1. Name? Danielle
2. What do you do outside of practice yoga? I’m an advertising consultant. I’m also starting a writing career.
3. In less than 3 sentences, why did you sign up for the challenge? I wanted to cultivate the skills of discipline and resilience within myself. I have always been an intensely passionate person, but what is passion without focus?
4. What was your intention for the last class you took? Increase. I am learning to be unafraid to ask for more from myself, others, and rely on the universe for what I need.
5. Biggest challenge of the challenge? Still showing up anyway, in the face of inconvenience, exhaustion, imperfection. Also, seeing and feeling everything that may have been lingering deep within — old loves, resentments, bad habits – come up to the surface. But it has been gratifying to see much of that stuff start to fall away.
6. How have you taken care of yourself during the challenge? So many bubble baths, long phone conversations with my mom and best friends, spinach. I especially want to thank Kim and Rachel for the advice on how best to eat during this month.
7. Top 3 insights or revelations of the challenge? 1) “You can do whatever you put your mind to” is not a cliche. There is little that is more true. 2) Being in the moment in yoga class every night has started to free me of the intense need to please others even at the expense of myself. It’s just counterproductive and eventually harmful to the very ones you are trying to please. 3) Also, I’ve been inspired by the strength, resilience and beauty of everyone at Sacred. That inspiration has really helped to keep me going.
8. What’s your yoga elevator pitch for someone who really needs it? I tell them a story of how a friend and I, both usually woefully concerned about looking “appropriate” in public, went to brunch and shopping right after a class. We stopped noticing that we weren’t really “properly” dressed in about fifteen minutes and spent the day laughing. I explain that yoga will reorganize your priorities around what is really important while expanding the capacity of your body at the same time.
9. What’s a favorite moment of a class you’ve taken during your challenge? Growling like a maniac in one of Chichi’s flow classes. It just reminded me that I’ve got to embrace my whole self, even my aggression, it just needs to be properly channeled, of course.
10. Anything else? Wow! And thank you.
Tales from the 30 Day Challengers
Maybe you see them on the next mat regularly and wonder who they are outside of the hot room? Perhaps you haven’t visited us yet and are curious who goes there? I asked a few of the yogis who are braving the 30 day challenge to shed some light on their experiences in a game of 10 Questions?