A Yoga-Inspired Life: What 31 Days of Intuitive Yoga Movement Taught Me About My Body

In October I set myself the challenge of doing a self-led yoga flow every day. You see, I create flows for little ones + postnatal Mammas, but my own practice is heavily reliant on Yoga with Adriene, Moon Medicine Yoga, + Nourished Natasha. 

Hence a month of intuitive yoga to reconnect with my body. And while that was quite a commitment - especially on days that I'd taught three classes, had a run, went for a walk to decompress, then immediately went into Mummy mode - it was totally worth it.

Ready for the take-aways?

I'm far more confident in my teaching now - Previously I considered a plan essential, but now I can go with the flow more easily - perfect for tending to the unique needs of my Mammas + MiniBugs, or the off-the-cuff creativity of my TinyBugs!

I am more connected with my body - probably obvious, but listening to areas of tension/aches/pains + modifying my practice around them was totally new to me, + has brought me a new level of appreciation for how yoga can heal + support our bodies. 

I CAN trust myself - one of the reasons I rarely lead my own flows is that I don't think I'll push myself. I assumed that my own flows would just be the poses I enjoy most (basically puppy pose + shoulder stretches). Turns out I was completely wrong - most flows involved planks, balances, + occasionally even crow!

My body knows what it needs - occasionally my husband would interrupt me mid-flow, + while my mind was occupied with our conversation, I was amazed to find my body would continue to move. Without thinking about it, my flows suddenly involved half splits + balancing variations that I wouldn't normally consider, because my body took what it needed. 

Yoga really does help with emotions - Towards the end of the challenge, our cat died, + my yoga practice transformed again. Unconsciously, I opted for slow flows, with plenty of hip work (hips are associated with storing trauma) as I processed my grief. 

I failed, + that's okay - yep, I didn't actually do all 31 days of yoga. Some days were too heavy, + my body needed to process them by collapsing onto the sofa. Some days, my yoga practice was sitting with my legs up the wall for 30 minutes. But that's part of yoga too - it's not all about poses. You can practice yoga with mindfulness, meditation, or simply listening to your body's needs.

Sometimes you need to snuggle in bed early. And that can be yoga as well. 

So yes, 31 days of yoga is a lot. But I'm amazed at how much I've learned from the process. I'm more connected with my body, with my skills as a yoga teacher. I'm more accepting of myself, trusting that I am not actually innately lazy. And ultimately, it's taught me to be amazed at the power of yoga - + my body.