drop.

For stillness:

Day 8 - Snuggle... the practise takes places entirely sat or laying on the mat. Day 20 -Pause, also offers exactly what it says in the title.


Pros:

- You can do it from home

- Don't really even need to change your clothes. The practises are fairly gentle, so on the days I was feeling super lazy, rather than change into my yoga clothes, I'd hop straight onto my mat in whatever I was wearing - it just makes it slightly more convenient.

- Alternatives offered so Adriene's teaching is accessible for all different abilities and experience levels.  

- You can do it at a time that suit you.

- The videos are also educational teaching different breath techniques and mindfulness practises.

Cons: 

- No one to check your poses, or offer personal guidance reassurance.

- It does take commitment. Going into the challenge without fully committing is likely to leave you missing days and feeling guilty.


On showing up.

Personally for me I think carving out the time and showing up matters, more so than perfecting the poses (as I'm sure you can see from the imagery in this blog post, my poses could still use some work). 

You won't feel like doing yoga everyday for 30 days, but especially on those days you don't fancy it, afterwards you'll be glad you showed up, and see the value in taking that time for your body and mind.

In my previous yoga challenge review blog post I spoke about how to motivate yourself to show up, so I won't go into too much here, but I will say, I found  it much easier to show up everyday this time around, knowing that I had once before found myself capable of dedicating time each day to yoga practise. This year, I went in the yoga journey knowing without a doubt a wouldn't miss a day. That doesn't mean that some days I didn't put it off until the end of the day, and some days I still found my mind distracted when on the mat - which for me only underlined the importance of the mindful practise.

My results: 

This year I went into the journey feeling slightly more confident when it came to the yoga poses, having spent more time practising yoga overall. 

In general balance is something I struggle with, practically down the left side of my body - however this was an area I saw improvement as the days went on. I became better at using my core, and using that push and pull of energy to create stability where I once would have felt wobbly. 

Focusing on and following the breath during this challenge was something which, despite years of meditating, I, at first struggled with. But as the days when on, I found it easier to tune my body to the rhyme of my breathe and breathing through the nose began to feel more natural to me. I still think I could do some work on the breath techniques learnt, but it's set the foundation heading forward.

I complete yoga completely for my mind, but for those curious, I began to see a small amount of toning in my stomach come the end of the challenge. I also noticed I felt stronger, particularly in my arm (maybe from all of those planks)

There are still poses I wish I could do, but I am not there with yet (hello, crow pose) but overall I feel more confident when creating shapes in yoga, and feel much closers to the poses I once thought impossible for me. 

More so than last year, I found this journey really helped with my mental health. I talk about it more in this post - but daily yoga is something which has really calmed my mind, and enabled me to manage anxiety and panic attacks.


I'm sure you can tell from the imagery, my poses are far from perfect, but I am always striving for progress over perfection, for me it's about the journey. 


Shop this blogpost:

Yoga Mat: John Lewis - Leggings (old similar linked) - Tee: Hush  - Sports Bra: Shock Absorber - Grey Blanket (old similar linked) - TV: Samsung Frame TV - TV Stand - Sofa: M&S - Mirror: Made.com

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lifestyle mental health positive living tips wellbeing

How to Improve Your Wellbeing | Little Things That Improved my Mental Health During January 2021.

Monday, 1 February 2021

How to improve your wellbeing - little mental tips blogpost. Blogger girl chloe harriets in pink beret.How to improve your wellbeing - little mental tips blogpost. Blogger girl chloe harriets in pink beret.
How to improve your wellbeing - little mental tips blogpost. Blogger girl chloe harriets in pink beret.
How to improve your wellbeing - little mental tips blogpost. Blogger girl chloe harriets in pink beret.

How to improve your wellbeing - little mental tips blogpost. Blogger girl chloe harriets in pink beret.


Towards the end of 2020 I wasn't having the best time with my mental health, I was having a panic attacks on a pretty regular basis. Going to the new year I decided to make sure I was putting as many little things in place to improve my wellbeing. Those little things have made all the difference. I felt it in myself and others have noticed it in me, my boyfriend and family have all commented on how my I've seemed happier, less anxious and more myself. So in this blogpost I wanted to share those little things I've been doing which have improved my wellbeing.


How to improve your wellbeing - little mental tips blogpost. Blogger girl chloe harriets in pink beret.

