{"id":570,"date":"2016-05-30T22:45:51","date_gmt":"2016-05-30T20:45:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/?p=570"},"modified":"2016-06-02T22:01:32","modified_gmt":"2016-06-02T20:01:32","slug":"30-day-yoga-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/meditation\/30-day-yoga-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"30 Day Yoga Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\">I did a 30 day non-stop yoga challenge. In this post, you can read about my unfiltered thoughts of each day and my overall progress and insights.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\">\n<div id=\"attachment_611\" style=\"width: 660px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/yoga.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-611\" data-attachment-id=\"611\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/meditation\/30-day-yoga-challenge\/attachment\/yoga\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/yoga.jpg?fit=650%2C647&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"650,647\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"30 Day Yoga Challenge\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Copyright under CC  Nicolas A. Tonelli (https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/nicholas_t\/)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;30 Day Yoga Challenge&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/yoga.jpg?fit=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/yoga.jpg?fit=600%2C597&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"wp-image-611 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/yoga.jpg?resize=600%2C597\" alt=\"Copyright under CC Nicolas A. Tonelli (https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/nicholas_t\/)\" width=\"600\" height=\"597\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/yoga.jpg?w=650&amp;ssl=1 650w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/yoga.jpg?resize=150%2C149&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/yoga.jpg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/yoga.jpg?resize=600%2C597&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/yoga.jpg?resize=144%2C144&amp;ssl=1 144w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-611\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Copyright under CC Nicolas A. Tonelli (https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/nicholas_t\/)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\">The 30 Day Yoga Challenge<\/h2>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 1:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">After two workout sessions the previous day (BJJ at lunch time and strengths &amp; conditioning evening) I woke up with a sore body and a very tired back.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">So I decided to start my challenge with a 20 minutes yoga class mainly aiming at\u00a0the back, shoulders and neck muscles. The 20 minutes sequence proved to be the right choice today and had been great already in the past.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0o0kNeOyH98\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0o0kNeOyH98<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 2:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Another two workouts (well with yoga actually 3) yesterday, I took it a little lighter in general. No workouts today; only yoga. I started my day with an empty stomach and an energising morning sequence of a solid 20 minutes. I did this sequence a few times already and like Yoga with Adriene in general.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=K-Ina_WW4Yc\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=K-Ina_WW4Yc<\/a><\/u><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">The yoga session helped me to get my body in motion and work on a few tight spots on my body. Areas at the back of the knees and the calves were very tight.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 3:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Again two workouts, straight in a row. Both were new ones, adjusting to the fact that I a) had a little more time, which meant the first workout was a little longer than usually (solid 30 minutes) and b) that my upper back, shoulder and neck were very sore and felt tight. So the second yoga workout focussed on those points (20 minutes long).<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=M-pZtKKdUKE\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><u>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=M-pZtKKdUKE<\/u><\/span><\/a> \u25ba<span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0Sequence was good\u00a0but rather static at times. When deep breathing was demanded the video advanced too fast, I was breathing too deep thus taking too much time. Helpful nonetheless.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Vlo5yzWM7po\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><u>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Vlo5yzWM7po<\/u><\/span><\/a> \u25ba<span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0Ample amount of great and very helpful stretches. I got rid of a lot of tension and felt much better after the session.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Overall I feel progress already.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 4:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Another morning yoga workout with Adriene. It was the energising morning sequence, as I felt very tired and was indeed very stiff. Later that day I did an hour of BJJ and some muscle workouts (arms, abs) in the gym.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 5:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">I did the same yoga sequence as on day 1. When I woke up I was very tired and as this sequence helps relaxing back, shoulders and neck and follows a slower and quieter pace, it felt like a good choice.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">It wasn&#8217;t a bad session, but in retrospect something focussing on stretching the back and the back of the legs more would have been better.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">I went only to my BJJ class at lunchtime and skipped the evening strength and conditioning training at the gym. My body was very tired and I realised that I have to eat more.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 6:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Today I did a completely new yoga sequence from Yoga with Adriene&#8217;s channel, Yoga for weight loss &#8211; strengthen and lengthen:<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/6UEWJsljPVM\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><u>https:\/\/youtu.be\/6UEWJsljPVM<\/u><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">This time, I opted also for a longer video, 40 minutes long, in order to get my body used to a higher intensity, both in the quality and quantity of the workout.