Robin decided to do a 30-Day Challenge early in the summer. We saw her every day, the highs, the lows (there were way more highs) and she had such an enthusiastic attitude the whole 30 days!! We couldn’t help but ask if she would contribute to our blog, Robin wrote an amazingly honest account of her challenge, check it out!
Why did you decide to do a 30-Day Challenge?
I decided to do a 30-day challenge as a birthday gift to myself. I talked about it at dinner one night with my family and with their support, I decided to start on my birthday! What better gift than the gift of health. The reason I did the challenge was to test myself, could I really do yoga everyday for thirty days and live to tell about it??!! Also, to see if hot yoga every day would help my back feel better – and no big surprise – not only did it help my back I’m pretty much pain free, I feel amazing. I’ve been dealing with low back pain for two years, had I known all I had to do was thirty days of Bikram Yoga I would have done this two years ago! I have learned that I can be very strong one day and very weak the next but it is okay as long as I just keep showing up, that is what really matters. I feel like this is something I can do for the rest of my life, I can’t imagine my life not doing hot yoga. I guess I’m an addict, haha!
What were some of the challenges you faced?
One of the challenges I faced were evening dinners. We take turns cooking and I definitely needed a helping hand there. We also eat at 6:00 most nights and now we are pushing it till 7:00.
On day thirteen I’m not sure what was going on. I felt like I was never going to make it to thirty and was just tired and sore, I literally felt like I was dragging myself through the 90 minutes but I made it and just didn’t look back.
So why did you come back then after Day 13 what keeps you coming back?
What keeps me coming back, I guess is all the people I’ve talked to about pain and how hot yoga has helped them. How it’s helping me!
What are you struggling with currently in your practice?
I’m currently struggling with depth and strength. In my mind, I think I should be able to go deeper and hold myself stronger. And then I have to remind myself to just relax and be patient. We hear that all the time from the instructors but it’s so hard to implement it.
What is your favorite pose right now and why?
I’m really loving the camel pose when I come out and lay down I feel just awesome, like I’m on a cloud and my body is being supported in all the right spots. It’s kinda weird, but I like it.
What pose is challenging for you right now?
One pose I feel like I’ll never get is Eagle my leg just will not go around to hook my calf maybe one day!
What would you tell someone who is considering a personal challenge for themselves?
If someone is considering a challenge I would say really anyone can do it. Set a goal, then just stick with it – don’t let anything get in your way. It also helps to look at your personal 10, 20, 30 day calendar to see if any major events are going to happen. I wanted to do a challenge but knew July would never work because we are going on a family vacation, although I’m already thinking of ways to find yoga while away!
Congratulations Robin, a 30-Day Challenge is no easy feat! Thank you for your strong example of strength, courage, and determination! You are an inspiration to all of us!