JOIN THE 5 x 5 YOGA CHALLENGE: FACE YOUR FEARS
Are you ready to step out of your comfort zone and dive into the depths of courage, vulnerability, and trust? Let’s embark on this journey together!
In this 5-day challenge, we’ll explore heart-opening poses, balance postures, and poses that push us to persevere when things get tough. By confronting our “fears” on the mat, we’ll gain the strength to navigate life’s challenges off the mat too!
HERE’S HOW IT’S GONNA WORK: Commit just five minutes a day for five days to practice these empowering poses. Hence the title, 5×5.
I’ll share a tutorial for each pose so you can follow along at your own pace. I gotchu.
Whether you choose to tackle all five in a row or spread them out throughout October, the choice is yours!
Need an accountability buddy? You’ve got options! Share this challenge with a friend or you can tag/message me for support.
Let’s embrace our “edge” and discover the incredible potential within us. Are you up for the challenge?
DAY 1: CENTERING BREATH
Let’s get started! 5 x 5 Yoga Challenge Day 1 here we go: CENTERING BREATH
Over the next five days, we’ll embark on a journey of EMBRACING COURAGE and mindful movement. Today, we start at the very foundation of our practice – the breath.
Take a moment to find a quiet space where you can tune in and focus. Close your eyes if you like, and let’s begin with the centering breath.
The breath is your anchor, your guide, and your source of inner awareness. It’s the life force that flows through your body, connecting you to the present moment. As you inhale and exhale, pay attention to its texture, the subtle edges, and how it fills your physical presence.
Before we dive into any poses, let’s remember this essential principle: SAFETY FIRST. Your breath is your compass. If you ever find yourself in a pose that feels too intense, if it distracts you from your breath, it’s okay to adjust. This challenge is about finding courage and safety within yourself, not pushing to extremes.
So, take five minutes today to center yourself through your breath. Let it be your guide as you embark on this transformative journey.
DAY 2: CAMEL
Back at it for day 2! Today we’re practicing camel (ustrasana).
As I chose the poses for this #FaceYourFears-themed challenge, I thought of heart openers like this one. Perhaps that says more about my own attitude about being open-hearted.
Is it just me, or is it scary to put your heart out there?❤️
In this pose, it isn’t JUST about leaning back and exposing your heart space… the KEY is to use your core muscles to keep your spine healthy and supported as you do it.
That’s why warming up is so important! Start with poses that stretch your spine in the six directions, and focus on warming up your core (belly, deep movers, and stabilizers), and your inner thighs.
WARM UP POSE OPTIONS:
Cat/cow
Puppy pose
Chatterunga / updog
Forearm plank
Chair
TO PRACTICE CAMEL:
- SET YOUR FOUNDATION: Place your knees hip-distance apart. Rest the tops of your feet on the ground or curl your toes under. Press through the length of your shins and isometrically pull your knees together. Engage your core by pulling your belly button toward your spine.
- BEFRIEND YOUR BREATH: Inhale to life your gaze and reach your arms up toward the sky. Exhale back to eye level and rest your arms at your sides. Repeat for a few rounds of breath.
- ENTER THE POSE: Hook your thumbs under your armpits almost like you’re wearing suspenders. Inhale to lift with your heart and exhale as you rotate open and backward, looking up toward the sky or directly back behind you.
*Make sure to LIFT and LENGTHEN with the support of your thigh and belly muscles and AVOID “crunching” over your low back or bending more deeply at your knees. - IF YOU NEED MORE: Perhaps here, you take your hands to your hamstrings, heels, or a block. Sustain this pose for a few slow, controlled breaths. If the breath gets choppy, come out of the pose a little bit. There’s nothing to achieve here except your focused awareness.
- EXIT THE POSE: Keep breathing steadily as you squeeze your core muscles to stack your vertebrae one on top of the other, eventually reaching the crown of your head upright. Stay here for a breath or two to neutralize the deep back end, then move into child’s pose as a counter pose.
Thank you for practicing with me! See you again for day 3 where we’ll practice BOAT (navasana).
DAY 3: BOAT
Welcome to day 3 of the #FaceYourFears #5x5YogaChallenge!
Today we’re cultivating fortitude (tapas) and internal fire (agni) with a pose that I have a love-hate relationship with… BOAT POSE (navasana).
Boat pose made its way into this challenge because it makes me confront my fear of discomfort or not being strong enough.
As with any yoga pose, start by focusing on your breath and adopt a non-judgmental approach to what your body is capable of today.