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">It was a beginner&#8217;s routine which proved to be overall slightly too easy for me. Especially the parts requiring muscle strength. Stretching still remains my biggest weakness and needs to be trained more intensely.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Today during yoga practice, it also felt as if I&#8217;m rediscovering yoga. It was more fun than in the past years and the past few days. I slowly start to enjoy practising yoga. I could already feel it when I had to get up. I got much easier out of bed, looking forward to my yoga session. Beforehand I knew, of course, that it was a beneficial activity, but it felt like a chore which needed to be done. This definitely started to (slowly, but hopefully constantly) change.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 7:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">After yesterday&#8217;s three workouts I slept like a groundhog. When I woke up I had trouble getting up and out of my bed. I quickly realised that my upper body, mainly shoulders and neck were very tight. So I decided to re-do one of my new discoveries (the one from day 3).<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">As this yoga sequence is a rather slow and quiet one, it also helped me to gently wake up and get my blood flowing. After those 20 minutes, I felt much better, relaxed and was awake enough to start the day.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">In total, I did three workouts again. My body is tired, but coping well with all the stress and the forced exhaustion.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 8:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">I barely got out of bed because I was so tired and exhausted from all the stress at work and all my workouts. I felt like staying in bed and skipping yoga altogether. But I still want to complete this challenge. So I got up and did a short 20 minutes yoga session focussing on my back, stretching out all the kinks and getting the blood flowing. As I worked on my back the previous night in the gym, this was difficult but it felt very rewarding afterwards.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">During all of the day, my back felt tired. Nevertheless, I am certain those initial 20 minutes had a huge impact on my well-being today. I had no BJJ class at noon (for once) and tried to rest during my lunch break. The evening was a long gym routine with 20 minutes jogging, 20 minutes biking and a leg day (the first in months). I started with 10 minutes of jogging to warm up, then my leg exercises followed by another 10 minutes of light jogging and 20 more minutes of biking at medium intensity. After all of that I did several yoga stretches to make sure my hips and legs are not getting too tight afterwards. As I do most of the times when I&#8217;m having a strength and conditioning session, I went to the sauna for around 15 minutes. This really helps me to cool down mentally and simply relax.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 9:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Another day, another workout! Today I started my day with two new workouts, both of them from Yoga With Adriene. The first one was setting the tone for a great and relaxing start and is called <em>Morning Yoga &#8211; Yoga to start your Day<\/em>. The second yoga sequence is out of the Yoga for Weight Loss series and tackled the hips and hamstrings (<em>Yoga For Weight Loss &#8211; Hips &amp; Hammies<\/em>). In total that was a solid 50 minutes of yoga and I felt good afterwards, relaxed and full of energy.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Is8tMCpv4F8\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><u>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Is8tMCpv4F8<\/u><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=bgPICTHJ_Ug\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><u>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=bgPICTHJ_Ug<\/u><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">The work week was very intense with many sessions at the gym and plenty of BJJ. My body is all bruised up and my joints and muscles are very tired. Considering that on day 8 I had a leg day, my legs feel relatively fine (so far, we&#8217;ll see how they&#8217;re tomorrow, though). The stretching exercises from day 8 definitely helped and continually (i. e. on a daily basis) stretching my body seems to not only improve flexibility (which is obvious) but also enhance my rate of recovery!<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 10:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Wow, leg day finally hit me hard! When I woke up and tried to move my legs, I had terribly stiff muscles and the dreadfully awaited muscles aches. That being said, I did what I had to do and tackled the elephant in the room and started my day with a yoga session. In order to get my blood in my legs flowing again I chose a new flow, one focusing on lower body, hamstring and leg stretches. Those 30 minutes were gruesome but ultimately helped me a lot. Once the session was over and I managed to relax with a little breakfast and some coffee, my legs and the rest of my body felt much better!<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">The yoga flow was indeed working well and I could intensely feel how my hips and legs got stretched. My back didn&#8217;t seem too affected and most stretches were easy for my back. This is the second video of &#8220;Yoga TX&#8221; I did and even though it was a different teacher, the video was well constructed. I&#8217;ll definitely keep it in my repertoire.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #010101;\">By Yoga TX: Yoga for Runners &#8211; 30 Minute Lower Body, Hamstring, &amp; Leg Stretches:<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=CVZWXJBsYzg\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><u>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=CVZWXJBsYzg<\/u><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Later that day, after having had a rather quiet and relaxing Sunday, I felt like doing a more engaging and energetic yoga session. I picked another video from Yoga with Adriene, this time a 40-minute vinyasa sequence for strength.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Yoga For Strength &#8211; 40 Minute Vinyasa Sequence:<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9kOCY0KNByw\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><u>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9kOCY0KNByw<\/u><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">The sequence was definitely working my muscles and incorporated many useful stretches. At times, it was a little too fast for me as I wasn&#8217;t familiar enough with several of the asanas we did. Which meant I had to listen and look at the screen to figure out what to do. Nevertheless, it was what I was looking for in my session and what I tried to aim for in general (as said earlier, I want to try out more difficult yoga sessions every now and then).