30-Day Yoga Challenge

Yoga is a lifestyle, and there are many different ways you can incorporate yoga into your daily life. Try this 30-day yoga challenge and get a month’s worth of transformational practices and ideas. You can add to your practice from the previous day or do one each day.

Day 1

Get out your yoga mat and do three sets of Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar). Count in pairs, starting with the right foot back first and then the left foot. You’ll be doing a total of six. (Third limb of yoga: asana)

Day 2

For five minutes, practice the three-part breath, Dirgha, and the Ujjayi breath. (Fourth limb of yoga: pranayama)

Day 3

Practice ahimsa or non-violence. Be non-violent in thought and deed. Everything about your being is to emulate non-harming, not even to a bug. Try not to hold onto any thoughts of anger, revenge, or lack of forgiveness. (First limb of yoga: yamas)

Day 4

Work on three balance postures: tree pose (Vrikshasana), standing bow or dancer’s pose (Dandayamana Dhanurasana), and eagle’s pose (Garudasana). Make sure you practice on both legs and not just the one that’s easy. (Third limb of yoga: asana)

Day 5

Practice satya, truthfulness. Go throughout your day in truth or stay silent. Pay attention to when you’re tempted to tell a lie, even a small one. (First limb of yoga: yamas)

Day 6

Do 10 minutes of the Satnam meditation to settle your mind. (Seven limb of yoga: dhyana)

Day 7

Increase your sets of the Sun Salutations to 6 or 12 in all. Try to practice a few with your eyes closed. (Third limb of yoga: asana and Fifth limb of yoga: pratyahara)

Day 8

Do 10 minutes of pranayama in the morning and in the evening. Start with Dirgha, progress to the Ujjayi breath, and finish with alternate nostril breathing, Nadi Shodhana. (Fourth limb of yoga: pranayama)

Day 9

Focus your attention on one goal all day today. Do not let your thoughts waver. Keep your thoughts positive about your one goal. One-pointed attention will help you attain it. (Sixth limb of yoga: dharana)

Day 10

See your world from a different perspective. Work on inversions today. Any pose where your head is lower than your heart is an inversion. Examples are downward-dog pose (Adho Mukha Shvanasana), bridge pose (Setu Bandhasana), shoulder stand (Sarvangasana) and plow pose (Halasana). (Third limb of yoga: asana)

Day 11

Take 15 minutes today to read and absorb a piece of spiritual literature. It could be related to your religion, poetry, or anything that inspires you. (Second limb of yoga: niyamas-svadhyana)

Day 12

Use the Satnam mantra to do a walking meditation for 15 to 20 minutes today. (Seventh limb of yoga: dhyana)

Day 13

Practice lying down poses on your back. Start with knees-to-chest pose (Pavanamuktasana), move to supine spinal twist twist (Supta Matsyendrasana) and finish will your legs up on the wall. (Third limb of yoga: asana)

Day 14

Increase your sets of Sun Salutations to 7 or 14 in all. (Third limb of yoga: asana)

Day 15

Practice Brahmacharya. Channel your sexual and creative energy in a positive way. Be open to your creative potential and know that you are as creative as your Creator. (First limb of yoga: yamas)

Day 16

Today is spinal twist day. Practice your twists such as seated spinal twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana) or reclining open leg twist (Supta Matsyendrasana). (Third limb of yoga: asana)

Day 17

Turn off as many electronic devices as you can throughout the day. Try to eat at least one meal in silence. (Fifth limb of yoga: pratyahara.)

Day 18

Practice the warrior series (Virabhadrasana). Do a flow from Warrior II to Exalted Warrior to Warrior I. (Third limb of yoga: asana)

Day 19

Practice your pranayama series from day eight and add the bhastrika or the bellows breath at the beginning of the series. Make sure you practice this one on an empty stomach. (Fourth limb of yoga: pranayama)

Day 20

Cultivate the practice of Aparigraha, generosity. Go through your closet and give away objects that you no longer need. Also, give away something you don’t really want to give away. Finally, lend a material object to someone that you normally wouldn’t lend. (First limb of yoga: yamas)

Day 21

Get your cardio on. Put on some upbeat yoga music and do your Sun Salutations for 20 minutes straight to get a cardio workout. (Third limb of yoga: asana)

Day 22

Spend today being entirely grateful for everything in your life. With an attitude of gratitude, you’ll be practicing santosha or contentment. (Second limb of yoga: niyamas)

Day 23

Practice Karma Yoga, which is yoga of service. Do random acts of kindness all day today. (First limb of yoga: yamas)

Day 24

Do poses on all fours for your spine. Try Cow pose (Bitilasana), Cat pose (Marjaryasana), Wag the Tail pose (Khanjanasana), Twisted Table-Top pose and Child’s pose (Balasana). (Third limb of yoga: asana)

Day 25

Shoucha means purity. Choose experiences today that are pure. Try going without artificial foods. Get outside to breathe in fresh air. Stay away from gossip. (Second limb of yoga: niyamas)

Day 26

Open up your sixth chakra, your center of intuition, with the bee breath (Bhramari) and alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana). (Fourth limb of yoga: pranayama)

Day 27

Do your 20 minutes of Sun Salutations, adding Standing Bow pose (Dandayamana Dhanurasana) and ending in Crocodile pose (Makarasana). (Third limb of yoga: asana)

Day 28

Have a Namasté Day today. The essence of namasté is honoring the soul within all other beings. Look into everyone’s eyes you meet to day and bid them a silent, “Namasté.”

Day 29

Get an eye pillow or a rolled-up towel to put over your eyes and lie down in Savasana, or corpse pose, for 10 minutes. (Third limb of yoga: asana)

Day 30

“Tapas”means austerity or discipline. If you’ve made it to today, it shows that you have the fire within and the tenacity of tapas. Keep going on the right track and integrate meditation, pranayama, and yoga into your daily routine. (Second limb of yoga: niyamas)