Want to try inversions? Want to try some backbends? Or maybe you just want to challenge yourself to do yoga every day. Yoga has a huge presence on Instagram and there are numerous challenges that take place.
This month was the first time I have ever participated in a challenge. And along the way I have come up with a few pros and cons for participating that will hopefully help you decide whether or not an Instagram yoga challenge is for you.
Pros
1. The Challenge
The entire point of a challenge is to push yourself to do things that you might not normally do in a yoga practice. Headstand, arm balances, backbends. There are challenges for literally everything. Find one that speaks to you.
2. The Inspiration
While participating in challenges, I like to follow new people, check out their posts, and see what they’re doing. Many times I find people who inspire me to look at a pose a different way. Maybe put my arms in different positions to get a better bend or extend my legs in poses to get a further stretch. Eventually, you’ll find yourself tweaking your poses to suit you.
3. The Improvement
In every pose, you can literally see the areas where you need to work on. In some poses, you might need to straighten the legs. In others, you might need to get your hands properly aligned under your shoulders. If you want, take a picture in your first pose followed by an improved picture to show your progress.
Cons
1. The Pose Over Practice
I admit to this downfall. Sometimes I am so concerned with posting a picture for the day, that I don’t warm up properly and just go into a pose cold. That is how injuries happen. I hurt my lower back by making this mistake and I did not make it again. Make sure you doing a warm up before you strike your pose.
2. The Perfection
You might find yourself taking a dozen pictures until you find the perfect one that shows off your leg just right or your arch just right. And while nothing is wrong with this, it’s not necessarily genuine. And the point of these challenges is to be genuine, not perfect.
3. The Comparison
Sometimes you can get caught up in how “amazing” or “flexible” the other participants’ poses are. You might start to feel as if you shouldn’t be doing this because you aren’t as good. If you find this happening often, stop looking at other participants and bring the focus back to you and your progress.
Ultimately, when it comes to yoga challenges, do what you want to do. You don’t have to do them just because it seems like everyone and their mother are doing it. Listen to yourself and what you want to make out of your yoga journey.
Check Ashley out on Instagram!
