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When I first tried yoga 5 years ago, I knew I would be doing it for the rest of my life.
Fast forward to 4 months ago, and I am lucky if I practice more than twice a month, and can still barely do a chaturanga.
The teacher which finally turned things around for me, and has motivated me to practice 4-5 times a week, was Tim Sinesi's YouTube channel (Yoga With Tim), and his brilliant 30 Day Challenge.
Why It's So Hard to Stay Consistent With Yoga
Most classes encourage us to push super hard, and glaze over proper alignment, so we wind up sore and exhausted.
It's hard to develop on your own, because there is so much you don't know. However, attending in person classes is often inaccesible.
Taking classes sporadically makes your learning experience disjointed, so you often don't find much progress.
How Yoga With Tim Fixes This
Tim's teaching style is series-based. He teaches you concepts over several days of videos, and focuses on creating a strong foundation.
His philosophy is to never jam yourself into anything. When you force yourself into poses, your nervous system actually creates more tension, defeating the entire purpose. Instead, he encourages us to stay just within our limits, and slowly improve over time (this totally changed my experience of yoga).
He teaches yoga for longevity - placing incredible focus on proper alignment, supported a straight spine with a strong core, and joint mobility.
Overall, he does a ridiculous job teaching you about your own anatomy!
He has series which help you transition beyond a "Level 1" practitioner, to Level 2 and 3 (which gives me something to stay motivated for!)
He's also quite funny.
Learning Yoga from Online Courses is Powerful
All of the above is great, but doesn't work if you have to drive to a studio every day to consistently attend a class.
The reason my practice finally stuck for the first time ever in this 5 year, unreliable love affair, is this: I can do it on my own time, learn from an incredibly knowledgeable teacher, and know I am progressing.
So if you struggled to stay consistent with yoga, I highly encourage you try out his 30 day challenge! All of the videos are 30 minutes or less, and it will transform your practice!
P.S. I still can't do a proper chaturanga, but for the first time ever, I see myself getting closer!