Final post

After months of trying various yoga classes I can say that I genuinely missed practicing yoga. Yoga gives me an outlet to destress. The physical practice of yoga makes me feel good about myself because I like working out, and being physical but because of school its often the first thing I stop doing. Yoga is accompanied by philosophy and beliefs that emphasizes the individual and the importance of health, wellness, and a sound mind. I firmly believe that exercise and physical activity are necessary for those who want to be happy or in a better mental space. Though this philosophy is important to yoga many instructors in my experience treat it as just a work out and do not talk about philosophical elements. While I do not want an instructor who preaches throughout class I do think it is important to remind people to relax, and enjoy themselves, and the moment. Life is crazy and many of us are on the go so these simple reminders can go a long way. I only had one instructor that emphasized the importance of relaxation. Overall I do not feel like a different person, I have always been able to see things from multiple perspectives and understanding. Meditation however does deliver those new ideas and understandings if I'm focused on a particular subject. While doing yoga I did not experience any spectacular healings but one session in particular corrected a kink in my back and ended a week of back pain.

meditation 4/18

This time around I decided to find a guided meditation track on youtube. I have never done a guided meditation before so I was curious to see if I was able to visit beautiful scenes simply by having someone describe it. I'm very unimaginative so this meditation did not work for me. I listened in detail as the individual described a beach scene hoping to find myself on the beach. Most of the time I tried to visualize myself on the beach with no avail. Having someone talking throughout the meditation session distracted me and kept me very aware of time which prevented me from reaching a sound mind. Usually it is easy for me to get in a meditative state but not doing this particular method. The only upside to this method is that I did not get sleepy like normal meditation does. After the session I felt no difference in my mood and ultimately felt like I sat still for a half hour for nothing.

meditation 4/10

I attempted to do an hour meditation. To set the atmosphere I put on relaxing piano music. Meditation in silence is uncomfortable for me if I am trying to do a longer session. Music keeps my mind active without producing too many side tracking thoughts. It takes me about 10 minutes before I can become relaxed. I did the meditation at home and I did not want to get side tracked by any commotion outside of my practice. Meditation is one of my strategies for coping with stress. It is easy to get caught up with the demands and needs of daily living and it is nice to have a moment to practice peace. More importantly it is nice to take time for myself which is something I feel I dont do too often.
I noticed that after quite some time my attachment to my physical body is removed and there is periods where I do not feel any sensations, but I am extremely aware of my surroundings. After awhile I stop counting my breath, and find myself telling myself to breathe because I feel as if it has been awhile since my last breath. Its very weird and do not know how I feel about that. I know breathing is done automatically, but there are periods where I was convinced I havent been breathing. Changing my breathing pattern is essential for the relaxing qualities to meditating.

Yin Yoga 4/6

I went to a drop in class with a random instructor. This particular class was a yin yoga class. The philosophy of this class is that a yin practice balances out the hectic chaotic activities of daily living. Yin is associated with surrender, peace, femininity, and relaxation. The poses are held for a lot longer than a typical yoga class. This allows for stretches to become deeper which is supposed to lengthen and strengthen the muscles used. The longer a pose is held the more muscles become engage, mostly secondary muscles and tissues not regularly used.  This particular style is said to be almost meditative due to the deep long stretches. The deep stretches are said to move prana (life source) and awaken it. As far as the poses goes most of them were floor (mostly seated) poses which makes sense because upright poses are more engaging and require more power. There were downward dogs from time to time, but not too often. I think this was incorporated to have brief periods that were more engaging to balance out the periods of stagnation. The instructor talked softly and had atmospheric music playing in the background. I particularly enjoyed this practice because I did not feel like I was going to die at any point. It was really relaxing which is exactly what I need right now.

