Starting yoga again in June feeling stiff & out of practice

[Yogachick]

Feeling like the Tin Man currently so back to the mat again.

Amazing @Yogachick 45 mins!

i did the Charlie fellows one you linked last. I’m getting distracted by her locations! Where is she?!!

Liked pigeon (or is it lizard?)

I do like how she explains too.

@Laiste is wrist pain a sign of hyper mobility? I struggle with dd too. As does my daughter. We both dont like that pose. I have always been flexible but have stiffened up a lot in certain places. Todays pose when you fold forward cross legged- I am still sitting upright!

@Pinkfluffypencilcase I was 100% still sitting upright in that pose, happy I got my legs vaguely in the right place. Today there was skandasana(?) a pose I love but can’t get my heel down, her too today was pop a block under the raised heel really helped me get more from it. I go to a wall for tree as my dodgy side is still noticeably less stable. I think she said she’s never filmed in the same location twice, she researches the locations carefully. They are glorious and add to the calm for me for sure🌻

@Pinkfluffypencilcase today I did Day 1 of Charlie Fellow's 30 day beginners yoga, it was so refreshing. Very clear instructions and the mirror practice was great too. I think I've found my new series. I feel a bit bad though, I didn't think of Adriene at all😧I was too busy concentrating. I really concentrated on my breathing too, and I really enjoyed it. The only thing that felt odd, was facing the opposite way on the mat to when it's an Adriene practice.

@Laiste quietly hoping for your improved hip. I find it harder to quieten my mind when the start of the practice is when you need to sit still for too long. On those days I prefer to get going and my mind naturally quietens. I also don't think I ever look serene. Adriene always looks like she is really enjoying it, and is getting a lot out of it. I don't think I look like that at all.

Yes, @Yogachick any anger or annoyance soon dissipates, yoga is magic.
Whoop, that sounds like an amazing practice "then every moment felt like a precious gift" pure poetry! Well done. And, "your pain went right down and your energy picked up", incredible, long may it continue.

I'm also upright when doing a crossed leg forward fold.

Day 73

Day 18.7 days of Charlie completed, 15 mins gentle practice today. I was very present with my breath & every single movement had value. Extraordinary.

This popped up, I love Charlie’s shorts,they’re very insightful,this one particularly for me

Day 19 Charlie’s playlist hadn’t been updated by the time I got on my mat so I just did an 11 min stretch of hers. I’m vert tired today after a full day yesterday so suited me perfectly

@Yogachick I too am finding Charlie Fellows extraordinary, I too am very present with her simple but thorough explanations and, like you I feel present with every single movement. I love it and sticking with her. Yesterday I did Charlie beginners day 2 and today was day 3. Streak 75, and I've lost 8.25lbs with my mindful eating - I'm delighted. I have 1.5 stone to go and I know that yoga in conjunction with the mindful eating is working really well.

That's a great you tube short, very relatable!

Not a great day for the pain and fatigue so later to the mat- and only because I saw your post @YogaFlow ,so thankyou for that!Day 20. CF beginners/ improvers day 1 of the new weekly schedule. Very present again,such an achievement for me with a monkey brain. It’s like I zone out of the outside world with Charlie’s practices. I’m very y interested in the mindful eating @YogaFlow ,I know you put something about it on a previous thread but would you mind reiterating? I’ve realised a lot of my eating is random and unthought about( and not actually needed) picking.

Well done @Yogachick for getting to the mat when you're facing challenges. I hope your pain and fatigue eases soon.
CF has a way of making me concentrate, I'm benefitting hugely. (76) CF Beginners Day 3 today, 20 minutes and I clearly haven't been moving from plank to Chaturanga properly, I think I have my hands too far forwards inline with my chest rather than hands in line with low ribs - which is really challenging!

My mindful eating is no snacking, no sugary things like sweets, chocolate, pastries, cake etc, no crisps, low amounts of carbs e.g 1 or 2 mini wraps, a couple of boiled baby potatoes or a small portion of pasta. I don't drink very often, so I'm not wasting calories there.

I'm having greek yogurt for brunch at work and an evening meal. I like to cook once and eat 2/3/4 times. So on Saturday I baked 4 salmon fillets, 2 chilli and 2 garlic and herb, and I've had one each evening with boiled potatoes and veg/ leftover potatoes as a potato salad with salad and a spoon of red pepper pesto, 2 mini wraps with salmon, tons of rocket and a dollop of mayo. I'm probably not eating sufficient protein, or even high enough volumes of green veg, but it's a good start for me as previously I'd happily have eaten a family sized packed of crisps with zero nutrition for dinner instead.

