Easy yoga pose for your self-care

Hey everyone, Schareen here! In honour of International Yoga Day I want to tell you all about my Viparita Karani challenge I set for myself last month. This 30-day challenge is great for anyone who wants to find a relaxing, easy yoga pose that will fit perfectly into their daily self-care routine. 

Now before you say to yourself, “Oh, a yoga challenge. I won’t be able to stick to that,” let me reassure you – this isn’t one of those typical yogi blog posts that can sometimes feel intimidating. I’m here to share my honest experience with you and (spoiler alert) I didn’t master the whole 30 days with perfection! Despite not being super successful at the challenge part, I still learned a few things from this easy yoga pose. And hey – that’s a plus! 

What is the Viparita Karani (legs up the wall) yoga pose?

This pose is really simple (hence my excitement to share it). You lie down on the floor with your legs up on the wall. I hear your hesitation, and yes, it is considered a yoga pose! Click here for a video that shows you how to get into the pose. 

This pose has multiple benefits: it promotes relaxation, facilitates venous drainage, increases circulation, soothes swollen or cramped feet and legs, stretches hamstrings and lower back, relieves lower back tension, and relaxes the pelvic floor.

I’ve also heard suggestions that it helps with weight loss, and if you know me, I want maximum results with minimum effort! 

My 30-day yoga challenge experience

While I didn’t crush the full 30 days, I practiced for 9 days (with a two day break in between). This is a no judgement zone. If the word “challenge” turns you off, no problem. You can practice this easy yoga pose as often as you like.

Here’s a daily breakdown of how I practiced my yoga pose and how my body felt. 

Day 1:

For my first day I set the mood. I set a 5 minute timer, dimmed the lights, sprayed my bed with lavender sleepy spray, and tried the pose before bedtime. 

At 2.5 minutes my legs started to tingle and I had to wiggle them when it became painful. I’m not an avid yogi, so my bum wasn’t flush with the wall (it’s okay if yours isn’t either). 

Day 2:

I already began to notice some differences on the second day! I set my timer for an extra minute (6 total). My legs didn’t tingle (perhaps because I sat with my butt further away from the wall), and I felt my breathing was slower and more relaxed. Initially I didn’t feel like doing the pose again, but I ended up enjoying it because it gave me some uninterrupted space and time to think about my day. 

Side note: I played piano music in the background and didn’t love it. So, the atmosphere really does make a difference! 

Day 3:

I went for 10 minutes this day (wohoo, improvement!). I laid with my bum closer to the wall and I played soft relaxation music. I got into the rhythm at this point. I naturally wanted to breathe slower, too. Not sure if that was due to the music or the position! 

Day 4: 

I kept my timer at 10 minutes. It’s important to do what feels best for you, and I enjoyed this time limit. My breathing started to become automatically slower, and this time I credited the position.

Day 5:

When I started my pose I was hopeful that it would help calm my anger and frustration with the day I’d had. I laid with my bum close to the wall for 10 minutes and let my day wash away. My feet remained a little tingly (like pins and needles) after I was done. All those negative toxins making their way out I suppose? 

Day 8:

That’s right – I skipped day 6 and 7. Remember, no judgement zone here. I felt motivated on this day and I was excited to get back into it! At this point not much had changed with my weight, although my tummy looked less bloated and paunchy. Regardless, the pose was relaxing for me so I wanted to keep doing it. 

Day 9:

I’ve had a lot going on in my life recently, so it was nice to have to take 10 minutes to myself at the end of each day. I felt good about the challenge despite having taken 2 days off. 

Now this is where I began to drop the ball and totally let it fall by the wayside. Life got in the way and I began to feel burnout. I felt like I could never “fit it in.” Some time went by and I realized the month was basically over, and of course I said goodbye to all motivation. 

Don’t despair though. Despite my shortcomings with the challenge I still learned valuable lessons that I feel embody the most important teachings from yoga practice.

What I learned from my (failed) yoga challenge

Trust me, I know most of us go into these challenges with hopes of physical benefits. And I got those! But more importantly, I learned a few things about myself. I am a therapist after all, so I’m trained to notice this self-reflection. Here are my journal thoughts:

First off, making time for yourself is incredibly important. It’s an overused saying in this era of self-care, but it’s true. When I stopped practicing the pose each night, and I let life get in the way, I noticed an impact on my mental health. 

Forcing myself to take 5 minutes to sit and do nothing but breathe and listen to soft music actually helped slow down my system.

Don’t get me wrong – I had intrusive thoughts, especially at the beginning. I’d think about what item was next on my to-do list and all the things I had on my plate the next day. So I adjusted my schedule and made sure to end my day with the yoga pose.

I learned that it’s okay to stop and start a challenge like this. Making yourself a priority is one of the hardest things to do in my opinion, and it takes months to build a new habit. 

P.S. James Clear’s Atomic Habits is a must read for those of you who want to build better habits.

I was excited about the potential for weight loss when I started the challenge. I didn’t notice changes on the scale, but I did notice changes to how I felt when I did the pose regularly. I think a common lesson we all learn from a challenge like this is that a simple exercise or yoga pose won’t aid in total weight loss. But in addition to other positive changes (physically and mentally), it can have a huge impact.

Get your self-care on

So that’s the story of my self-imposed (failed) challenge! If you feel inspired to try it for yourself I hope you can turn to my journal notes and relate to some of my experiences. 

After all is said and done, I think I’ll give it another whirl. Who knows, I might even get to 10 days this time. You know my motto: anything is better than nothing. Don’t beat yourself up. It’s about progress, not perfection. 

If you have advice that will support others on their yoga journey, comment below! Our readers would love to hear your thoughts. 

Happy yoga posing, friends! 

About Dochas Psychological

Dochas Psychological Services is a well-established and trusted therapy clinic located in Spruce Grove, Alberta. At Dochas we value the idea that everyone deserves a safe space. Through connection and education, our team works hard to build a trustworthy relationship with each of our clients. It is our goal to create a community for our clients to feel like they belong.

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