<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 11:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">When I woke up this morning I felt exhausted. I didn&#8217;t sleep well and not enough, my body felt accordingly. I did a 20 minute Yoga flow to stretch out my body. In the session, there were plenty of stretches, twists and some mindful muscle work. It helped to get me started into the day, but it really wasn&#8217;t enough. Nevertheless, this session of Yoga with Adriene was once again very helpful and fun.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">I learned a few new things and re-discovered my body with every new yoga session. It&#8217;s a curiously fun and exciting feeling. I have to put in some work on aligning my movements with my breathing. It&#8217;s more often than not out of sync with the exercise and my body. It costs a lot of energy to then push through the exercises, as I am working against myself.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Detox Yoga | 20 Minute Yoga Flow for Detox and Digestion:<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=cBPP_izKKSs\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><u>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=cBPP_izKKSs<\/u><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">During the day, I did a lunchtime BJJ session. Afterwards, my lower back slightly hurt. Not because I injured it, but it was so tired. I still have problems with my left shoulder. I need to relax the frontal muscles in my left shoulder. In the evening, I did another strength and conditioning session.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Next to my tired lower back, my legs are still tired. Especially my calves and my psoas major muscles on both sides are tired (I have trouble lifting my legs).<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Not giving up, though.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 12:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">My lower back and my legs are still a little sore. I slept like a groundhog again and slightly overslept, which made yoga this morning challenging. Nevertheless, I went for it. I did a 15-minute yoga session focussing on stretching out my lower back issues.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Yoga For Lower Back Pain &#8211; 15 Minute Back Stretch, &amp; Flexibility Flow:<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=FrvkWFt5gTA\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><u>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=FrvkWFt5gTA<\/u><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">It was a new video for me from Yoga TX. It really helped me to make my back feel better again. This evening, after a yoga session, a BJJ training and another gym workout, my back feels actually quite OK. The remaining muscle issue I have is my left shoulder. Everything else is very tired but doing well.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Occasionally, when I&#8217;m in the sauna after my last workout session, I do several yoga-inspired stretches. The combination of the strong heat (100\u00b0C) and the already warm muscles is very beneficial for arm and shoulder stretches and forward bends. But those exercises use a lot of energy in those circumstances and I always have to pace myself and have to make sure to actually use the sauna to cool down &#8211; body and head.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 13:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">So, once again I had a mediocre night. I have too many things going on in my head, which makes it hard to shut down, even while sleeping. It took me a while to realise this.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">I wanted to try a new morning sequence, but there was actually an issue with my flat&#8217;s heating system, so I had to invest time into quickly fixing it. Afterwards, I was short on time and went for the Yoga TX video which helps to work on neck, back, and shoulder pain.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">My neck is alright, my lower back was only tired today and seems to have recovered. My left shoulder, the deltoid muscle in particular, seems to have more serious issues. That&#8217;s why I opted for this video. It helps a lot.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">During the day, I had not further issues whatsoever with my back and my neck is still fully functional. My deltoid muscle seems to be sprained. A quick online research indicates a 1st-degree sprain.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">I still went to BJJ class, but the limited ROM of my left shoulder is restricting. I skipped my strength and conditioning session, though. I went home earlier and started cooling the muscles\u00a0while trying to rest the shoulder as much as possible.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Let&#8217;s see what happens. I want to do much more yoga!<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 14:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Today I did something completely different than before. The days earlier in my challenge I picked sessions I either already knew and liked or that I searched for. This morning I simply took a yoga session Yoga with Adriene aired the previous night. As it fitted time-wise and looked interesting, it was perfect for a change.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">The video is out of Adriene&#8217;s &#8220;Foundations of Yoga Series&#8221; and was a 20-minute yoga practice to prepare and practice revolved side angle pose (parivrtta parsvakonasana).<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Revolved Side Angle Pose &#8211; 20 Minute Practice &#8211; Yoga With Adriene:<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=B-NxMApGq4w\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><u>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=B-NxMApGq4w<\/u><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">It was a very interesting and humbling experience. The preparations which ultimately lead to revolved side angle pose were fun and challenging to do. Once we hit the actual pose I was way out of my current yoga skill-set. Nevertheless, I tried to hang in there as best as I could and all things considered didn&#8217;t do that bad. Still, there&#8217;s a long way to go. I&#8217;m looking forward to it.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Later that day, I went again to my lunchtime BJJ class and in the evening for a strength and conditioning session where I focussed on my back muscles. I tried to relax my shoulder as much as possible, too. After a long sauna session, with a very enjoyable conversation about martial arts with a random guy, I cooled my shoulder down again. I hope it helps.