Hello friends! Do you feel the energy in the air? It’s not quite fall yet, but with the arrival of September, the world seems to be buzzing with anticipation. The back-to-school season is always a great time to check in with your goals, and perhaps set new ones for the rest of the year. Plus, I just celebrated my 26th birthday this past weekend, so I’m definitely feeling the “new year, new me” attitude once again. In the spirit of new beginnings, I went back to my roots and took on a yoga challenge this past month. I’ve just completed TRUE 30 Day Yoga Journey, a 2018 YouTube-based series hosted by Yoga with Adriene, and I’m sharing my thoughts on this challenge today if you’re looking to commit to your physical and mental health this season.
Need a refresher on Yoga with Adriene? Check out my primer on Adriene’s first three annual 30-day yoga series.
Who is the TRUE 30 Day Yoga Journey designed for?
One of the first things I noticed in this challenge was that Adriene was back to her usual quirky self. This is in contrast to Yoga For All, a 14-day series she hosted last fall with One Commune. I definitely enjoyed the return to the channel’s standard personality. There were also a number of callbacks to previous 30-day challenges throughout TRUE. In fact, I noticed in a few places that Adriene assumed a basic familiarity with both yoga and her channel.
While I’m sure beginners could follow along with the fairly basic practices, it seemed that TRUE was most suited to yogis like myself: those who had completed some of Adriene’s other challenges, but had since fallen away from a regular practice. Some of the positives I’ll list below allude to this as well. So if you’re brand new to yoga, I’d recommend checking out my earlier post about Adriene’s first three challenges, then come back to TRUE once you have 30 days under your belt!
Consistency is Key
One of the best parts of TRUE was its consistency. Aside from three of the thirty days, each video was between 20 and 35 minutes in length, typically hovering around 25 minutes. This allowed me to plan my schedule around my daily practice. Some of the previous series weren’t quite as predictable in video length, so it was definitely a welcome feature.
I also found that the difficulty level of the series was quite consistent. Specifically, I didn’t find that there were any days that totally knocked me out. I was able to approach each practice without dreading it — especially since I was also doing Sydney Cummings workouts most days as well. That being said, I did miss the physical challenge of a series like Yoga Camp (2016). For example, TRUE only approached Crow Pose once in the 30 days, while I recall Crow being my nemesis in the first two 30-day challenges. (Just kidding… sort of!)
Focus on Introspection
Self-reflection and self-familiarity were the thematic core of the TRUE 30 Day Yoga Journey. Unlike its predecessor, Revolution (2017), TRUE wasn’t a particularly “woo-woo” series. Any discussion around chakras, pranayama (breathwork), and energy were approached from an introspective angle. Adriene challenged us to unpack and release any tension or self-consciousness arising from these spiritual practices. If the “how” wasn’t working for us, Adriene was understanding, providing alternatives that wouldn’t leave anyone feeling alienated or left behind. But everyone was invited to search within themselves for something new to learn and develop.
Overall, I enjoyed my TRUE 30 Day Yoga Journey — it was actually my most consistent 30-day yoga challenge so far! It felt great to head into my 27th year of life with the mental and spiritual clarity of a consistent yoga practice. I can’t want to see and share what’s in store for the year ahead!
Do you have an at-home yoga practice? Share your thoughts on TRUE in the comments below!
I’ve just had a total hip replacement. Can it be gentle and restorative for me?
Adriene offers lots of suggestions for modifications if specific poses are too challenging. You could absolutely give it a try and dial it back whenever needed!