My confession: yoga annoys me.

Or at least it used to.

In my first yoga class a decade ago, I spent the hour looking around the room cursing under my breath at all the bendy people who could easily touch their toes or sit comfortably cross-legged for 10 minutes. And I particularly hated the fact that it didn’t seem to bother anyone else that others were more flexible or grounded or strong. Where was the sense of competition?

My athletic life has always been built around sports or races: hockey, softball, half marathons, and triathlons. I love the feeling of crossing a finish line, or winning a hockey game. And I even like losing games, because at least it gives a clear result.

So, the idea of yoga being a never-ending “practice” blew my mind. What are we practicing for? When’s the event? How do you know if you’ve achieved your goals?

But when I hurt my knee a couple of months ago and couldn’t run, I decided that perhaps it was time to explore the world of yoga to see if it could help me rehab and build my core strength.

This is when I announced to my friends and family that I was going to do a 30-day yoga challenge.

This was a way to put yoga on my terms: I had a clear goal and would know when I accomplished it. So I embarked on a month of exploring all different styles of yoga and really immersing myself in this world of “practice”. And what I discovered amazed me.

The physical benefits were great but the biggest reward was what I learned about myself.

I learned that when you let go of fear, you can do amazing things.

I usually stick to the beginner poses because surely I could never do crow pose, right? Well, doing yoga everyday made me want to try more new things because if I fail, I know I have 7 chances a week to get it right.

And I realized that not only were there some poses that I could do, the act of just trying them was way more fun than not! No, I still can’t do crow pose but I can do a headstand, hold eagle pose endlessly, and can even do Utthita Hasta Padangustasana (google that one…)

I learned why yoga is a practice, and not a game/sport/goal.

There is an amazing amount of peacefulness that comes from giving yourself permission to be exactly where you are. Sports and races are all about getting somewhere and becoming better, faster, and stronger. I found that by giving myself permission to be in my practice every single day, without setting an end result, I felt more confident, proud and in touch with who I really am.

And who I am is awesome, even if I can’t touch my toes.

I learned that commitment is a beautiful thing.

I knew that no matter what else was happening that day, I would find time for yoga. We became friends and I relied on yoga to pull me through some tough days.

It’s scary to commit to something you’re not sure you can accomplish but there is no better feeling than the realization that you’re as strong, passionate, and able as you always thought you could be.

I’m excited that my true yoga journey is only just beginning, and although I will always love the feeling of making a PB in a race, I can’t wait to get back on my mat.

Want to browse our 30 days of photos? Check out our album on Facebook.

Want to see more? Just search for #wtfsept or check back next Monday for a recap of week two - your photo may even be up in the spotlight!

We’re no strangers to 30-day challenges; yoga, vegan, raw food – you name it and we’re up for it. Lately our digital team has been having a ton of fun participating in Australian blogger, Fat Mum Slim’s, monthly photo-a-day challenges. We love that it forces us to take a few minutes each day to take in our surroundings and flex our creative muscles. Inspired by this concept we created our own photo-a-day challenge aptly named, What The Focus September (#WTFSEPT). Read on for all the challenge details and how you can participate this month! #themorethemerrier

wtf is #wtfsept?

The challenge uses the Instagram platform and is quite simple. For 30 days starting September 1^st, take one photo a day using the list of words as your inspiration (example: on September 1^st you’ll snap a pic of what ‘centre’ means to you). Don’t forget to hashtag it with #wtfsept so that everyone can see your beautiful images! We’ll be scouring our feeds to find our favourite photos each week and sharing them here on the blog!

but I’m not on instagram…

No worries friends! We are insta-obsessed but if you’re not on this channel feel free to participate on your own through your other favourite social networks. You can also follow along on your desktop using Hashgram to see everyone’s photos all in one spot!

And here we thought one 30-day yoga challenge was just that, a challenge. Meet Danne, a Natick, MA educator and 30-day challenger extraordinaire. Seriously – Danne’s been completing a one-month challenge (or “Lent” as she calls it) every month for the last four years.  We couldn’t help but ask her to dish the deats on what she’s been up to (and secretly hoped her dedication would rub off on us too).

one goal at a time, one month at a time, for a whole year

As Sophia from the Golden Girls would say...Picture it: Boston, Massachusetts. It’s a cold December night in 2008. A discouraged 25-year-old-girl in the midst of a quarter-life crisis is sitting down to write her New Year’s resolutions. This last year has been kind of a letdown and she can’t seem to shake the feeling that she isn’t making any notable progress on her goals—on the things that really matter most. After scribbling down an intimidating number of resolutions, the hopelessness starts to settle in. “How can I actually expect to get anything done with such an overwhelming list?”, she wonders. That’s when the epiphany hits: Why not create a hybrid between a New Year’s Resolution and the concept of Lent; one goal at a time, one month at a time, for a whole year. And just like that, a blog (and lifestyle) was born.