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 15:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">After yesterday&#8217;s hard and gruelling workout session, on which I focussed on my back for the strength and conditioning exercises, my back felt surprisingly well.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Therefore, I opted for a general yoga session. The idea was to just get my body moving and into its flow.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Adriene from Yoga with Adriene has a cool session to do this. It&#8217;s very basic, but that&#8217;s one of the key aspects I enjoy. In the session she also makes sure (as in her other videos) to be mindful. Mostly this comes with your breathing, especially when you&#8217;re stretching. So the video also incorporates plenty of stretches.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Morning Yoga &#8211; Yoga To Start Your Day!<\/span> <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><u><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Is8tMCpv4F8\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Is8tMCpv4F8<\/a><\/u><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">I felt great afterwards and I slowly start to grasp the wider idea for proper posture in the basic asanas. There are a few I do quite well already and can focus better on my breathing, thus enhancing the overall benefit of the asana.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Later that day I went for yet another lunch time BJJ session. It was a great experience, but I can feel how tired my body is. My shoulder is still not fully OK. But it&#8217;s not getting worse either. Finally, I went to the gym in the evening again for some muscle work. Friday is usually leg day &#8211; it went well. At the end, I did some runner&#8217;s stretches. This was less stress- \/ painful as expected.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">I actually felt very loose, flexible and confident. So I went for crow pose. For the first time, I managed to lift off my feet from the ground and flew for 3 seconds. It was a great feeling and a visual sign of my progress of the last few days, weeks and months.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Dedication!<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 16:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Wow, I had an incredibly good night&#8217;s sleep. It was one of the best I&#8217;ve had in weeks. My body felt accordingly and was very well rested.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">My legs felt OK and in order to help them recover faster and better, I went for another yoga session focussing on the legs. Still sticking with videos from Yoga with Adriene. She has a really neat and helpful runner&#8217;s yoga flow.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Runner&#8217;s Yoga &#8211; Yoga With Adriene:<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0hTllAb4XGg\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><u>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0hTllAb4XGg<\/u><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">I managed to get through the 30 minutes session well and I was able to focus on my breathing and on the stretches. Occasionally, I was able to go really deep and release a lot of tension.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">As I had a very intense week of workouts behind me, with an overall of 13 workouts in 5 days, I only did this one session and gave my body the chance to recover; especially my left shoulder. The shoulder still isn&#8217;t getting better. Nevertheless, I&#8217;m doing my best to rest it. Tanja (my beloved editor in chief)\u00a0kinesio-taped it for me and I&#8217;m treating it with white (cooling) tiger balm. The last few hours of the day I&#8217;ve been enhancing the cooling effect with cooling packs.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Going strong.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 17:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Yesterday was a good day, the trimming down of my exercise time for some time and the fact that I went out to do some shopping for things I needed and nice talks, drinks and an indulgent dinner in the evening really made my day.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">I had another good night&#8217;s sleep and woke up well rested. My body had a real chance to recover (good sleep and proper nutrition are key for recovery!).<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">It&#8217;s two days after leg day and my legs feel well and not really sore &#8211; surprisingly no muscles aches. The stretching, sauna sessions and of course yoga flows helped a lot as I was pushing hard on leg day. Even my left shoulder is getting better!<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">So today I started with a 25-minute yoga session for an energising start into my day. The beginning was slow and calm, helping my body to slowly wake up and the blood flowing and your body fueled with oxygen. There were very helpful asanas, stretching out my legs and my hips. I&#8217;m looking forward to doing this workout again and seeing my progress.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Yoga TX &#8211; Morning Yoga Workout &#8211; Beginners Energizing &#8220;Start Your Day&#8221; Yoga:<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wKqyEykL9g8\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><u>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wKqyEykL9g8<\/u><\/span><\/a> <span style=\"color: #010101;\">(25 minutes)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">As I was now wide awake and feeling well and energetic, I tried out a new workout with Adrien. It was working on strength and focus. This was a very hard and challenging workout session. At times I had to simplify a few asanas in order to cope with the workout. The session was not only strengthening legs and core\u00a0but also working on breathing. This was especially difficult, as I still had to focus on the different poses. It&#8217;s unbelievable how intense an asana can become if you forget to breathe or breathe wrongly. Lot&#8217;s of work to do, but the session was fun.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Yoga with Adriene &#8211; Yoga for Strength and Focus:<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_F8aOQza68E\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><u>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_F8aOQza68E<\/u><\/span><\/a> <span style=\"color: #010101;\">(40 minutes)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Sunday morning yoga is great and it&#8217;s the time of the week when I look forward most to my session. It&#8217;s a combination of Sunday being a day on which I wind down, chill, relax and just be. No obligations, no drama. Just. SUN-day. There&#8217;s not much sun out there at the moment, but the yoga practice, with lifting up your heart, deep breathing and maybe some sun salutations has become more to me than just a flow of motions.