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Finding a new path

I have a lot going on right now and find myself in a delicate dance between roles.  So why am I signing up for a 30 day yoga course? I almost listened to the inner voice that says I have no time, but instead have made a decision based on experience. My experience shows, that when I take good care of myself I am able to be more present, calm and centered. I am able to better show up for my loved ones and the very full life I have.

My morning meditation, eating healthy and working out with my husband twice a week at the gym are habits that have taken a lot of effort to make a part of my life. I have been wanting a yoga practice for years, but getting to a yoga studio for an hour to an hour and a half class has felt like a big obstacle. This is why Marianne’s e course: 30 days of Yoga feels perfect for me!

From 30 day yoga website:

30 Days of Yoga brings the benefits of a yoga class (access to your teacher and connection to a yoga community) into your own home. The course includes:

• A yoga practice which I help you select based on your answers to a questionnaire about your current needs. The practice comes in various formats (including video, audio and a written version). You download the practice to play on your computer or iPod and can keep it once the course is finished;
• Live weekly group calls where I’ll answer any questions you have about your yoga practice or about yoga generally.
• Recordings of me talking with past participants, addressing the kinds of issues that tend to come up in each week of the practice.
• Daily emails from me throughout the 30 days addressing the main challenges people face in establishing a regular home yoga practice, with practical tips and gentle encouragement to help you overcome them.
• Access to a members site including a discussion forum where you can meet and connect with other participants and encourage each other.
• Additional special practices each week which you can add to, or use as a replacement for your ‘regular’ yoga practice;
• The option of being allocated an online 30 days of yoga buddy for encouragement and accountability, I’ve seen how this can really help people with their commitment to the practice (because people can start the course whenever they want, you may not get a buddy immediately and they may be on a different ‘day’ to you);
• Use of a special Twitter hashtag for daily encouragement from me and other participants and to share your progress.
• An e-book containing all the written materials from the course.

In addition I have known about Marianne for years and cannot wait to have her be my guide to making yoga a part of my everyday life. I am so excited!

As common to me, I waited to the very last moment to sign up. Today is the last day to register! Even though it says registration is closed it doesn’t close until midnight tonight PST. So scroll down and click the add to cart button.

Please let me know in the comments if you are going to partake. I would love it if you join me!

If you aren’t sure if this is for you here are some words from an email I received from Marianne that made it clear that this really is for me!

Registrations for my annual Karma edition of 30 Days of Yoga close this coming Saturday (midnight GMT, which means 5pm PST) and I know some of you are wondering if this is right for you. So I’ve been giving some thought to how I can help you decide whether or not this is right for you now.

So here are three reasons this Karma edition of 30 Days of Yoga might be right for you and then three reasons why it might not be…

1. Karma Yoga is probably right for you if you’ve been thinking of doing the 30 Days of Yoga course and just need reason to get started now.

Even when we know we want to do something, even when the conditions are ripe and the price is right, sometimes we just need someone to set a deadline for us. That’s why twice a year I run timed versions of the 30 Days of Yoga course. Because ‘start whenever you want’ can sometimes be a little bit too much freedom. If you just need a good reason to start now, let this Karma edition be your reason.

2. Karma Yoga is probably right for you if you know that you do better when you are part of a big group of people making the same commitment at the same time.

Now that I’ve made all my 30 Days of Yoga courses self-directed, i.e. you can start whenever you want, they’ve become less of a community event and more of a tool for individuals to design their own home yoga practice in their own time. But some of us love, and even need, the community aspect of a new practice to help us stay motivated. If you fall into that category, then the Karma edition is a great chance to get your yoga practice going in community with lots of other people.

3. Karma Yoga is probably right for you if you are confident that the 30 Days of Yoga course is right for you, but the price wasn’t quite right.

If you have been sure about the rightness of 30 Days of Yoga for a while but felt that the price was just too low (or too high) to feel like the perfect fit for you right now, then the Karma edition is the perfect chance for your to sign up for the course at your right price. I’m not going to lie, it makes my day when people sign up and adjust the price up. But I am also thrilled that people can adjust the price down and make this course something they can afford to do right now. Remember, the more you pay the more I’m able to donate to these amazing causes. So feel free to be generous! But also feel free to choose the price that is just-right for you.

Plus – a bonus reason!

4. Karma Yoga is probably right for you if you love the idea of taking care of yourself AND supporting these great causes at the same time.

Remember that 60% of what you pay will be donated to Voice of Women Afghanistan and to Off the Mat, Into the World NZ. But this course is not going to be right for everyone right now. Here are three reasons the Karma edition of 30 Days may not be right for you now.

1. Karma yoga is probably not for you if you aren’t really sure about whether or not you are ready to commit to a daily yoga practice, but think maybe you should just sign up because you can get it cheap.

Let’s start by being really kind to ourselves. Everyone does this sometimes. I’ve done it. Sometimes I’ll see something that I’m not 100% sure I am ready to commit to, but because it is ‘on sale’ or available at a ‘pay-what-you-can’ price I think I’ll get it for cheap and see if it’s right for me.

Here’s why I don’t want you to do that: this course is all about making a commitment to yourself and then keeping it, with my help. If you sign up just because you think it’s a steal but are not really committed then you will not get the benefit of the course and, most importantly, you’ll be weakening your confidence and trust in your own ability to keep commitments to yourself.

2. Karma yoga is probably not for you if you have never ever done any yoga before and need to start at the very beginning.

I have a special beginners course designed just for people who have never ever done any yoga before – people who don’t know the front of their yoga mat from the back. This Karma course will be suitable for you if you have even the vaguest notion of yoga. If you’ve experimented with a yoga DVD for example, feel free to sign up. But if you really want to start from scratch, then my beginners course is probably better for you.

http://www.marianne-elliott.com/30daysofyoga/beginners-30-days-of-yoga/

3. Karma yoga is probably not for you if you are recovering from a major injury or surgery.

Therapeutic yoga can be a really powerful part of your recovery process, but therapeutic yoga requires one-on-one consultation and isn’t something I can provide as part of the 30 Days of Yoga experience. I do, however offer one-on-one yoga coaching as part of the standard 30 Days of Yoga course and I plan to launch a one-on-one yoga coaching service in the coming month so please get in touch if you think that might be right for you.