Yoga Mapp’s 7 Day Yoga Challenge

Set an intention to try a new teacher and style every day of the week.

“I recently challenged myself to try out something new, widen my horizons, and step out of my comfort zone. What I experienced was a combination of energising movements, the feeling of being revitalised and practising with incredible teachers offering their wisdom and experience to me.

Living through lockdown in Germany this last year, I often feel like my life has been put on pause. With nowhere to go, no one to invite over, Netflix to keep me company, every day, week, and month has all become so monotonous. So I tried to find something to keep me going and spice up my day-to-day life, which has become a home/office life of course. Wandering around my flat, trying to work on the kitchen counter, the dining room table, the couch, the bed, and the new desk I bought (definitely not my favourite spot!).

So I came up with this little challenge:

Practice with a new yoga teacher every day for a week through Yoga Mapp to fit with my schedule.

Unexpectedly, the “fit my schedule“ became the best part! There are so many options to fit my schedule that at the outset I just couldn’t decide on which class to choose. So how did I come up with my yoga schedule? Well, I thought: If I can’t fit all the classes I’d like to take in one week, perhaps I’ll keep challenging myself the next!

Based on my mood, I decided on classes that would suit me for that week. I realised that there really are no excuses, even when you think that you “have no time”, it is possible! Even if you are working a full-time 40 hour a week job, tired of work, on the verge of a massive breakdown: I can guarantee that yoga will help you feel better.

Here’s the personal schedule that I came up with:

  •  Monday Morning Wake Up with Abbie Biscoe: 7:30am – 8:15am
  • Tuesday Vinyasa Flow with Anja Villaverde (my own class) from 7:30pm – 8:45 pm
  • Wednesday Vinyasa Flow with Negeen Aram 6:30pm – 7:30pm
  • Thursday Yin Yoga with Angela Keen: 6:00pm – 7.00pm
  • Saturday Rise & Shine with Aimee Warren 9:00am – 10.15am

Another plus is that classes are genuinely affordable.

I paid a total of £43 for a week of daily live yoga classes with great teachers ranging from 45 to 75 minutes.

I found this incredibly accessible, especially as we’re free to choose how much time and money we want to invest. The class prices range from £5 to £12 for single classes and most teachers offer wonderful class packs as well. This way you can buy a bunch of classes for a discounted price, which I recommend doing once you find a teacher or maybe two that best resonate with you. This is yoga for everyone! 🙂

In summary, here are the simple steps I took to complete a 7 day challenge with Yoga Mapp:

  • Booked classes that would fit my schedule, from classes starting as early as 7.30am (UK time) right through to 8.45pm (German time)
  • Allocated a budget that I was happy to spend, with classes costing me a total of £43
  • Received a personal welcome and Zoom link from each teacher, usually in advance but up to 15 minutes before any class.
  • Logged on to the session 5 minutes before class and enjoyed my practice.

On these days, I very much appreciated the hassle-free commute from “work” (my desk) to my personal “yoga studio” (also known as my living room) and at the end of class, loved the feeling of relaxation in Savasana in my own home and a very short journey to bed.

#1 Monday: Abbie’s Morning Wake Up

What a wake up to a Monday morning! We were stretching and waking up the body in all directions in slow and conscious movements, just like anyone would need, before a busy week ahead. Abbie’s cues were warmly chosen to carefully guide you through the class, even if you happen to be half asleep still (it’s Monday morning, after all!). After that session, I definitely didn’t feel sleepy. Abbie ends the class with energetic movements leaving you on a high to start your week ahead fully motivated and feeling positive.

Yoga teacher Abbie Biscoe teaching livestream yoga

#2 Tuesday: My Vinyasa Class

Since no other class would suit my busy schedule on a Tuesday, I was delighted to share my own Vinyasa class to my lovely bunch of German yogis, who have been flowing with me ever since I started teaching on Zoom last year. I love leading them through a dynamic practice, including meditation, sun salutations in different variations (I love playing with variations here!), and a slightly demanding but still accessible Vinyasa flow. I always love to remind my students that everything I cue in class is totally up to them and that they are free to choose whether they flow or prefer to take another variation/asana based on what their body feels it needs in that moment.

