31 days of go w/ the flow

I've been a little slack-y about goals and resolutions and yada yada for 2015. 2015 kind of snuck up on me, and I didn't want to commit to "resolutions" without really thinking about it (spoiler alert: still haven't figured them out) but one thing I could and did commit to was 31 days of go w/ the flow.

source: gowtheflow.com

go w/ the flow is a yogi duo of Tori and Ben, who travel all around the country leading mostly power vinyasa classes that focus on community and the importance of touching your neighbor (no seriously). Tori instructs, and Ben plays guitar and keeps the breath (which is so key!). I've now been to 3 live go w/ the flow classes (see one review here!) and have loved every single one of them!

31 days of go with the flow involved Tori and Ben providing a group of 290 yogis with 31 podcasts of previously recorded classes -- one for each day in January. The commitment was totally up to you -- it didn't have to be 31 days of yoga asana (poses) practice, nor did it need to be 6 days a week or anything like that. It was whatever worked for you. They also focused on mediation, which whoa boy did I fail it -- but I'm working on it.

It also involved a really inspiring facebook group of yogis -- who never failed to encourage and uplift the other members of the group.

Lucky me, I got to practice live with Tori and Ben during the 31 days of go w/ the flow because they took a nice trip to Grand Rapids Michigan to teach a class at lululemon.

And finally, the icing on the cake, is that we got to design our own go w/ the flow shirt. I actually forgot which one I actually decided to order - it was a tough choice between two designs and I can't for the life of me remember which one I went with, BUT, I am so excited to own it! (and will of course share in my "things i love thursday" the shirt that I got. because i already know it will be love)

so here's the breakdown

+'s:
- 31+ yoga podcasts of different lengths and intensities to keep forever and practice at your hearts content
- community of yogis committing to an asana and meditation practice
- ~3 emails/week from Tori with podcasts and general reflection on various weekly themes for the challenge
- custom-designed go w/ the flow shirt
- at-home yoga
- opportunity to commit to something where limitations and the value of rest days and listening to your body is emphasized
- encouragement to practice with your local community
- encouragement to spend some time meditating
- an opportunity for a structured, and fun yoga challenge
- instrumental tracks from studio classes that are great for all of the following: relaxation, working, meditation.

-'s:
- only 31 days long!

31 days of go w/ the flow was totally worth it for me. Practicing yoga/going to the gym/getting out and moving has been hard for me with the cold weather, decreasing daylight hours, pup who i hate to leave alone unless absolutely necessary (like when I go to work for example). So 31 days of go w/ the flow, with its at-home practice made things so much easier. By the end of the month I was doing chatarunga to upward facing dog without my quads touching the ground like nobody's business, and also had the opportunity to clear my head, which seriously just runs rampant most of the time.

There will be another 31 days in the summer, and I'm almost positive I'll be doing it again. You should too ;)