New forms of yoga spring up every day like mushrooms in some corner of the world. The need for ever new stimuli and the need to emerge and distinguish one's individuality from the herd are typical features of the Western world, precisely that part of the world where almost all of the new forms alternative to yoga originate.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with this, orthodoxy and adherence to tradition by party taken are not always synonymous with quality and truth; it is only a matter of awareness, a fundamental tool for a correct evaluation of oneself and of the type of activity that best suits the needs of our body, our mind, our emotional being and, if we really want to disturb it, of our spirit.
The psychology of yoga challenge
One of the latest innovations in yoga is the yoga challenge, a practice that enjoys widespread popularity on yoga-themed websites and in many gyms and yoga schools, especially in the big cities of the western world.
Challenge yoga is a challenge with oneself ; imposing oneself is perhaps the wrong word, it is more a matter of choosing to practice regularly for a set period, from twenty to thirty days in general, a series of asanas of an hour or an hour and a half, without exception, whatever happens.
Before going into specifics, we note some psychological elements of this practice that explain all the success it is achieving in the modern Western world. The first is the importance of motivation, our society suffers from a strong tendency to demotivation and, unfortunately, to depression : seeking a strong motivation and carrying on something until the end is a value that equalizes, if it does not exceed, the psychophysical benefits provided from the series of asanas.
Secondly, the brevity of the commitment: yoga is a practice that goes on for life and, according to tradition, for many lives, but this is a concept that stresses the Western mentality that needs new stimuli continuously, new items to consume, so making a commitment for just a month can help at least to start something that otherwise we would never begin.
Yoga challenge, asana of the mind
Having said that, we see precisely that one of the benefits not so collateral of the practice of yoga challenge is the strengthening of intention .
No one imposes anything on others, there is no competition, yet with yoga challenge we are obliged to hold on to ourselves, with the intention of doing something that is good for our body for a month, every day.
We can consider this as an asana of the mind, of the will: keeping the position of the will for a month stable and solid is not a simple thing. Not only that, even the most traditionalist among yogis will confirm that this volitional mental production produces tapas, energy-heat, as do physical asanas.
The benefits of yoga challenge
Obviously we cannot expect great miraculous changes, especially for the body, so many people, perhaps in search of practices capable of giving them in a month what they themselves have not been able to give themselves in years, will be disappointed.
It is important to understand the basic concept: if you can do it for a month you can do it for a lifetime, it is only your will that decides. What seems difficult at the beginning will become a normal daily practice after a month, like brushing your teeth before going to bed.
In this sense, even if the yoga challenge seems to move away from the spirit that classic yoga should maintain, we can define it as a positive practice .
