Home - 30 Days (Adriene)

[KittyMcKitty]

Very excited when the email came this morning! Is anyone else up for this?

I'm now 3 days behind, just finished day 6. I'm trying not to give up and to just accept the fact the 4 or 5 days a week is really good and it doesn't matter if I don't manage every day.

French that's still good going.

I didn't want to do it today at all so pleased that I did. My wrists are really struggling though - does anyone have any tips? Feels like pulling and burning.

Redpriest definitely feel more supple. I could touch my toes last night even though I have to go round my gut!

Loved Day 9, I like pigeon a lot as I get sciatica and it's a lovely juicy stretch into the piriformis mmmm.

@KinkyDoritowithsparkleson to protect your wrists, you could go to,elbows instead eg for planks, and even downward dog becomes dolphin if you use elbows instead. Even if you do 50% of your poses on elbow and the other 50% on wrists, it's good going.

Another alternative is to have a chair handy and for down dog use the chair back to do the stretch, as it avoids weight bearing onto your wrists.

Hope that helps x

Thanks daisy, I'll try those

@Frenchfancy i'm at the same stage as you as I missed 1 day, did a killer spin session on another then went to an actual yoga class today so not doing more until tomorrow. Day 7 sounds a bit brutal on the core so will do that in the morning rather than usual before bed routine. Despite only doing 6 days, I felt much more supple and stronger at my yoga class

I missed Wednesday day 7 so did that yesterday. Went to do day 8 today with a double header tomorrow. Did day 9
Instead (apparently I can't count ) so have now caught up.
Although slightly peeved that I've missed the lying down with socks on day.

@mymadworld day 6 is abs! 7 is lovely ( though I liked 6)

Just finished day 9 and like plenty of you, I loved it. I can feel already a big improvement in my strength and flexibility since the start, so that is very rewarding. I’m also proud to have kept this up into the second week and really hope it has become an ingrained habit.

Someone asked about wrist pain - I had this a lot also. Take a look at your mat - I use two, a dense padded one lid on a thinner one and I put those on my living room rug. I also double up the thin mat - fold it onto itself on the edge where my hands will be. You could even add a carefully folded towel underneath as well. I do find my wrists getting much stronger even over the 9 days.

Anyway, thanks to all on thread for the motivation to keep going.

@Sooverthemill can you explain any of the tips you’d learned on pigeon? I found a distinct difference in where I was placing my hips on the left and right side. Any clearer understanding would be great, thanks.

I enjoyed today's, which I'm glad about as I did it after work rather than first thing. I seem to find it harder to get on the mat later in the day, and my cold has ramped up a notch too, but I got on with it and found it helpful. I would also like those tips on pigeon, as I'm never sure I'm positioned correctly. I do feel a lovely deep stretch in the hips though.

@sycamore I'm not sure I can explain it very well! Osteopath said to always start from table top, move leg as if I was going to cross it over the other ( which obviously I'm not) and to push knee outwards before sliding down on straight leg. Then stay on hands or go to elbows whichever more comfortable. But key seemed to be making sure bent lined was more like a frog . Does that make any sense at all? You know when the pose is lying on tummy, slumber party arms and you move a knee up out to the side? Kind of the opposite. I have no idea if you will understand! Hth

Re wrist pain, Adrienne talks about that a lot ( there's a short video on it) and she suggests you claw into fingers and widen fingers to ease it. I use a fab mat now which has made a big difference as well

Thanks so much for the tips, I’ll try.

My issue is on one side, my hip can easily be lowered to the ground, on the other side it’s a mile up in the air. I don’t know which is the “better” one and which I should be aiming for!

Thank you for the pigeon tips, I wish I'd read them before I did day 9! It's a pose I always struggle with, it's like I just don't bend in that way! Same as sycamore, I notice a huge difference in LHS and RHS. I actually bailed out of my LHS effort and went into extended child's pose, I felt that it was hurting more than stretching, iykwim. I'm so pleased that I've kept up with everything so far, the last thing I want to do is injure myself just as I'm getting into it. I'm really feeling the benefits from doing a daily practice - I got most of the way through last year's 30 days but not in real time and spread over waaaaaaay more than 30 days, and it definitely seems more effective this time round. Thank you everyone for helping keep me motivated!

sycamore54321 many people are tighter on one side then the other - it took me well over a year to get anything like the same level of release on both sides.