WARM-UP OPTIONS:
☀️Cat/cow (gosh I loves me some good ol’ cat/cow)
☀️Seated pranayama (mindful breath work)
☀️Sun Salutations
☀️Down dog
☀️Chatterunga/updog
TO PRACTICE BOAT:
⛵Sit on your mat with knees bent and footprints flat on the floor. Fingertips gently touch your knees or the back of your thighs.
⛵INHALE to lengthen your spine, lift your heart space, and gently snuggle your shoulder blades together.
⛵EXHALE to lean back, identifying the point of first sensation when your core muscles engage. Keep your heart lifted and your spine long.
⛵Continue mindfully breathing as you hold this pose for a few breaths.
⛵If you need more sensation or challenge from this pose, you have options! Try reaching your arms forward, lifting one or both feet (maybe even working to straighten your legs), or leaning your torso back further.
⛵Finally, choose a counterpose like a seated child’s pose to balance the energetic forces in your body.
The idea behind this challenge is to find 5 minutes a day to be present and cultivate your ability to face challenges. You might try it with this particular pose, or you could practice in the spirit of this challenge by finding some other way to move mindfully today.
Whatever you choose, thank you for joining me! See you again for day 4: half-moon (ardha chandrasana).
DAY 4: HALF MOON
DAY 4 of the #5x5YogaChallenge invites us to work with #HalfMoon or #ArdhaChandrasana
Nothing has my inner voice saying “whoa whoa whoa!” like when a yoga teacher takes us through half-moon. To me, this is a very vulnerable posture that requires both balance and strength, all while the heart space is exposed from all sides.
If you’re just discovering this challenge today, jump right in! The intention is to build small, sustainable habits that will make a lasting impact. Can you prioritize 5 minutes of mindful movement today?
If you want to try half moon…
HERE ARE SOME WARM-UP OPTIONS:
Sun salutations
Chatturunga
Standing warrior poses (1, 2, 3, and reverse)
Extended side angle
TO PRACTICE HALF MOON:
- Assemble aaalllll the props you need to feel supported so you can go deeply into this asana. I love to use a block under my hand to bring the ground a little closer to me or a wall to rest the bottom of my foot so I can extend more thoroughly through my trunk and arms.
- Transition into half moon from poses like Crescent Warrior, Triangle, or Extended Side Angle. Ensure your standing leg’s foot faces the front of the mat.
- Focus on your standing leg’s contact with the mat. Keep a micro-bend at the knee as you squeeze your glute to activate that entire standing leg. The sturdier your foundation, the more deeply you can immerse yourself into the posture.
- Stack your hips and make sure that you can see the toes of your extended leg. Engage all sides of your trunk evenly (front, back, and side bodies).
Place your hand on the ground or a prop for stability. The opposite hand can rest on your hip or reach upward.
Direct your gaze straight up to the sky or down to your hand. - Inhale to expand the space inside your torso, and exhale to engage and align hips and shoulders.
- To exit the pose, bring both feet to the front of the mat and fold forward.
What does half-moon pose offer you in your practice? I’d love to hear your take!
Thanks for playing along. See you back here for the final day… DAY 5 of our 5×5 challenge! We’ll work with Dolphin.
DAY 5: DOLPHIN
Day 5: DOLPHIN (ardha pincha mayurasana, literally translated as “half feather peacock pose” but commonly referred to as “dolphin” in the west.)
It’s a variation of downward facing dog (adho mukha svanasana)…
❤️except your heart is closer to the floor,
💪🏼your forearms offer a larger base/foundation for the pose,
🦶and there’s the option to put effort toward walking your feet toward your elbows, deepening the bend at your hip and the engagement from your core.
Like downward facing dog, dolphin is an inversion, where your head is closer to the ground than your heart.
WARM UP POSES:
-Sun salutations
-Chatterunga
-Down dog
TO PRACTICE DOLPHIN:
🐬Start in a plank pose, then lower your elbows to where your palms were planted in plank.
🐬Keep your trunk muscles tight, hugging your belly button to your spine.
🐬Press the mat away from you with your forearms and turn your gaze toward your feet to lengthen your neck.
🐬Hold for a few breaths. Inhale to lengthen and expand, exhale to release excess tension and sustain your focus on the present moment.
That’s it for the October #5x5YogaChallenge! Thanks for joining me on this adventure, and please share any feedback or questions in the comments or message me directly.
Be well, my friends <3