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">There&#8217;s still a long way to go but I start to enjoy the path a lot lately.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 18:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">A new week arises! Of course, this means more yoga fun and excitement. The weekend was used wisely and my body recovered a lot. With the relaxation and the increase in food and the decrease in workouts, I managed to gain some weight. As I have to make weight for a tournament in 12 days this means that my weight cut will start now.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Therefore, I\u2019ll change the focus on my workouts, less strength and much more conditioning are on the agenda. Of course plenty of BJJ and many yoga practices for strength and flexibility. I opted for a yoga workout from Adriene. This one I did in the past already plenty of time and it has been a moment since I did it the last time.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Yoga with Adriene &#8211; Morning Yoga &#8211; Energizing Morning Sequence: \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=K-Ina_WW4Yc\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=K-Ina_WW4Yc<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">I always enjoy how Adriene structures her sequences and you\u2019ll definitely know what you are in for judging from her video titles. This sequence proved to be very challenging today. It\u2019s always an interesting thing to see how the same thing affects your body on different moments in time so differently. Today forward folds and downward facing dogs\u00a0were relatively \u201ceasy\u201d. I feel and see the progress a lot. On the other hand, the high lunges in the workout were today extremely challenging just to maintain properly. Any further movements were almost impossible. High lunges are one of the asanas I like and enjoy a lot and right from the beginning could do rather well.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Yoga is a very humbling thing and it teaches you not only to breath but to practice patience and to love yourself. I like that a lot about yoga practice. It keeps me grounded and rooted.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 19:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">I went for a new yoga sequence from Yoga TX that I had on my watch list for a while and was looking forward to. After finishing yesterday evening with 45 minutes of cycling I thought it wise to work on my flexibility and stretch out my back and my legs this morning. The workout was around 30 minutes long with plenty of small tweaks and insights concerning proper stretching.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Yoga TX &#8211; Full Body Yoga &#8211; 30 Minute Flexibility &amp; Deep Stretch Workout:<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=z6GfneM4Lvg\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><u>https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=z6GfneM4Lvg<\/u><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Overall the different poses weren\u2019t too hard, but well-structured and overall it was a very engaging workout. Considering that I was shortening my leg muscles yesterday my flexibility was OK. Nevertheless, I had plenty of tight spots, including the neck!<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">I am often impressed how much progress I made in such a short amount of time. It shows how important proper and continuous yoga workouts are. I feel really well, especially as I sleep only around 6 hours a night and workout up to 3 times a day.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">One of the most immobile and difficult stretches are seated forward folds. If I flex my feet and have straight legs I basically sit there with a 90\u00b0 angle (body\/legs). Today I even saw some progress, if very little, in this position.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">I wonder what my personal challenge will bring next!<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 20:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">I had one of those nights where I slept like a groundhog again and woke up very tired. Today was really a day on which I would have preferred to stay in bed and just sleep. Then wake up and sleep more. But I didn\u2019t and I rolled out my mat and started my day with some yoga.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Lately, all my yoga sessions have been rather short, at least during the work week. Today is no different. I did a full body stretch session which worked on my flexibility while getting stronger. The flow was by Cole from Yoga TX. The 15 minutes worked like a kick start on my body. Afterwards I was wide awake and ready for breakfast.<\/span><\/div>\n<div align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Yoga TX &#8211; Full Body Stretch Yoga &#8211; 15 Minute Beginners Flow For Flexibility &amp; Strength:\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=IzSA5RuV3a4\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=IzSA5RuV3a4<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">The session was good and it was rather impressive to see what you can do in 15 minutes. I was rather unstable on my feet and in the asanas. As my left shoulder starts to heal up, many movements become easier or better: less restricting. It\u2019s a good feeling to get your full range of motion back, if only very slowly. The pain from moving my deltoid too much has declined and becomes less frequent. The kinesio tape I was wearing to stabilise my deltoid helped a lot. I removed it yesterday, though. I needed to give my skin some time to breathe.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Speaking of breath: it\u2019s not much different during yoga practice, but I breathe much better during the day. The biggest impact of my better breathing still shows during BJJ practice. I\u2019m much calmer and not as easily out of breath during extreme situations, such as chokes.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 21:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">It\u2019s been already 3 weeks into the challenge. At the beginning, it was a little challenging\u00a0but remember: it\u2019s called \u201cchallenge\u201d for a reason. Today I woke up OK-ish, being still slightly tired from yesterday (yoga, BJJ, and cardio). Nevertheless, I got out of bed fast and easy enough to tackle a 30-minute flow. I did it a few days ago, from Yoga TX\u2019s own Cole. It was a full body yoga flow with plenty of stretches.