Matt Heath: It’s not too late to join yogi23

Since launching yogi23, I’ve received hundreds of messages on the topic. Photo / Getty Images

OPINION

Today is the 184th day of 2023. The year feels like it just started, and it’s already half done. That’s a little scary. It is, however, a great day for myself and everyone else who jumped on the yogi23 initiative. We have practiced at least a half hour of yoga every day for the last six months. That’s 184 stretchy sessions so far, and boy, do we feel good.

Earlier in the year, I wrote an article encouraging people to join me on my yogi23 journey. You may remember it. I argued that New Zealand is crammed with stiff, creaky humans. Many of us are painfully rigid, both mentally and physically. As a naturally unmalleable person, I thought I’d reach out to others like me to encourage them to loosen up.

Since launching yogi23, I’ve received hundreds of messages on the topic. Positive communications from those who are all in on the daily yoga and are reaping the rewards. Some negative messages from those who hated it and have given up and blame me for wasting their time. A lot of mixed messages from those who just want to say hello. Then there was one especially appreciative correspondence from a partner of one of my yogi23 brothers. She slid into my Instagram to express just how much she enjoys having a flexible person in her life. There had been notable improvements in his mood, drive, physique, flexibility and performance. Apparently, her husband has become keener and better at all kinds of things.

If you didn’t start yogi23 on January 1, no problem. You can start today, practice for the next six months, and hit 2024 as flexible as a garden hose and as happy as an otter. That’s where I find myself at the halfway point. I no longer grunt when I get up or hold my back in pain at the end of a long day. The aches are gone, and I can climb over or under anything. I sleep great, wake energised and my golf swing has improved (it’s still embarrassingly bad, but definitely better). Yoga is like booking a lube job for your car, but you are the vehicle.

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You may ask why the practice has to be every day and not three or four times a week. It’s about taking the decision-making out of it. You don’t ask, “Should I do yoga today?” The answer is always yes.

As I wrote at the start of the year, the YouTube channel Yoga with Adrienne is a great place to start. She’s an absolute breath of fresh air whose free videos will ease you into your journey. Just grab a yoga mat, hit the floor and get loose in the comfort of your own home. After a few weeks online, you’ll know the names of the moves and you can cart your carcass to a public class. Downward-dogging with 30 other people in the room is quite the experience. Depending on the instructor, it can be challenging; you’ll fall over, there will be poses you don’t get anywhere near, and if you have a bit of a tummy like me, it will flop out. But none of this matters because everyone’s eyes are closed half the time and no one is looking at you anyway. I am terrible, and no one cares. Not even me.

A yoga class will stretch, pull, strengthen and get you into shape, but that’s not the best part. It’s after the workout when things get really good. Sessions typically end in a resting pose called ‘corpse’ or ‘savasana’. After the strenuous yanking of your muscles, bones and limbs, this downtime produces a euphoric, meditative mental state. A feeling of wellbeing that continues as you roll up your mat, thank the instructor, walk out of the class and all the way home.

Your efforts in yoga class hurt a little, and the body balances that pain with a healthy flood of positivity and pleasure. I originally saw yoga as a way to improve strength, balance and flexibility, which it certainly does, but over the last six months, I have come to see it as a means to reach tranquillity. You always leave a yoga class content.

We are 184 days into 2023. Start a daily yoga practice today, and you could get in 182 sessions before the end of the year. Imagine how good you will feel on January 1, 2024. You’ll be in the same happy, flexible position we yogi23 people find ourselves in today.