January, 30 Day Yoga Challenge

What is a Yoga Challenge?

A yoga challenge typically involves committing to practising yoga for a set number of days in a row, usually 30 days.

It started to become a yearly habit around 2015 and always peaks in January since, except for April 2020 during the covid outbreak were everyone was in need of a yoga challenge!

Yoga challenges often happen on YouTube or on social media like Tiktok in January.

Use our free yoga challenge tracker to get help to complete your challenge and enter a draw to win a prize!

Why is January a popular month for a yoga challenge?

January is often seen as the month of new beginnings, with many people setting resolutions and goals for the year ahead. By starting the year with a yoga challenge, you start the year with a healthy and positive habit that can have lasting benefits on your well-being.

January follows heavy festive season dinners and end-of-the-year parties, so people are into "detox" that month, many of them doing what is called "dry January" (not drinking alcohol for the whole month). And they count on workouts and more specifically, yoga practice to help them stick to their commitment!

What are the most famous 30 days challenges on YouTube?

Some popular 30-day yoga challenges on YouTube Channels include:

• Yoga with Adriene's world-famous "30 Days of Yoga" challenge
• Sarah Beth Yoga's "Morning Yoga 30 Day Challenge” - she calls it the “Month of Yoga”
• Cat Meffan's "30 Day Yin Yoga Challenge” - she calls it "Yoganuary"
• Yoga with Tim 's popular 30-day challenge

Yoga challenges type of yoga poses

Most YouTube yoga teachers practise a type of flow yoga, a kind hatha in movement or slow Vinyasa. Typical asanas include sun salutations, standing poses, twists and balance poses. They will let you know in the description the kind of workout level recommended for the session.

30 days challenges vs 21 days challenges

30 challenges are usually challenges taking place in January - where you practise every day of the month.

But we sometimes hear about 21 days yoga challenges, those are based on the principle that it takes 21 days to create new habits.

But new research has proven that it takes in fact, longer than 21 days to create a new habit, 66 days to 254 as the habit expert in chief James Clear explains.

Yoga challenge for beginner

Going for a yoga challenge when you’ve never practised yoga is possible, as long as you pick beginners' classes.

Practising every day will help you become more flexible, as your muscles will not have time to shorten in between sessions, so you should be able to see physical progress in 30 days, and you will definitely feel the other benefits of yoga.

Benefits of a yoga challenge

A daily yoga practice is recommended to everyone.

When you practise every day you get all the benefits of yoga: better sleep, less anxiety, better mood, toned body, less joint and back pain, more self-confidence, a healthier lifestyle…

When you’re a “serious” yoga practitioner, you are encouraged by the teachers to practise every day anyway. You usually practise 2 to 3 times in studios every week, but the rest of the days you are supposed to develop your "own practice" and practise at home.

Some students (mostly ashtanga ones) go to yoga studios every morning at 6am for 2 hours sessions….

Since lockdown we can practice live online yoga on platforms like this one!

Practise yoga longer to make more progress

If you really want to improve your flexibility and your mental health, long enough classes are recommended. Some of the Yoga challenge YouTube videos are very short, you barely have time to warm up and the session is over. You also need a bit of time for your mind to adjust to the practice. The first 10-15 minutes can be difficult if you’re practising standing poses, but then you start warming up and getting used to stretching your body and time goes by quickly even for 90-minute classes.

This is why, to challenge your practice, you can also go to workshops and to retreats.

In yoga studios, you can join what teachers call "workshops". Its a longer session, 2 to 3 hours, where you focus on a specific category of poses and work in pairs to achieve step changes into a pose.

You can also join for a yoga retreat for a week, usually during the summer. You'll practise twice a day morning and evening, eat vegan food and come back supercharged.

Both workshops and retreats are great to improve your practice, many yogis have breakthroughs during them and manage to complete poses they never could, and learn new ones.

At Live Yoga Teachers we managed to touch our knees with our nose for the first time during a yoga retreat (in Seated Forward Bend, or Paschimottanasana).

Other types of workout challenges

TikTok challenges: wall pilates 28 days challenge, legs up the wall challenge

Social media and more specifically TikTok now broadcast yoga challenges as well.

Wall Pilates is a type of workout challenge that combines traditional Pilates exercises with wall resistance. Usually lasting for 30 days, this challenge involves using a wall as support and resistance to intensify and target specific muscle groups. The goal of Wall Pilates challenges is to improve core strength, flexibility, and posture while also toning the body.

Earlier in the year, the legs up the wall challenge went viral. Legs up the wall is the viparita karani pose in yoga, which you can practise back flat on the floor, or lower back on a bolster.

Some examples of popular Wall Pilates challenges include:

Blogilates' "30 Day Wall Pilates Challenge"

Tone It Up's "Wall Pilates Workout Challenge"

Boho Beautiful's "30 Day Power Yoga and Wall Pilates Challenge"

PsycheTruth's "30-Day Morning Pilates and Meditation Challenge with a Wall"

Sarah Beth Yoga's "30 Day Wall Pilates for Beginners Challenge"

You can also find Workout or fitness challenge on Youtube and other social channels. Joe wicks , famous Gym Influencer in the UK offers 28 days and 90 days challenges.

Some other popular 30-day fitness challenges on YouTube include:

Blogilates' "30 Day Flat Abs Challenge"

FitnessBlender's "30 Days to Get Six Pack Abs"

HASfit's "30 Day Muscle Building Challenge"

POPSUGAR Fitness' "30-Day Total Body Workout Challenge"

Tone It Up's "30 Days to Tone It Up" challenge

Yoga challenges for two people

A Yoga Challenge for two people, often referred to as "Partner Yoga" or "Doubles Yoga", is a fun and engaging way to enhance flexibility, balance, and strength, while fostering a sense of connection between the individuals involved.

The type of poses offered for 2 people challenges are usually fun, kind of acrobatic poses. But you can practise most poses in pairs, where you take turns in helping each other achieve the best alignment by putting some weight on body parts. You also practise yoga in pairs during workshops and retreats.

These challenges can often be found on platforms such as Instagram or YouTube, under the hashtags like #PartnerYogaChallenge or #DoublesYogaChallenge. They provide an excellent opportunity to test team-working skills whilst promoting a healthier lifestyle..

How to have a 30 day yoga challenge on this platform

With more than 50 classes a week, a choice of tens of teachers and yoga types, you can always find a yoga class that will fit your schedule.

Design your own yoga challenge, test different types of yoga and teachers and find your long-term yoga routine, for a better life. Guaranteed.