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li>Yoga TX &#8211; Full Body Yoga &#8211; 30 Minute Flexibility &amp; Deep Stretch Workout: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=z6GfneM4Lvg\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=z6GfneM4Lvg<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\">Last time I did the workout I couldn\u2019t do all the postures properly as my shoulder was not only limited in ROM but ultimately still hurting a little. As my shoulder barely hurts and my ROM has increased (but is far from where it should be, though!), I wanted to retry.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\">The session was very good, getting my body moving. My shoulder was holding up and even after doing cardio the previous evening my legs were rather stretchable. I couldn\u2019t help but smile and feel good about my session, my progress and the challenge. I tried to actively work on self-love, something I am struggling with.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\">Now as spring advances, the sun is slowly but steadily rising earlier. I love rising with the sun. I feel so energetic, happier and more positive if I do. Right after I was done with my yoga session the sun really started to rise and I had a great view while eating my breakfast and drinking my coffee.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\">What a fantastic start.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 22:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Waking up well rested and relaxed has its perks. One being to get out of bed easier. And that\u2019s what I did today and got ready for a new workout! Today I did some Yoga with Tim, which was a first and it was different.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li>Yoga with Tim &#8211; Total Body Yoga Workout Class With Tim Senesi: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Sowx4VquU58\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Sowx4VquU58<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Why? First of all, it was the first session on Youtube I did that was led by a man. That gave the whole atmosphere and flow a different twist. And with different I mean different, not better, not worse, simply different. The second thing which was different was that it was a less instructional video and rather a video where Tim guided you through the flow. This made sense as it was a fairly advanced workout.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\">I managed to get through the asanas, but as the level was higher than I am used to, it was difficult at times. I saw and felt it mainly in my breath, which was at times not existent. I like doing workouts which are a little too hard. Makes me humble, showing how much of the road is still ahead of me. But it also teaches me that yoga is not a means to an end but a companion. You are together at a certain point in time, like in any other relationship and then you try to make your best out of the situation.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\">The flow was really making my muscles work and focussed less on stretches. Nevertheless, at the end the flows slowed down and became less intense and we started to stretch out. This helped to prepare for the final relaxation.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 23:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Unlike the last weekends, I didn&#8217;t start with a lot of yoga into my day. I felt tired and exhausted and my body needed resting. In order to still get my body in motion and stretching out the kinks I&#8217;ve got all over my body, I went for a 15 minutes sun salutation flow session with Tim.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li>Yoga with Tim &#8211;\u00a0Sun Salutation Yoga &#8211; Yoga With Tim Senesi:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ufGwXbK4Teg\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ufGwXbK4Teg<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">The duration was perfect for how I felt. I was just long enough to really warm up my body, working my core muscles, stretching the body and short enough to not exhaust myself even further.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">The video was good, but still very different to how women display and guide through their videos. He gave a few insights about sun salutations in general and I realised I need to work on my\u00a0rhythm, meaning that I need not only to get stronger and more flexible\u00a0but more importantly syncing my movements with my breath and my breath with my movements.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 24:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Not a good night&#8217;s sleep, could have been the amount of food I had the previous night or just bad sleep because I was too tired. Who knows, either way, I woke up early and decided not to go back to bed and make the most out of the day. So I started with what Adriene calls love yoga flow.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li>Yoga with Adriene &#8211;\u00a0Yoga For Weight Loss &#8211; Love Yoga Flow:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wMd3XN1KZ3A\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wMd3XN1KZ3A<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Considering how bad the night was and how tired my body still was the previous day, I felt rather well and very aware and energetic during the session. The yoga flow was a total of 35 minutes of vinyasa practice during which a lot of stretching and strengthening took place. I did very well and I felt strong and confident in the different asanas. Every now and then I had a roundish back while transitioning, but it was better than a few weeks ago. I could stretch really well and could sync breath, body and movements well.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The flow was tiring but still a very kind and loving yoga session. It was really fun and I felt happy from within.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 25:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">I had a very good night\u2019s sleep and managed to get out of bed early and felt like doing a little more morning yoga than usual. With the exception of a tired right knee, which I injured two years back, I really felt good. My deltoid muscle keeps relaxing but is still a little stiff. My range of motion still improves, though.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\">The yoga session was 40 minutes long and hosted by Adriene. I did this one already in the past, i.e. before the challenge, and it was fun to do it again. The workout was from the Yoga For Weight Loss series Adriene created and was all about strengthening and lengthening the body.