#3 Wednesday: Negeen’s Vinyasa Flow

Negeen’s Vinyasa Flow on a Wednesday night was truly a meditative and mindful movement experience. I loved how gradual and conscious her guidance is through the class, being aware of every single student, coming to the front of the screen monitoring us, and encouraging us to dive deep into the postures. Without any distractions, I felt very aware of my own body, thanks to Negeen holding the space during the class and letting her totally “Zen” and nurturing mindset shine on me.

Yoga teacher Negeen Aram doing yoga from home

#4 Thursday: Angela’s Relaxing Yin Class

Angela’s Thursday night Yin Yoga class was a lovely way to relax during a stressful week. With her calming voice (which I’ve loved ever since I met her on Yoga Teacher Training in Goa, India during which I remember our final flow and how lovely it was to be part of her group) she sets the right tone for a relaxing class, drawing the senses inward and encouraging you to really listen to yourself. I love how she composes the sequence and always counter stretches in a yang way to balance out the practice.

Yoga teacher Angela Keen portrait smiling

#5 Friday: Marisse’s Power Flow

How lovely it was to wiggle it all out on a Friday night, right before supper with Marisse’s Power Flow! And as the name suggests, it was super powerful! With a strong sequence and a delightful way to keep us motivated and continuing to the end, Marisse let us sweat out every drop of water we had in our bodies. But it was all optional and very inclusive for all, including adjustments and variations, suited to integrate no matter your level of practice. So if you are aiming at getting sweaty, hot, and red-headed (like me!) before indulging in your Friday night comfort food, you need to give Marisse’s Power Flow a try! 🙂

#6 Saturday: Aimee’s Rise & Shine

So you think weekends are for relaxation? You are absolutely right! And the best way to start it with peace and tranquility is with Aimee’s Rise and Shine flow. Aimee guides you through a lovely and slow flow which she builds upon pose by pose to move your body in all possible directions, creating the space for you to intuitively flow wherever your body takes you. You are free to switch off your mind and follow Aimee’s dulcet voice and tranquil tone (Aimee is a singer and yoga teacher and you are in for a real treat with her verbal cuing) through to a grounding and calming Savasana and relaxation to set the right mood for your whole weekend ahead.

#7 Sunday: Marta’s Kundalini for Ultimate Detox

Marta’s Kundalini class was my first Kundalini class ever! And I was very keen on exploring something I had never tried before, and Kundalini, for sure, was so different from all other styles of yoga and so great to experience it in an accessible way through Yoga Mapp. Marta is very down to earth; she is aware of her students, explain all the details to any newbies (like me!), including what to expect and how to practice, always monitoring us and giving suggestions to the whole class instead of only one or two students. We tried a lot of techniques to awaken our Kundalini within the root chakra and wow, those were pretty tough! I never thought I would need to give up in the middle of the first technique, but my arms just couldn’t hold it anymore and that was the moment I realised: you need to come with an open mind, without any expectations of how you would look or feel during practice or how long you can hold a posture and so on. Leave all that behind, come with an open mind to see where this practice takes you (you might just be surprised!).

Yoga teacher Marta Antero with Namaste mudra

Ultimately what I found most inspiring about each and every teacher is the intimate space they were holding. Everything was so personal that it truly felt like a “studio around the corner in your neighborhood”. Chatting with yogis and practicing together has become very challenging during these unprecedented times, but these teachers and Yoga Mapp have created a wonderful space, where we can all come together and do what we love the most: practice!”

Everything was so personal that it truly felt like a 'studio' around the corner in your neighbourhood.
- Anja Villaverde


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