Like others I enjoyed that a lot. I'm another one with uneven hips here - my right leg can do half lotus with knee on the ground, on the left side the knee is about 2 fists off the ground. But I'm starting to get the feel of how to work with them both. I'm sure my two pigeons looked very different but they were both lovely and I could happily have stayed longer. Thanks for the tips Soover, I think I was doing them that way!

One thing I'm getting from the practice is a greater awareness (both on the mat and off it) of when I start to arch my lower back - I'm so used to it I just don't always notice but I'm sure it's the cause of the soreness I've been getting lately. So with the high lunges today I realised lifting my arms was making me arch a bit, so I went back to hands on my hips and worked there to keep my pelvis nicely tucked under, flexing the knee a bit more too. Plus I always try to finish on my back with knees up and pelvis tilted to give my lower back a good stretch!

Can't believe we're nearly a third through!

I can feel the effect daily practice is having on my sciatica/lower back. I’m doing sciatica stretches before yoga every day too. Also treated DH and I to a new mattress, which is lovely.

My sciatica is in my right hip, I had horrendous SPD in all four pregnancies (4 in less than 6 years) left me with an unstable pelvis and hip/back pain. I’ve also been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I go at my own pace and opt out of quite a few planks and downward dogs.

I enjoyed today and I think it's mostly fixed my back, which I've been struggling with for about 3 weeks (SI joint). Feels so much better.

I was however slightly distracted throughout by the ant wandering around on my mat. Doesn't it know it's January?!

Hips: I am not an osteopath but the exercises I do every night before bed are recommended by mine and they have helped

1. 40 repetitions of pelvic tilt. Lie down. On exhale, tilt up, on inhale tilt back to neutral. Do it slowly
2. figure of four: lie down knees raised. Extend R leg to ceiling and then cross ankle just above L knee, Extend L leg and put hands behind thigh of L leg. Breath slowly for count of ten. Repeat other leg. Repeat as often as you want
3. lie on back knees up, feet near bum. Raise one knee parallel and grab outside edge of that foot. Pull foot towards you and at the same time try to get your bum to reach the floor ( you won't it's the movement you are after). Breathe for count of ten. Repeat other side
4. reclined cobbler. Lie down knees raised. Slowly and with control lower knees to the sides so feet are together in cobblers pose. Stay as long as you can. Knees probably won't touch ground but they might!
5. reclined tree. Lie down knees up. Slowly lower one knee to side and then lengthen other leg so it is lying down. You are now in tree pose lying down. Count to 10. Repeat other side.
6. pigeon. We all know it!

These take me about 10 minutes before bed. Huge improvement in my hips since I have started

I loved today, I love the grounding and really felt grounded! Great for hips and felt like my hips and back really opened and my legs felt very stretched out. I was wary that there was going to be one-legged but it was all good. I am really enjoying this series.

Thanks @Sooverthemill, Day 6 done and it was OK until those low boats to the side, did a couple using my arm to rest on but that was it! No doubt I'll be feeling it in a day or two.

I’ve really enjoyed the sessions so far. Pigeon completely messed with my head so just watched. My wrists also were uncomfortable so just went onto elbows or stopped for a break.

This is the first time I’ve taken part in Adriene’s yoga and wondered what people do after the 30 days has finished? I’m really enjoying it and want to carry on.

Same here Moosey.

I don't have the best relationship with my body and a history of very disordered eating. This is the first time ever I've done something consistently for 10 days and I feel so much better for it. I have also learned my legs are quite strong today which makes me strangely proud.

I have previously picked a different year’s 30 days and done that after January - only made it as far as April though. I’m hoping to get further this year, making sure I get 25 minutes to myself each day!