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li>Yoga with Adriene &#8211; Yoga For Weight Loss | Strengthen and Lengthen: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=6UEWJsljPVM\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=6UEWJsljPVM<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\">The flow begins slow and steadily increases both in speed (but it\u2019s never fast) and intensity. The build-up to the harder asanas is great and you have really are given enough time to warm up. I enjoyed the combination of strength and twists in the flow; especially the high lunges and the warrior poses are things I like a lot.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\">My body keeps getting more flexible and even forward bends begin to become enjoyable. This is due to the fact that a) my body slowly adjusted to yoga workouts and started to lengthen and b) I have much better form while doing asanas. I used to think that when you do bends and stretches (like forward folds or upward facing dog) it is imperative that everything needs to be straight and locked in properly. Now I know how wrong I was and since that small realisation huge progress was made.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\">The benefits of stretching and twisting my body daily are enormous and my everyday posture has improved a lot. I keep much straighter at all time<span style=\"color: #000000;\">s. In many cases, I manage without trying to have a \u00a0have a straight back and a straight spine with a long and straight neck. This r<\/span>elieved me of a lot of pressure and tension.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\">Now the self-imposed yoga challenge is almost over, only 5 more days left. It feels weird, yet it was exciting!<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 26:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Yesterday during BJJ practice I hurt my left shoulder. It kind of popped. Twice. I didn\u2019t have any pain when it happened but my shoulder felt very tired afterwards. During the day it was fine, but when I went to my strength and conditioning training my shoulder started to hurt a lot. I skipped the training, only did a few minutes of sauna and headed home.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\">I slept well, which probably was due to the fact that the day was stressful and intensive and that my shoulder really knocked me out! When I got up my shoulder felt surprisingly healthy and recovered. And in part that is true, the recovery process was good. Nevertheless, I didn\u2019t want to put the shoulder under more stress and for today I did a back yoga session from Yoga Vidya. I did it plenty of times before and know it well. In the 20 minute session not much shoulder work is needed (mainly an incline plank to strengthen your back). Those asanas have been replaced by gentle standing forward folds.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li>Yoga Vidya -Yoga for Complete Beginners &#8211; Yoga Class 20 Minutes: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0o0kNeOyH98\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=0o0kNeOyH98<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\">Besides that the body felt well and fine. One benefit of re-doing the same yoga workflow over and over again is that you can start focusing on the details and declutter your mind from the distractions (like checking the screen to figure out what\u2019s going on).<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 27:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\">\n<div>\n<div>My shoulder is still in full recovery mode and I am trying to rest it as good and as much as I can. I failed to get an appointment for a massage, but I\u2019ll have an acupuncture session tomorrow. The most problematic part is that the shoulder is inflamed and that the muscles and ligaments are very irritated. I take medication fighting the inflammation and have kinesio-taped the shoulder to support it further. When I can I use a cream to enhance recovery and cool it when possible.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>Range of motion is doing OK and not working out helped obviously a lot. Nevertheless, I am going to finish my challenge. Today\u2019s yoga session was short, focusing on hip opening vinyasa. The amount of shoulder work needed was a little higher than expected but luckily not very intense and as the workout was only 15 minutes long it was manageable for the joints but resting completely would probably have been better.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>Yoga with Tim &#8211; Yoga Hip Opener Vinyasa Flow &#8211; Yoga With Tim Senesi: \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3DZYc7Gd5l0\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=3DZYc7Gd5l0<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>That being said I liked the quick hip opening flow. I will use parts of it as my post-workout stretch for my strength and conditioning and BJJ workouts. Especially as my hips need to be as loose and flexible as possible. It enhances my BJJ skills a lot.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 28:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">The shoulder still isn\u2019t good but recovery is definitely happening. Normal movements are more than possible, but still my deltoid is tight and thus limiting the range of motion of my shoulder. In retrospective, I think this limited ROM is the reason why my shoulder popped twice in the first place. Every now and then I feel some slight but unfortunately sharp pain on the deltoid exactly where the shoulder joint is located.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\">I did only a short 10-minute session of yoga, mainly doing my own things. A little cat-cow, standing and seated forward bends and a few spinal twists. All of it was very calm and I tried to let go and focus on my body.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\">I am somewhat disappointed that I couldn\u2019t do more yoga the past several days. The fact is, I really started to enjoy it and the progress I saw and felt triggered something deep within me. I felt more connected to something, but I am not sure what. It would be great to say that it\u2019s myself, the here and now, the world or the universe. But that\u2019s not it, not yet at least.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 29:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">After my visit at my naturopathic healer and TCM practitioner last evening, my shoulder felt instantly much better. She did a few special exercises with my shoulder which immediately improved my shoulder\u2019s ROM. Afterwards, I warmed my shoulder up with a hot shower at home and enhanced the warming up process\u00a0with the use of several moxa plasters on the relevant muscles. This helped to relax the muscles even further overnight. In order to fight the existing shoulder inflammation, I keep resting the shoulder and using appropriate medication.