Tomorrow and Thursday I'm having portobello pizza mushrooms for dinner with rocket and probably red pepper pesto on the side for a bit more protein and Friday I'm making lentil dahl.

I read somewhere on MN, that someone asks themselves, would Adriene eat this? Thinking like that helped me when I started eating mindfully as it tied in with my daily YWA yoga, it got me off the sugary stuff and crisps. Now I'm not tempted, but I just say to myself that I don't snack and have avoided all junk snacks in the staffroom and evening snacking without temptation or feeling like I'm missing out.

Since I started 3/4 weeks ago I've a McDonalds fillet o fish and a portion of chip shop chips that I ate over 2 nights (reheated in the airfryer) because it worked for family life, so I'm not missing out on anything. Slow and steady is absolutely fine for me, so I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing and see where it takes me. I've done it before, and lost much faster, but I'm thankful that I'm losing.

Yikes, that was an epically long post 😁

Day 21. I felt a need for a longer practice( who even am I?) so did the 30 min full body from later on in the Beginner/improvers week. Delicious, so creative and she really thinks about the back, lots of chest opening and a strong locust in there. The time flew again, I was surprised when we started to wind down. Bliss in a giving me energy way. I had a look at ‘Charlie’s Angels’ to support Charlie but I’m a way away from benefitting atm I think,the practices look advanced! Something to think about for the future,when my YWA subscription expires.
@YogaFlow thankyou for the mindful eating support, it’s very clear. It’s a journey I need to combine with my Charlie yoga adventure.

You're doing amazing @Yogachick it's fantastic when the time flies and you also feel the benefit.

I've gone wrong with my counting somewhere, today (77) CF Beginners Day 5, but I did Day 4 yesterday, 20 minutes bedtime routine all lying down, lots of stretching. I didn't find it relaxing, but that was fine as I had lots to do.

@YogaFlow ,perhaps you didn’t find that practice relaxing BECAUSE you had lots to do,loitering in your subconscious?
Day 22. I wanted another longer 1 so did Day 1 of CF Explore playlist 31 mins. When I last did this 2 years ago I struggled hugely & didn’t enjoy it. Today is a completely different story, I was present with my breath,adjusted as I needed to without feeling ‘ less’ & got half way down in a controlled chatarunga before I had to put my knees down. My numb foot on one side brings it’s own challenges,especially with balancing, I just came in & out of that one, I chose to keep my arms wrapped behind my back rather than use my hands as an assist because I haven’t been able to wrap my arms for YEARS. A happy start to my day🌟

Day 1 Charlie fellows beginners. She’s very clear and breaks all the movements down well.

I wasn’t going to do any today but your posts popped into my head so I thought I’d give it a go! Without this thread I’d’ve stopped.

Liked your post on mindful eating @YogaFlow

i know what I’m meant to do but it’s too tempting out there. Since my heart issues I’ve had to pay more attention. It’s much easier at work to say no to all the sugary treats. A student brought in some cakes he’d made. I felt bad declining as he was so proud.

Crisps I try to only buy rarely but I’ll munch my way through them without eating properly.
Same as you I like to cook and eat over a few days. Dahl is the best! And freezes well.

Hey guys, may I join you? I’d started a post on ‘Yoga’ about returning to a more dedicated practice. I’ve been using YogaEasy app as got a trial discounted, and have been impressed with the choice of teachers and styles/duration on it. Previously, I’ve loved Sarah Beth Yoga, Charlie Fellows and YWA.

Welcome @Heraldry
The more the merrier!

Hello all! I'm hoping on to join you all too, I used to be in daily yoga threads a while back (I recognise your name @Yogachick ).
I was going really well at the end of 2025/spring 2026. Did three of Charlie Follows 30 day series, Beginner, Flow (which I followed as it went live in Jan 26), then the Improver 30 day (this was the sequence she recommended in a post). I was making great progress, really surprising myself with poses I could then manage, getting stronger. Plan was to progress to the Intermediate 30 day series.
Then the weather got better and I seem to do less yoga when that happens. As others have said in this thread, it's a wake-up call how quickly the yoga gains fall away. I started to get aches/stiffness and running injuries again. So I need to keep doing at least 3 yoga sessions a week, more if possible! It is definitely one of those short and often is best activities.
I am pleased you are all enjoying Charlie Follows she is my favourite at the mo. I started out years ago with YWA, had a Kassandra and Sarah Beth phase but I get bored easily. Charlie, with it mostly being outdoors, and some very different poses or transitions compared to the other online yogis has definitely kept my interest up. I've just done her recent 7 day strength series, which I need to do again as it was tough and I have huge room for improvement!
That said with the little and often in mind I've just started Kassandras yogalates series principally as it is 10-20 mins long. Although I generally dislike "yogalates". I saw Sarah Beth is starting a 7 day series soon, on 20th, which promises to be 20 mins max so I may give those a go if the yogalates doesn't float my boat.
Ha, sorry for the essay!
The mindful eating was interesting, I am fighting the urge to go and eat a biscuit so maybe I need to have Greek yog or something that is a better choice...