Simple steps I took to improve my wellbeing:

Getting ready

Lockdown has made me realise two things: Number one, I feel better when I get ready. Number two, getting ready doesn't have to mean a full face of make up and uncomfortable clothes. Sometimes just not wearing what you slept in is enough to get you feeling good, and sometimes a smudge of red lipstick makes you feel like you can take over the world. As I'm not going many places recently (hello lockdown) I've got myself two pairs of slippers, onw for in the day around the house, a cat pair which I think look pretty fancy, and a pair of fluffy boots for when I'm cosying up in my pjs - a pair for day and a pair for evening - I'm surprised how much a different pair is slippers is making me feel less like a slob. Spending a little time in the morning getting ready help me feel in a routine and signals to my brain it's time for the day to start, and reminds me, even if I'm not going anywhere my purpose exists beyond watching Netflix in my jammies.


Asking for help when I want it

I don't mean the big deal help here... not going to a therapist when you're hitting rock bottom (although if you think you might need a therapist, you probably do, and you should look into it...) but the small help. I very easily get overwhelm. For example if I'm cooking dinner as there's too many dishes around, it stresses me out, rather than continue to be stressed about dishes, and desperately searching for the kitchen space I need, I'm simply asking my boyfriend to help clear them up. Hanging the washing is a task I hate but rather than dread it every time, I can ask for a hand and get it done in half the time. It took starting to ask for help with the small things, to make me realise I can ask for help and realise that the majority of time, I only surround myself with people willing to help me. 


Daily meditation

One of the new habits I wanted to cultivate in January was more regular meditation practise, and I'm pleased to say I have kept it up everyday through the month, and I feel so much better for it. Those 10 minutes of mindful have impacted my entire day, allowing me to manage anxious thoughts. For those curious, I'm currently using the Calm app, but I have a full blog post here on meditation apps which I love.

Daily yoga

Last year in January I completed a 30 day yoga challenge which I talk more about here, well I've decided to make it a tradition. So this January I completed the Yoga with Adriene 30 day breath challenge and dedicating that time each day to my breath and body has really calmed my mind. It's movement that I enjoy.

Fresh air, spending time in nature.

Getting out and breathing in fresh air makes such a difference to how you feel. Spending time outdoors and feeling gratitude to the trees and the sky makes all the difference to my mood.

Keep track of finances 

Not knowing what's going on in my bank account can be major cause for anxiety. Rather than ignoring those numbers and hoping for the best, daily checks in with my online banking keep that anxiety at bay and allow me to plan where to spend and where to save. 


Make small steps everyday

When I look at the bigger picture, I tend to get overwhelmed but like most people, I have long term goals. I've tried to more days take steps towards making those goals feel more achievable, it doesn't matter how big the step as long as I'm moving. For example rather than feeling daunted by the huge task for writing a book, I just dedicate half hour to writing that book each day. It's comforting to know, that even if it's a slow process, I'm moving in the right direction.


Taking vitamins 

Taking vitamins can actually impact how you feel, your energy levels and overall wellbeing, yet they are so easy to forget about. I got into the habit of taking iron and vitamin D and C each day with my breakfast.  


Listening to the good stuff

I've been trying to be more mindful of the content I'm consuming because it affects how I feel. During January I listened to some great podcasts that have brightened my days - you can find out my current favourite listens here.


Making time for loved ones

I know it sounds obvious but I think it was something I wasn't particularly good at until recently when I started making a conscious effort. I'm being sure to actually spend time with my boyfriend when he's home from work, to watch something together, to laugh together and really catch up, rather than finding myself busy elsewhere in the same room at him but actually not spending time with him. The same goes with catch up with family and friends who I can't see because of lockdown, I've been trying hard to put time aside to catch up on those phone calls, and send messages.


Close tabs

It's so simple, but so easy not to do. I always used to keep my tabs open and come back  to the chaos (cough *3 ASOS tabs, 2 amazon tabs, an expensive bag, an article I'll probably never read etc). Rather than open my laptop to a fresh start. During January I've been taking those moments to close my tabs, and it feels good to start each day with a clean slate. 


Keep things tidy

My environment really impacts how I feel, so the month I have been making extra effort to keep on top of the cleaning and tidying ensuring my home is a nice place to be. 10 minutes before bed to make sure everything is in order downstairs, cleaning up as I go when I cook and Sunday bedding changes make all the difference.

How to improve your wellbeing - little mental tips blogpost. Blogger girl chloe harriets in pink beret.

Outfit Details: 

Tee: ASOS (similar linked) - Skirt: New Look (similar linked) - Cardigan: Taylor Swift Merch - Beret: Primark (similar linked) - Shoes: Doctor Martens (similar linked)
How to improve your wellbeing - little mental tips blogpost. Blogger girl chloe harriets in pink beret.

*Affiliate links are used in this blog post

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