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\">This morning I did another yoga session, focusing again on the back.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\">I hope the shoulder keeps getting much better quickly!<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\" align=\"justify\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\"><b><u>Day 30:<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #010101;\">Last day of the challenge! It&#8217;s weird and incredible that it&#8217;s already over, yet it was a lot of fun and definitely an experience I wouldn&#8217;t like to miss.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">My shoulder&#8217;s health increased tremendously and ROM and the &#8220;feel&#8221; of the shoulder were very good. I already know how greatly adequate treatment can impact your health, but it still was mind blowing.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">As my final workout I did an energising morning yoga session with Adriene, the one I&#8217;ve been doing plenty of times. It went well, but I could feel how I was rather stiff and I tired faster than expected.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the last 30 days I improved a lot and I really learned a lot; about yoga, good general posture, my mind &amp; body, breath and also simply myself! I am looking forward to continuing my yoga journey. There&#8217;s much to learn and it&#8217;s exciting.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<p>By sharing my yoga challenge diary I hope to give you an insight of how yoga might change yourself and your body. Do you want to follow suit and start with your own yoga challenge? Did you already do a yoga challenge? Share your experiences with me \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I did a 30 day non-stop yoga challenge. In this post, you can read about my unfiltered thoughts of each day and my overall progress and insights.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":611,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_3580015876_3580015876":"","facebook_10222714690288203_1473941132908662":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"30 Day Yoga Challenge","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[27,6,128],"tags":[248,249,250,130],"class_list":["post-570","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-meditation","category-yoga","tag-challenge","tag-diary","tag-men","tag-yoga"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/yoga.jpg?fit=650%2C647&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6IZwn-9c","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":555,"url":"https:\/\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/main\/lifestyle\/myth-yoga-feminine-affair\/","url_meta":{"origin":570,"position":0},"title":"The Myth of Yoga Being a \u201eFeminine Affair\u201c","author":"Stefan","date":"May 13, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"When we think about yoga as a practice, we usually imagine a woman striking a pose and it seems so natural to us. Now, try to imagine a man doing yoga \u2013 it is a bit difficult, right? Why is that so? We have been showered with images of elastic\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;contributor&quot;","block_context":{"text":"contributor","link":"https:\/\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/category\/contributor\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"seated forward fold","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/seated-forward-fold_small.jpg?fit=650%2C484&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/seated-forward-fold_small.jpg?fit=650%2C484&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/seated-forward-fold_small.jpg?fit=650%2C484&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":291,"url":"https:\/\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/meditation\/bikram-yoga-workshop-with-ky-ha\/","url_meta":{"origin":570,"position":1},"title":"Bikram Yoga Workshop with Ky Ha","author":"Stefan","date":"November 12, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Last month I went to my first yoga workshop ever! I was very excited and I wasn\u2019t let down in any way. The workshop provided me with a good introduction to Bikram Yoga. The Bikram Yoga workshop had been organized by BYLU Hot Yoga and was held by Ky Ha\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Lifestyle&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Lifestyle","link":"https:\/\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/category\/main\/lifestyle\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"BYLU Hot Yoga","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/BYLU-Hot-Yoga.jpg?fit=592%2C592&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/BYLU-Hot-Yoga.jpg?fit=592%2C592&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/BYLU-Hot-Yoga.jpg?fit=592%2C592&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3309,"url":"https:\/\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/nutrition\/exercise-induces-different-ways-of-brain-activation-short-tao\/","url_meta":{"origin":570,"position":2},"title":"Exercise Induces Different Ways of Brain Activation &#8211; Short Tao","author":"Stefan","date":"October 11, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Current research showed that different types of exercises trigger different regions in your brain. Find out why you're cravings increase after HIT or why you get emotional after yoga.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Fitness&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Fitness","link":"https:\/\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/category\/sport-fitness\/fitness\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Brain Activation","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Brain-Activation.jpg?fit=1200%2C943&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Brain-Activation.jpg?fit=1200%2C943&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Brain-Activation.jpg?fit=1200%2C943&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Brain-Activation.jpg?fit=1200%2C943&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Brain-Activation.jpg?fit=1200%2C943&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2161,"url":"https:\/\/taoofstefan.com\/blog\/meditation\/the-power-of-breath-how-to-manage-pain\/","url_meta":{"origin":570,"position":3},"title":"The Power of Breath: How to Manage Pain","author":"Stefan","date":"January 28, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"My intention for this article is to share how I handled a physically stressful and painful situation. 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It was as if you had this light shining around you. But this might have been only a hallucination from the mushroom coffee I had consumed earlier. 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