Welcome back @Jumbojem

great to see you back. I was probably on the Adrienne
yoga threads under a different name.

Little and often is definitely the key. something sustainable rather than big efforts that are not.

I’m really glad I’m back to a daily practice, in the grand scheme of things I wasn’t away for long but I didn’t like where my mind went when I found myself avoiding my mat. Daily means something, but it doesn’t have to be asana it can simply be my bedtime meditation if need be…but I am enjoying how my body (and mind) feels again with more asana!

This evening I did an Esther Ekhart 40min practice, Longevity from the Inside Out, and it was a really kindly practice - that’s the only way to describe it. I’m going to add it to my regulars. @Jumbojem I completely get the getting bored easily - that’s why I’m enjoying YogaEasy at the minute as there’s a lot of variety but it is still small enough to also have connection. They have lives too, there’s a two hour workshop this weekend I’m tempted by as a treat.

I think you're right @Yogachick and well done on the improvement on your practice in 2 years.
@Pinkfluffypencilcase well done for getting on the mat. If I'm going to insult someone if I don't have something I take it to have 'later'.
Welcome @Heraldry YogaEasy seems to be perfect for you. Sometimes that 10 minutes on an evening just keeps us coming back to the mat.
Welcome @Jumbojem 3 back to back CF series is brilliant. I'm sure you'll find the sweet spot for how many yoga sessions you need to help with your running. Did you have the biscuit?

Day 78 for me, CF Beginners Day 6, 20 minutes flow. Perfect!

I did a 30min morning slow strength fascia flow…wow it’s left me ready for the day! Very invigorating. Hope you all have a good day.

We’re getting a lovely team here! Welcome back @Jumbojem , I’ve signed up for the SB Strength series as well ,as I always do ,but am loving CF practices so much I might just save the emails for another time. I liked the idea of Yogalates but found it very very hard going.
@Heraldry I’ve not heard of Yogaeasy, though I’ve enjoyed Esther Ekhart practices before,the daily practice,in whatever form ,is a game changer
@Pinkfluffypencilcase great start with Charlie’s beginner series. I think maybe I should have started there!
Day 23. I took the dog out very early as it’s going to be a hot day but 3 miles walking before yoga left me somewhat depleted. Just 15 mins with CF today but ,my,she packs a lot in there!

A very late, speedy post today, staying up late watching the Scotland v Morocco match.
Day 79, CF Beginners Day 7, 20 minutes back and lower body stretch, mainly lying down, which was great after a long week.

Well done everyone, see you tomorrow.

I’ve just had a look at SB challenge day 1. It’s a practice from 7 years ago,personally I’m a bit disappointed if she’s just recycling old stuff to get more customers for her app,just seems lazy to me.the other challenges she offers are all older practices as well.I won’t be doing this one.

Day 24. CF Explore Day 2, planned as a respite from the energy of Day 1 . I yogaed in the garden this morning,great until neighbour started strimming😂I’ll have to be up earlier if outdoor is my plan! I’m pondering the Beginners calendar with @YogaFlow & @Pinkfluffypencilcase but am concerned I won’t find it ‘enough’ and get bored. What are your thoughts yogapeeps?

@Yogachick I like the idea of outdoor yoga, especially in serene surroundings without other people!

I think the CF beginners are likely not be enough for you. Only 1 in the past 7 days has been a flow, the others have been doing poses correctly, holding them and feeling the benefits. It’s been gentle, but effective for me as I’ve had time in the poses to realise where I may have gone wrong previously, and also where I should be feeling the stretch - something I was never sure of with Adriene. It was 25 years ago the last time I did in person classes and then started and stopped online yoga a few years ago. I’m seeing this practice as building up my knowledge base so it’s perfect for me, for now.

I’ll be back tonight once I’ve completed todays yoga.