This summer, I have started a journey, a yoga journey. After experimenting with a few different Youtube channels, I am more of an at home yoga person, than a class, I decided on Yoga with Adriene. Below I list some of the reasons why practicing yoga and Adriene as a teacher are saving me this summer. So far so good and more yoga to come for me.

1. Spending Some Time for Myself

Being a student is ridiculously stressful and summer is supposed to be a time for more relaxation. However, when you are studying for the GRE, working on several projects, and working. finding time to relax is difficult. Doing Yoga with Adriene everyday forces me to spend some time to myself each day, focusing on my body and my breath. I take that 20 to 30 minutes or so to just spend time on self-improvement. I normally did not take this time when I'm in Oxford and hopefully this philosophy will carry over.

2. Stretching Muscles I Didn't Know I Had

I am new to the yoga practice. While doing yoga with Adriene, I have stretch muscles I didn't know I had. Although she encourages to go at your pace and work through a set of movement before each pose, she normally has a variation of the pose that is more challenging. I tend to challenge myself in these situations and just go for the more difficult pose. Boy is my body waking up! With these muscles awoke, hopefully I will be less tense all the time. ‘

3. A Structured System

Adriene, on her YouTube channel, Yoga with Adriene, has several multi-day challenges and workshops that can be worked through. Following this structured system has been great. Currently, I am working through 30 days of yoga camp, a set of videos she has for yogis of all skill types that help with your mind and body awareness and posing. As someone who craves structure all of the time, her videos, that can be watched one right ager another, have given me that system.

4. Adriene's Effervescent Personality

Adriene, pictured above, is calm, cool, and collective, but always injects a little humor into the practice. She makes you want to move on the next pose and continue working with her. She is never afraid to look crazy or embrace something new in her videos. In her yoga space she has a creaky old floor that loudly creaks in the middle of her videos. She fully acknowledges it and makes a joke, which makes me fall right out of my downward facing dog. She is funny without be distracting and knows when to be silly and be serious.

5. The Practices are Short

Taking time for oneself is super important, however we don't always have to the time each day to really work on ourselves. Adriene's videos are a moderate length and she encourages flexibility and adaptation, where you can move on to the next pose or take your time moving through a rhythm. Her videos are normally between 20-30 minutes including warm up time and cool down time. There are some longer videos but they are really worth the time or you can always pause the video and come back to it another time.

6. Adriene Attempting to be Modest

Yoga is for everyone and can be done by some many, if they give it a try. Adriene fully recognizes this and tries to remain modest and PG rated on her channel. I do not remain this way as I cuss my way through my kinks and trouble spots, but Adriene will apologize and try to cover up something that might not be kid friendly, but it doesn't stop her from saying some things, sometimes words just slip out. I appreciate her knowing her audience, but not being afraid to be yourself.

7. Encouragement Throughout

Similarly to any good teacher, Adriene is a motivation machine. She is always encouraging you throughout the video, providing modifications to different poses and promoting rest and experimentation within the practice. She never assumes that you are stretching as far as she is or doing the pose as long. She encourages you to try your best and do the pose to the best of your ability or modify it to your ability. She also provides mantras to so many of her videos that she repeats throughout as extra encouragement.

8. Stress Relief

In the same vain as taking time for yourself, Yoga with Adriene has given me some serious stress relief. Being able to work through the video, posing and moving through each progression, focusing on your mind, body, and spirit has been great relief. I can take any stress and place it into my movement and the pressure I place in some areas versus others. I normally do my practices in the morning, creating a headspace of relaxation and ability to conquer what I have to do that day.

9. Getting into Shape

Part of why I do yoga is to stay in shape or get into better shape. The body struggles are real especially with all of the images I see of so many guys in shape, muscular, looking amazing. Normally, these guys are not going to be 22, but the comparison factor is still there. By taking the journey with Adriene, I am taking a step to be more comfortable with my body and shape it to my liking.

10. Mind and Body Awareness

The cornerstone of yoga, at least in my experience, is mind and body awareness. Understanding what you body is able to do, not pushing your body past too many limits and connecting your body and mind to produce a wonderful sensation. Through my work with Adriene, I am slowly achieving my mind/body connection, connecting my breath to what I am trying to achieve with my body. Putting my heart above my pelvis and my head above my heart. I will make it there, probably not this summer, but at some point.