Let’s skip over the part where I talk about the indulgences of the holiday season and cliches about fresh starts: 2013 is almost here and a lot of us are looking for a meaningful way to start the new year. Enter: the Digital 40 Days program by Baron Baptiste. Move over, resolutions. It’s time for a revolution!

what is it?

Digital 40 Days goes from Jan. 7 - Feb. 15, 2013, and is a companion program to Baron’s book, 40 Days to Personal Revolution. Basically, you get your yoga on in whichever way works for you: your favourite studio, home practice, these yoga videos, or the podcasts that come with the program. Digital 40 Days provides:

- the structure
- the community
- the support
- resources including podcasts, emails, and meditations.

It doesn’t cost anything to join the program but there is an option to upgrade for a few extra advantages.

the good, the bad, the ugly?

Doing anything for 40 days is guaranteed to create a change, shift, or insight in some capacity, so we’ve got weekly contributors from across lululemon to recap their experience each Tuesday (starting Jan. 15) and tell it like it is.

Finally, here are a few questions we asked Baron Baptiste about the program:

why 40 days?

Forty days is the time it takes to build an entirely new set of habits and practices to train and rewire your mind and body. This program is built from a foundation of commitment and is designed to create, piece by piece, new practices and commitments that propel you into lasting transformation of your body and your life.

what are potential outcomes of participating in this challenge?

The outcomes of this program are very specific to each individual. It will strengthen, open and cleanse your body, clear your mind and change your relationship to food in a way that creates whole-life health instead of quick fixes. You'll learn how to get out of the trap of trying to find the time for the things that matter most to you, and start making the time and being the change.

what happens if I fall off the wagon?

I often tell my students that it doesn't matter how many times you fall, it's about calmly and kindly getting back up each and every time that makes all the difference. Part of this program is that (much like your day-to-day life) it will present you with many opportunities to jump ship... "I had a stressful day today and don't want to meditate for 5 minutes" or "I don't have the time today for yoga practice or to make myself something for dinner." The good news is this is where the personal revolution occurs: you'll be on the lookout for these kinds of disempowering thoughts and attitudes and experience the power of choosing your next action.
If you 'fall off the wagon', simply get back on.

ready to join?

1. Sign up here.
2. Stay connected with the Digital 40 Days community on Twitter and Instagram using #digital40days.
3. Check back here for weekly recaps starting Jan. 15.

Whatever you're doing, whoever you are, and wherever you are in the world, the last meditation in our series with Baron Baptiste was made for you. When's the last time you dropped everything to remind yourself that you can do anything?

Do it now. Take two minutes to listen to this Meditation for Possibility.

If you'd like to explore more guided meditations with Baron Baptiste, head on over here.

Email apnea: Holding one’s breath unconsciously while reading an email. (source)

I first learned this term at last year's San Francisco Yoga Journal Conference during a talk called Digital Distractions and Your Practice. The fact is, many of us hold or shorten our breath when opening our inbox, while responding to emails, or while working on something else and getting a notification that we have new mail. Our inboxes can control not only how productive we are but how we breathe. How weird is that?

listen to this

The third meditation in our 4-part series with Baron Baptiste is Meditation for Email Overload, and was created with your inbox in mind. Take two minutes and listen to this whenever you feel like your inbox is owning you instead of the other way around.

If you missed the first two meditations, you can check them out here:

Meditation for Your Inner Athlete >>
Meditation for Your Yoga Rut >>

what's a yoga rut?

It's happened to me and it's likely happened to you before, too: the yoga rut.

What is a yoga rut, you ask? It looks like this: your friend asks you to a class and you have to think twice. Your favourite yoga pose is boring you. You're frustrated that after x amount of time you still can't hit that super advanced pose. You're scared to admit it, but yoga is boring you.

We all get stuck from time to time, but don't worry. There is a way out.

listen to this

This meditation is part two of our four-part audio series with Baron Baptiste. You can listen to this meditation at your computer or save it and take it with you for inspiration on the go. If you're in any kind of rut, this meditation was made for you. Plug in and get unstuck!

If you missed last week's Meditation for Your Inner Athlete, go here.

It was the night before running the SeaWheeze in August and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to sleep. I'd trained all I could train, I'd been staying hydrated on the advice of Trainer Rob, and I had my lucky outfit ready to go, but it was my first half marathon and I was nervous. To calm down I focused on how amazing my post-race brunch was going to be, but listening to one of my favourite yoga instructors, Baron Baptiste, tell me that I'm a badass athlete (in slightly different words) would have been just what I needed to hear.

listen to this

Meditation for Your Inner Athlete is the first in a series of four audio files created by Baron for anyone who need a quick reset.

You can listen to it:

- at your desk (nobody has to know what you're doing)
- between reps at the gym
- before your race (or even during if your race is ear-bud friendly)
- before you get out of bed
- whenever you feel like you've lost the connection between your body, your breath, and your thoughts

You can save the meditation (control right-click on most computers) or email it to yourself so that wherever you are in the world and regardless of what you're doing, these two minutes of mindfulness will be with you to remind you of how awesome you are right now.

Psst - in Chicago? Join us for a pre-marathon visualization for runners today (Oct. 4) at 6!