Meditation 4/5/18

The in class meditation on Thursday was a nice experience. I liked how the instructor had a brief lecture prior on the benefits and effects of meditating. It was cool to see that there has been clinical evidence for those claims as well. My only complaint is that it went on a little too long for the amount of time left. I felt that the meditation started late so some who were not as experience may have struggled. I started my meditation 5 minutes prior to everyone else to have a chance to reach some point of “zen.” Throughout the meditation the instructor would talk about sensations of the body, and stream of thoughts, and mindful breathing. It was easy for me to acknowledge the sensations through out my body. The cool thing about the session is that I was able to reach a sound mind quickly. My technique is to count my breathes and slow my breathing. Eventually instead of seeing nothing I able to visualize shapes and patterns, they are not prominent but i could compare them to seeing light spots after staring into a light. This technique allows me to focus on something simple and avoid a wandering mind. Although the session was brief I was able to have a moment of relief and felt less stressed afterwards. I will do a meditation session more frequently because it helps with my own self care, especially at this point of the semester where stress present.

Yang/yin yoga

I decided to go back to Bethany for another yang/yin yoga class, and just like before the first half hour was hell. I went back just because I wanted to see if I could keep up with the flow this time around. Most of the poses in this class were apart of the seated sequence in Ashtanga Yoga with some added extras. I think I struggle with yang yoga because the seated postures rely on core strength, which is where i lack strength. The purpose of the pace and seated postures ultimately creates the intensity, heat, and activity that American postural yoga seeks. This style seems to be heavily influenced by fitness culture. The second half hour is yin yoga where poses are held for 3-5 minutes at a time. The holding of the poses aims to further the stretch of certain muscles in the various poses. The extra slow pacing of this is supposed to be relaxing for recovery from the intense activity of the yang portion. This embodies the priciples of yoga philosophy which are healthy body, and relaxation. I can make this claim because the music played changes to set the atmosphere. During yang yoga the music is fast, and electronic, whereas yin yoga is slower music, and more natural. Another thing about this class is we use boxes and straps from time to time to further a stretch or focus on form and the alignment of the body during poses.

Vinyasa Flow 3/22/18

i found out Tracey is no longer teaching yoga at the gym I was going to for classes. This week I did a vinyasa class on my own. I found a YouTube video similar to the routine we did in her class. I’ve been doing sun saluatstions and various other poses regularly so for the strengthening and endurance purpose I chose a familiar flow. I played my own music that was very slow and relaxed, and my flow aligned with that. I wanted something that would feel like I did some work without exerting myself like I have in some other classes. The poses usually done in vinyasa flow classes are beneficial for me. I have a tight back, and thighs so a lot of the poses help with my own mobility and functioning. I sit a lot due to school, and my internship so usually when it’s time for yoga there’s kinks in my body somewhere. Yoga is a form of self care for me so having slow spacey music really helps destress from the week. I liked practicing on my own because then I can make my experience what I need. However I am looking into other local classes for the following week.

3/8/18 Sivananda yoga

This week I did my first Sivananda yoga practice. I liked the Sivananda yoga practice because it was vigorous for brief periods of time followed by a period of rest. Sivananda yoga has 5 important philosophies which are proper exercise, proper diet, proper rest, proper breathing, and proper mindset. Proper rest, breath, and exercise are embodied in the physical practice. The flow started with  a cycle of sun salutations on each side. The poses were held briefly, so it was a fast flow that was in sync with breathing. After 10 cycles of poses we had a period of rest. The rest was very much needed to calm my breathing. I noticed the flow got faster toward the ends of the cycles once my breathing got faster. I’m not sure if that is intentional with the practice but I liked that. To me this practice seemed like the yang/yin practice I did last week, just not as intense. Another aspect i like about Sivananda is that there are other values that exist outside of practicing postures. An interesting fact I learned is that this particular practice is routined as in the poses are exactly the same and done in the same order.

