Whether you’re brand new to yoga, or an experienced practitioner looking to add to your repertoire, completing a Yoga Challenge is a fun way to experiment and push yourself to reach new limits.
Yoga Challenges can provide more structure than our usual routine. Committing to a structured, daily practice can significantly alter the way you approach yoga - integrating it as a daily activity rather than a side event, taking you all that closer to a sustainable, healthy lifestyle.
When it comes to staying motivated, setting clear, definitive goals serves as a great foundation to keep you on track. Not to mention the sense of accomplishment when you complete a challenge.
So if you’re looking to increase flexibility, improve strength or to develop a healthy habit, one of these challenges can help you achieve your goal. It can be even more fun if you recruit some friends to join you in completing a yoga challenge!
1. Yoga For Beginners: 30 Day Challenge
Lesley Fightmaster genuinely believes that the more people who do yoga, the better the world is. She also recognizes that the world of yoga can be quite intimidating to a newcomer: So, If you’ve never stepped foot in a yoga studio before, this is the challenge for you.
Lesley created this 30-day program to cover all the basics to get you started on your yoga journey. From alignment and breathing to fun transitions, this challenge will have you feeling like a pro in no time.
2. Ekhart Yoga - 30/30 Yoga Challenge
This challenge is pretty straight forwards: 30 minutes of yoga for 30 days straight. You’ll rotate through workouts that focus on core and balance poses, then a course integrating the two - this cycle repeats until the end of the month.
If you’re a beginner or intermediate yogi looking to advance to the next level, this challenge has the most to offer you.
The calculated approach will help you to zero in on your problem areas and provide the focus necessary to overcome them.
3. Holiday Challenge - 12 Days of Restorative Yoga
image by yogainternational
For many of us, it’s harder to set aside the time to relax than it is to work out. If this sounds familiar, then this is the challenge for you.
While this challenge was created to tackle holiday stress, in particular, there’s absolutely no reason to restrict it to a particular time of year. If you’re expecting stress whether as a function of work, school or perhaps a personal event like a wedding; 12 Days of Restorative Yoga will help you get through unscathed.
And hey, even if you’re not experiencing any direct stressors: This challenge is a great way to explore the benefits of restorative yoga, and deliver a healthy dose of self-care.
4. 7 Days of Yin Yoga
Yin is a lesser known style of yoga, which focuses on balancing out the yang energy we kick up throughout our busy lives and in our typical vinyasa yoga practice. This short-but-sweet challenge is only 7 classes, 30 minutes/day to provide the perfect introduction to Yin yoga and its many benefits.
If you’re particularly interested in increasing your flexibility, Yin is a very effective way to train your muscle to relax more deeply into a stretch through prolonged holds.
5. Yoga With Adriene - 30 Days of Yoga
Adriene is a hugely popular online yoga teacher, and after completing this challenge, you'll understand why. Her bubbly personality combined with an expert knowledge of all things yoga ensures that you'll be learning while having a lot of fun.
These 10-30 minute videos delve well past the physical, introducing the more subtle and emotional aspects of yoga such as meditation, and the activation of chakras. By bringing this mindfulness to your yoga practice, you'll begin to see how the sequences go well beyond your mat.
While appropriate for all levels, if you have never attempted yoga before it may take you a few courses to catch on.
6. 14-Day Yoga Shred Challenge
If 30-days is a bit more of a commitment than you’re willing to make, you should test drive this 14-day Yoga Shred challenge.
Just 10-15 minutes/day for two weeks, this challenge uses High-Intensity Interval Training to maximize calorie-burn for the best possible results.
However, these flows can be tricky and move at a very quick pace to keep your heart rate up. If you’re a complete beginner, I’d recommend trying out one of the 30-day yoga challenges before tackling this one.
7. The Original Yoga Challenge
Launched back in 2013, The original yoga challenge by Bad Yogi garnered over 12 million views on YouTube. The team has thus been inspired to bring back this oldie but a goodie!
With just 10-15 minutes/day you will improve your flexibility, strength, and balance while having a lot of fun following along with yoga teacher Erin Motz.
This challenge promises to cover all the bases, but it’s still appropriate for all levels: from total newbies to seasoned experts. Check out what started it all!
8. Yoga Fix 90
As Lesley explains in her intro, research has shown that it takes 66-days to create a habit. Thus, while 30-day challenges are a great quick-fix, something more substantial can be truly transformative.
Yoga Fix 90 takes you through an entire three months of yoga, focusing on all the main muscle groups, incorporating HIIT classes and - of course - a much needed restorative practice at least one time per week.
Once you’ve completed the challenge, try redoing one of the earlier videos to experience how far along you’ve come since starting out!
9. 30 Day Yoga Challenge by DoYouYoga.com
12-15 minute videos make this challenge from DOYOUYOGA super easy to incorporate into any daily routine.
Particularly great introductory series for complete beginners -- including a taste of everything from backbends and balance postures to restorative yoga and meditation.
If you’re an experienced yogi you may find this challenge to be, well, less challenging. However, if building up the habit of stepping on your mat daily is your main goal than this series can be a great starting point even for advanced practitioners.
Conclusion
It’s guaranteed that at least one of these challenges appeals to you - and can be easily incorporated into your lifestyle.
Don’t waste any time. These programs don’t require any special preparation, and limited equipment - start your challenge today and prepare to see a real change, both mental and physical.
Start with one of the shorter challenges, and slowly work your way up to the more intense ones.
If you are looking for something more long term with lots of yoga, fitness and cooking videos - check out Grokker.com.
But be warned! Yoga challenges can be addictive! Once you complete one you may not be able to help but sign up for a second.