A Dedication To Yoga With Adriene, Patron Saint Of Isolation
If you’re struggling with motivation during isolation, you’re not the only one. Our normal routines and schedules have been totally upended as we self-isolate during the coronavirus pandemic, and if some days all you wanna do is put on your Oodie and binge-watch Law and Order: SVU then we all know that falls under self-care.
My 2020 resolutions before the pandemic hit were pretty simple: take up yoga and quit dating apps. Needless to say, by February I had failed at both. But the one thing isolation has given me is that I’m slowly (very slowly) starting to practice yoga. All it took was a global pandemic to get me to stick to ONE resolution!
If, like me, you’re unflexible AF while also being a perfectionist and hating not being automatically GOOD at things, starting yoga can be daunting. Before the Rona hit, I was struggling to get into a good yoga routine. While I could get up early and do boxing, or PT, or even pilates, it was all too easy to snooze my alarm and miss yoga classes.
I had started only getting in a more decent routine before the gyms shut down, and then living room workouts led me to Yoga with Adriene. I had heard of her before of course – my Punkee colleague Tara had undertaken her 30-day challenge last year, I just never had the motivation to do the same.
So with home now being a place to work, sleep, and exercise, I decided to start doing Yoga with Adriene most days of the week and let me tell you – Adriene is the best thing to happen to me in isolation.
did my first yoga with adriene last night and…..I get it now
— laura-blaise ? (@BlaisinSquad) April 7, 2020
Here are a whole bunch of reasons why Yoga with Adriene really is that bitch.
1. If you’re still fortunate enough to be working, and working from home at that, yoga is an extremely good way to stretch everything out after your day.
Did I say after your day? Try it during your day too.
I struggle finding the patience and time to do a full 45-60 minute Yoga flow (even in isolation), so doing 20 minute videos in the morning and/or afternoon, or sometimes even as a lunch break has been a great way to give my back a little treat after sitting at a bad, makeshift office space all day.
2. There’s basically a video for every mood.
Want a tough workout? Adriene’s got you covered. Need to do something to ease anxiety? There’s a video for that too. Looking for core strengthening? Adriene’s onto it. Need to just wake tf in the morning with a quick 20-minute flow? You better believe there’s a tutorial for that.
3. The wind-down nighttime videos are actually really helpful if you’ve been struggling to sleep from stress.
Tried and tested. It’s a hugely stressful time so sometimes it’s nice to put your phone away for the night, not read the news again, and do a nighttime yoga before bed to help you unplug from the world.
4. There are SO many videos targeting different body parts and pain. Lower back pain from being hunched over your desk all day? A video to help with tight hamstrings? They’re all there.
I do a back pain one most days. Who doesn’t want to lie down, stretch everything out, and call it exercise?
5. Plus, Adriene has a whole lot of videos that take you meticulously through the yoga poses, perfect for beginners.
It’s a good starting point, especially if you’re new to yoga or have always been too intimidated to go to classes (guilty). It also helps when you start doing more advanced videos because you suddenly know exactly what Vinyasa actually means.
6. Benji is a welcome addition to all the videos.
It’s normal to reach out to your laptop screen or TV and try to pat him. Trust me.
7. Adriene is an extremely likeable Yoga teacher and a lovable dork.
One thing I’ve never liked about Yoga classes is sometimes getting a teacher that comes across a bit too high and mighty on the spiritual front.
Ever sit there while they murmur some absolute jumble about finding your higher path and lightening your heart and “as you stand, pretend you’re a tree, soaking up the earth while stretching out your branches towards the sky. Feel that? That’s your soul connecting to a higher planet.” And it’s like, sis, what the fuck? Has the 60 minutes been up yet?
Adriene is not like that, and we love her for it.
8. If you’re living alone currently in iso, take it from me: Adriene fast becomes one of your friends, even if she doesn’t know it.
It’s been a while since I’ve spent my Friday and Saturday nights with one person and one person only, and Adriene, congrats, I guess we’re a couple now.
9. And you’re basically either learning new skills or honing in on your practice while taking some time out for you – and it doesn’t feel like WORK.
So much of the time going to the gym can feel like a chore because you’re pushing yourself to achieve a certain goal, even if you do feel better after it.
Making time for Yoga with Adriene once a day or every couple of days is like giving yourself a little treat. And not only are you slowly improving your practice and flexibility (I’m not flexible yet but I can only hope I’ll blossom out of quarantine with my leg stuck behind my head or something), the breathing exercises and quiet time for your brain is a great mental break from everything bad in the world.
Soon, I’ll be doing this. Not any time in April, or probably May, but maybe by 2021.
So Adriene, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for being someone everyone can turn to during isolation.