Yang/Yin Yoga 3/1/18

This week I decided that I would go to different yoga class than the one I have been going to. I called a local yoga studio to see what classes were being held Thursday night. I found out there was yang/yin yoga class being taught at 7. I asked how the class would be for someone who hasn't been practicing for too long after a long hiatus. The person on the phone told that I should do fairly well and that the class will be a combination of a flow class, as well as some holding poses. I have taken flow classes plenty of times, and I did like the holding of the poses from ashtanga, and bikram so I thought this would be a great class. The name yang/yin comes from the first portion being dynamic, and fast paced, while the second half (yin) is more relaxed and we hold a pose for awhile for the most intense stretch possible. The class was taught by a younger woman named Bethany, she may have been the youngest instructor I have gone to so far.
The poses were mostly surya namaskar A & B, and standing sequence poses from the Ashtanga practice. There were poses added in the sun salutation sequences that I have not done before. For example after our high plank, we would draw the knee into chest and hold for a few breaths before planting the foot to go into warrior. While in warrior we would go to cactus pose (exhale), and then with the inhale deepen the stretch of the leading foot lean with heart forward and scoop our arms down before raising. This definitely made a difference in keeping balance and maintaining my breathing. After 20 minutes of this dynamic flow I had to slow down, and go at my own pace. It was impossible for me to maintain my breathing which cause my whole flow to be off, and I could feel the misalignment of my body when doing the poses. During the yang session the room is heated to an obviously warm temperature. During the yin half we did some forward floor stretches and held them for a long time, and then held pigeon pose for a really long time.

Atmosphere:
Ambient, atmospheric music played the entire time, during the yang flow the music had a faster tempo. There were giant heads of the Buddha on the various walls, there were mandalas painted and repeated on the walls of the practice space. The room was dark, except a string of low watt warm lights. The waiting room, and yogashala both had aromatic diffusers so the entire place smelled like lavender or something like that. The instructor only did a few of the poses, and mostly walked around and adjusted students.
Bethany incorporated a lot of new age philosophy in her yoga talk. She mentioned concepts of letting go of stress, accepting yourself, coping with failure, and perseverance. I have not had that aspect in many of the classes I have taken lately. It was nice to hear those things because I am overly critical of myself and I was getting frustrated with how I started to struggle with the flow. I felt defeated for a brief moment after having to change my flow. After class Bethany talked to me and asked how I was and what I thought of her class and I literally told her she's a mad woman and that the class was the hardest yoga class I've ever been in. The yoga studio has a bunch of different yoga classes and I have a free class credited to me so I am torn between going back to Bethany, or trying something new.

Ashtanga Practice 2/22/18

This week I had the pleasure of doing my first Ashtanga yoga practice. To my surprise I have done a lot of the Ashtanga poses in my vinyasa flow class however the poses felt different comepared to my flow class. For starters the sun salutation poses which I have done week after week were one of the elements that felt different in this practice. In vinyasa flow we do not hold the poses as long as we did in the ashtanaga session. This particular sequence is a great work out typically, but in the ashtanga practice it seemed like the poses required a little more effort. The poses in the sun salutations are meant to stretch all the muscles in the body, while strengthening them. In vinyasa I feel like we treat the poses as stretches and not a strengthening technique. I know ashtanaga took a little more effort because my entire body is sore! After the practice I felt strong which is definitely something I haven’t felt from a yoga class in a long time. I am a sucker for meditation so I liked how the class ended in a relaxation period. What I did not like about the ashtanga session were all the poses in the seated and finishing sequences that I couldn’t do. The instructor showed some variations for the poses but not all of them so I felt like I didn’t do too much towards the end of class. I know with time and practice I will eventually be able to do them, but I really liked the momentum and sweat I was working up.

practice 2/15/18

-Unfortunately I had to miss the Iyengar session in class Tuesday because I was sick.-

This week I went to Tracey for the typical Vinyasa Flow. There is not too much I can say about her class at this point without repeating myself from previous weeks. This week while doing our flow I decided to make note of every pose we did in this week's flow.

First we start in a seated position right leg in front of left and focus on breathing, while raising our arms with the inhale and lowering them as we exhale. Doing this helps with the synchronicity of breath and motion. Next pose we stand, breathe for a count, swan dive into standing forward bend, breathe. With the inhale we straighten our back to the mid point, exhale back into standing forward bend (uttanasana), soft knees, inhale straighten the back. Exhale. Repeat. Start incorporating a sway to further stretch muscles out. Next we do a plank, and into Chaturanga Dandasana, into Cobra pose. As we come up from Cobra pose we go into  downward dog ( adho mukha svanasana) to three legged dog (right leg.) Next we transition back to plank, chaturanga dandasana, into corbra, go into downward dog, and three legged with the left leg. Guess whats next? If you guessed plank, chaturanga dandasana, cobra, you're absolutely right! This time we go to chair pose then through all the warrior poses in sequence, Warrior 1, into Warrior 2, Reverse Warrior, into Warrior 3. Coming out of warrior 3 we go into downward dog,  plank, chaturanga dandasana, into corbra, bring left foot into the front of the mat and repeat the previous sequence.

