Welcome to the Self-Care Challenge

Welcome, dear Yoga Anytime family, to the Self-Care Challenge. We’re so happy you are here. The Self-Care Challenge consists of 10 days of short talks, meditations, movement practices and reflective exercises intended to both inspire and challenge you to bring your beloved yoga practice into your real life. We follow the model of the yamas and niyamas of the Yoga Sutras, as edited by Patanjali. These are the ethical practices and personal observances that are, in my opinion, the heart-mind of real-life yoga. They are an invitation to use your daily practices to be more of your real self and do more of the things that really matter to you in this life. This is the ultimate practice of self-care. In addition to following the general blueprint of the yamas and niyamas, the day-to-day structure of the immersion organizes itself around three principles: practice, study and connection. This is my personal riff on the three pillars of practice as described by Yoga Sutra 2.1: self-discipline (tapas), self-study (svadhyaya), and dedication to god-consciousness (ishvara pranidhana). We’ll have a chance to talk about all of those later on because -- spoiler alert -- they are also niyamas. What this means is that every day will include an invitation to build on your practice, an opportunity to dig deeper into your own knowledge of yourself and your patterns and an opportunity to connect with self, the teachings and other travelers on this path. I hope you’ll practice with a friend or group, share your experience in the forums, send an email, Shapchat about it, Instagram about it, post on Facebook! If you do, tag @yogaanytime, @kelly_sunrose or use the hashtag #SelfCareChallenge. The nuts and bolts of this immersion:

• Everyday, we will circle up around a theme of self-care. In support of the work, you will receive a daily video with several chapters. We will explore thoughts on the philosophy supporting that theme and how to play with it in your daily life. I will share my own personal experiences and stories. We will share practices to support your exploration and invite you to drop in through movement, meditation and reflection.
• In support of this work, use the medium that calls to you for reflection: journaling, conversation, collage, painting, drawing, songwriting, poetry. Follow your unique call.
• We exist in relationship. The practices exist in relationship. This immersion is intended for right now: in the middle of your life. It is also good with friends and community. We are all in this together.
Join us for the 10 Day Self-Care Challenge with Kelly Sunrose.