I Did Yoga Every Day for 1 Month and This Is What Happened

Less than a year ago, I assumed yoga was not a sport. Just plain stretching. Which would have been good for me, since I am as flexible as a hundred-year-old tree trunk. But I didn’t see the point.

Moving was to my eyes a way to get rid of my excess energy, to calm my nerves, to feel energetic, to burn calories, and to tone my body. Things that I didn’t think yoga could do for me.

Unlike me, my partner has been practicing yoga for a few years. In April, she invited me to join her for a session. Curious (and bored), I accepted. We changed into comfortable clothes, pushed the coffee table aside, and settled down on the living room carpet to follow the moves on an app for the next 30 minutes.

Against all odds, I must confess I liked it.

That’s how I got into the habit of joining her for a session every weekend. After 6 months, I incorporated this practice into my daily morning routine.

I did yoga every morning for 30 minutes, and noticeable changes happened.

“The greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places” — Roald Dahl.

Baby steps for a big effect

There’s one thing I’ve learned over the past few years: real change happens when baby steps are repeated day after day.

The occasional yoga session with my partner provided a good dose of mental well-being. I couldn’t ignore the fact that, after half an hour, I felt more relaxed, calm, centered, and focused. It cleared my mind, which is otherwise always running at top speed.

Physically, on the other hand, I didn’t feel much difference. That has changed a lot since then.

When I came to a time of great change in my life, I had to build a new morning routine. At the same time, I didn’t have the mental energy or desire to work out intensely, but the need to move my body was always there. Yoga appeared like the ideal solution.

I decided to give it a try: I would do 30 minutes every morning and see what happened.

I got up half an hour earlier each day and fired the app right after coffee and right before breakfast.

That’s when things got serious

I haven’t missed a session in a month. Even on days when I didn’t feel like it, or when the session seemed endless. That’s the point of a tiny 30-minute goal: it doesn’t take much effort.

As I said, I’m not flexible in the least. Which makes me look perfectly ridiculous when I’m in the middle of the living room trying to get into odd poses. Every morning, I watch the daybreak outside while fresh air is coming in through the open window. Inwardly, I try to focus on what I am doing, and not think about anything else.

I observe one day of rest per week, either Saturday or Sunday. On weekdays, yoga has become a non-negotiable part of my routine: it puts me in the right frame of mind for my upcoming morning of writing.

Oh, I’ve seen so many changes in just one month.

Yoga has become a completely different practice than the one I encountered in April. It’s amazing how, by diligently repeating an activity every day, it gradually reveals further layers.

An assessment after one month

Along with this practice and to give you some context, I live a pretty decent lifestyle. I eat three meals a day, drink alcohol occasionally, and desserts pretty often. I try to eat intuitively and stop when I’m full.

My job is mostly sedentary. I don’t do any other sports right now. When I get the chance, I like to go for long walks, and I go surfing when the waves are good, but that’s it. Yoga is the only recurring practice I have right now.

With that said, here are the changes I’ve noticed.

My body got thinner

According to some research, yoga is associated with weight loss. I don’t have a scale so I can’t say for sure, but I have to say that my body is now thinner and my muscles more defined. I even got sore several times.

“Researchers found that people who practiced yoga for at least 30 minutes once a week for at least four years, gained less weight during middle adulthood. People who were overweight actually lost weight. Overall, those who practiced yoga had lower body mass indexes (BMIs) compared with those who did not practice yoga. Researchers attributed this to mindfulness. Mindful eating can lead to a more positive relationship with food and eating.” — Health Harvard

According to the app, I burn 80 calories per session, on an empty stomach. That doesn’t sound like much, but multiplied by 6, that’s 480 calories per week. One dinner. Plus, unlike other sports, yoga doesn’t make me hungrier. On the contrary, I even felt fewer cravings since I started, as if my body was regulating itself better. This could explain why I got slimmer.

I’ve made progress

My whole body is firmer. I have more energy. Above all, I am way more flexible. Before, standing and leaning forward, I could not touch the ground. Sitting cross-legged, I couldn’t get my elbows on the carpet.

Now I can.

I still have a lot of progress to make, but I can see the evolution. After only 30 minutes a day, without pushing myself too much.

I am also more in tune with my body. I can better place my attention in the different parts of my body involved in the positions.

It doesn’t matter if my posture is not perfect. What yoga teaches is that progress is made little by little. Day by day, my postures get better as my flexibility improves.

“The idea is to explore your limits, not strive for some pretzel-like perfection. It is a great way to get in tune with your body and your inner self.” — explains Natalie Nevins, DO, board-certified osteopathic family physician and certified Yoga instructor.

When I don’t feel comfortable doing one position, I have no qualms about replacing it with another. For example, the “Bow pose” hurts my knees. I replace it with the “Frog pose”. That’s fine.

I discovered a new mental space

Yoga has become my meditation time. When I feel the thoughts coming at me, I can watch them pass by without grasping them. I can achieve a state of mental void almost every day.

These 30 minutes are my “me-time”. I’m alone with the sunrise and the first chirps of the birds. When I’m done, I feel my body stretched, relaxed. The energies are flowing. Mentally, I feel calm, soothed.

I feel ready to sit at my desk and start my day.

The benefits are total

“Regular yoga practice creates mental clarity and calmness; increases body awareness; relieves chronic stress patterns; relaxes the mind; centers attention; and sharpens concentration” — Dr. Nevins

Motivation is necessary to start any journey. But when you feel the well-being and benefits it brings you, momentum is created, and it then takes more motivation to stop than to keep going.

“The greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places”, as Roald Dahl put it.

That was my experience with yoga. I thought it would be the last sport I would ever do.

It became the first.