I am looking at other yoga studios in my area for a new experience, and I am hoping to go to a different instructor for next week's practice.

Bikram Yoga 2/8/18

This week I did Bikram yoga for the first time. I actually liked this class the most out of all the classes I've taken. The poses we did were a part of the 26 Hatha Yoga poses. I do not think we did them all, but we did most I would say. Typically Bikram yoga is done in a hot room, and the class I did was not, but I am curious as to how much of a difference the heat makes. What I liked most about this practice were the poses themselves. I feel as if it was a good total body work. I have muscles that are sore that I did not except to be sore because I didn't think I worked them that hard, or at all. I liked having to hold the poses for as long as we did. Some of the claims the instructor made followed typical yoga instructor claims. One of those claims were that the more one sweats, the more toxins that are expelled from the body. Its ironic because we were talking about how that is false in the class earlier this week. The instructor himself had a healing story as a result of practicing yoga. I had a weird kink in my back for the last week from the last yoga class, but the bikram class seems to have corrected that so I do like that. Chris(?) seemed to like yoga and teach it as strictly a physical practice which is another aspect that I liked. I do not recall too many anatomical calls, but he was able to describe how various parts of the body should be aligned/moved.

Vinyasa Practice 2/1/18

This week I decided to go back to Tracey's Vinyasa flow class. Last week she had an injury and so the class was less intense. This week's flow was definitely more intense. We did a lot of the same poses as last week, but there were more hip openers, and core poses. Not only were there a few more poses, but the flow was moderately paced. I am definitely feeling last nights practice today.
I decided to go to Tracey's class because her practice's focus is physical. The poses she prefers engages multiple muscles in various locations of the body. She's descriptive when it comes to which muscles should be engaged, and feeling "it." As a full time student with an internship, and job I spend a lot of time stationary, and do not work out as often as I should so I am weaker, and less flexible compared to previous years. I feel as if her class is perfect for becoming reacquainted with yoga. I like Tracey because she shows me modifications for poses that are considered intermediate. 

1/25/18 Vinyasa Practice

On Thursday January 25 I went to Optimal Gym located in Vineland for a drop in Yoga class. The class was taught by a woman named Tracey. Tracey has been a Yoga instructor for over twenty years. She teaches Vinyasa Flow Yoga. Vinyasa Yoga is a flowing style of yoga and focuses on synchronizing breathing while various Asanas. The instructor had an injury and made class easier than usual. I have taken vinyasa yoga classes before, but not with this instructor. 

The classes sequence focused on an array of postures that worked the core. The flow started off seated to focus on alignment, back straight, heart center forward, shoulders relaxed, butt planted and everything aligned. The purpose of this was to make sure we are aligned for our postures, and focus breathing. After a few minutes we started to raise our arms and bring palms together on the inhale, and bring them back down on the exhale. I believe the purpose of this is to synchronize breathing with motion before the real flow starts. 

The instructor showed me easier modifications for some of the poses she was doing to see where I am at as far as flexibility. She emphasized that my practice is MY practice, if something is uncomfortable take a moment and adjust. She also made it important to note that there is no competition in yoga, and even though I may have been experienced before that I should not get frustrated if I could not do something I used to be able to do. 

I was able to do the poses throughout class, but pacing my breathing with my flow was difficult at some points. We did poses such as Warrior 1, 2, Downward Dog, Plank, Chaturanga Dandasana, Upward Dog. There were other poses and movements made that I do not know by name, but the purpose was to engage different muscles, and the core. There were anatomical calls made during the flow. The calls were both distal and proximal.
The instructor talked in a calm voice, and played atmospheric music. The lights were dimmed and was relaxing overall.