12 months of lent

Having grown up in a Catholic household, I’m no stranger to practicing Lent in the more traditional sense. With my blog, 12 Months of Lent, my goal is to take Lent’s underlying concept (personal sacrifice and dedication for a set period of time) and use it to push myself towards making headway on my goals. Each month, I assign myself a different challenge, or “Lent”, to complete with the intention of living a more purposeful and fulfilling life. The best part? It works.

rising to the challenge

So, what type of challenges do I take on? Well, I spent a month picking up every piece of litter that I came across, another month not making any trash (it’s much more possible than you think), a month attempting to become a diehard Red Sox fan, a month getting rid of 100 things a week and other months committing to much simpler tasks, like writing in my journal each day, taking more photographs and doing more yoga.

the good, the bad and the ugly

Favorite Challenge:
"Sixing" was a challenge where I limited my wardrobe to only six items (totally amazing and especially awesome for travelling).

Hardest Challenge:
Attempting to eat the government’s daily-recommended servings of fruits and vegetables. Epic fail.

Most Dreaded Challenge:
The 21-Day Dietary Cleanse. It was pretty tough to be psyched about going without my beloved pizza and Pinot Grigio for three weeks.

what’s the point?
People ask me all the time why I do these funny challenges in the first place...what’s the point? The answer is simple: it’s become second nature—a habit, a positive ritual that impacts my life in the best way possible. Four years in, and I honestly can’t picture my life without it.

Are you challenging yourself to do anything this month? Check out Danne’s blog for inspiration. Also, keep your eye out for her coverage of Wanderlust Vermont right here on our blog next week!

Shop now for all silverescent luon products >>

Meet Oli, who'll be living the lululemon manifesto every day for 30 days!

Let the countdown begin! Send in your suggestions. This is as much my challenge as yours because you know I’m not doing this alone… Challenge me, test me, encourage me to do something you’ve always wanted to do and have never tried: hiking the Grouse Grind, stand-up paddle boarding, taking that photography course that you (and I) have put off for four years. Let’s go on a journey!

The inspiration for Oli's challenge: our manifesto!

This is for you. This is for me. If I can do it, anyone can. For those who would like to join me in this challenge, send me your setbacks, your stories, and your pictures. Make sure you include the manifesto quote that you’re focusing on! Let’s do this together and put it out there for the world to see. Better yet, meet me there! I will be formulating a plan based on your votes. I’ll let you know where I’ll be and invite you all to kick yourself into a life you absolutely love!

Live in possibility. Let this be the start of your best life.

Want to suggest a manifesto challenge for Oli? Leave a comment here or on Oli's blog, where she'll be updating daily, starting August 1!

an unexpected therapy

When I was 17, I was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis, a chronic autoimmune disease. I was told by my doctor that the discs in my spine would erode, my spine would fuse as one and I would be hunched over in a wheel chair by the time I was 30.

The strength of the pain medication and treatment would drastically lower my immune system, leaving me vulnerable to any bug people were carrying. It reached a point where small acts like shaking someone’s hand would make me nervous. Though the side effects left me fragile, I knew I needed the drugs to manage the pain. Sometimes I had such painful episodes that I would have to get out of bed at 4:00am and crouch over until the extra pain killers kicked in. I was so young but I felt so old.

Within the first two months of practicing hot yoga at least 4 times a week, the protruding discs in my L3, L4 and L5 moved completely back into alignment! Once the discs had moved back into place, I experienced incredible pain relief because of the reduced inflammation in the area.  As a result, I started to notice that my immune system was also getting stronger. I was finally able socialize without the fear of getting sick! I also recognized other positive changes in my body: my skin cleared up, I was sleeping like a log and the anxiety I had been experiencing for years, just disappeared. I was healthier than I’d ever been.

My specialist was so pleased with my results that we decided to switch to a drug that I could inject myself with at home. As my condition improved, we started to space the treatments out more and more. Now I only take the medication when I feel I need to, and I hope to one day be free of it completely.

moving beyond the body

In order to deepen my practice, I decided to sign up for a 30 day challenge at my local studio. I now understand why it’s called a challenge! I think I had all the same side effects that everyone else experiences and then some.  I could feel the benefits of my body detoxifying and I was surprised by all of the emotions that surfaced over the month. Some days were harder than others, but giving up was never an option. I was determined to finish every class, even if I had to crawl through it. My determination was not fueled by pride, but rather it was as if my soul wouldn’t let me quit. I knew I needed to keep pushing through.

The weeks following the challenge, I began to reflect on the various influences in my life and their impact on my state of mind and overall happiness. I came to realize how the unhealthy relationship with my partner at the time was negatively affecting both my physical and mental health. Thanks to my regular practice and the empowerment of completing the challenge, I was able to assess the situation with a clear head. Making the decision to get out of that 7 year relationship was a huge wake up call and one of the hardest choices of my life. Though it was undeniably difficult, I surprised myself with how well I handled the change. A year of practicing had been both healing my body and strengthening my mind. Hot yoga has forever changed my life and its benefits are still amazing me today!

This post was written by Renae, who worked as an educator at lululemon Perth City.