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Final Blog Post

            Taking the Yoga: East Meets West course was a fun and life-long experience that I will carry with me forever. I learned what the actual meaning of yoga is and how beneficial it is to take part in. I am glad that I learned what I did about yoga and I am thankful that I physically participated in a yoga class via Zoom each week. I feel that taking this course and participating in a yoga class each week made me better mentally and physically. Taking this yoga class and journaling about my experience made it more serious to me than I thought it would have been when I first signed up for this course. I am glad that I journaled about my experience because it allows me to look back on my experience with starting yoga and introducing yoga into my daily life. When I took my first yoga class, my first journal entry was about how the environment was of the yoga instructor’s yoga studio and how the yoga instructor carried out the class. When I wrote my first journal, I spoke about ho
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Journal 11

         This week I participated in my yoga class via Zoom. I am no longer sick so I was happy to be able to practice the movements again. When I wasn't able to participate in my yoga classes I felt that I was more stressed and my mind was cluttered within the weeks I couldn't do anything. Even though this class is over I think I am going to continue to do yoga. I feel that practicing yoga at least once a week I am a happier and less stressed person.          Yoga is taught as a spiritual practice depending on where the yoga is being taught. I feel that depending on the teacher of the yoga class makes yoga a spiritual practice or not. Yoga in India is definitely taught as a spiritual practice. Here in the United States yoga is taught as more of a physical practice. Yoga is taught in my practices as a spiritual practice.          Spirituality is defined in my practice as uniting the the body, mind and soul and allowing the divine power fill oneself. Spirituality is expressed in
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Journal 10

         This week I participated in my yoga class via Zoom. Due to be still being sick however, I was not able to participate so instead I just sat and watched. It stinks being sick and not being able to participate in the virtual class. Each week my yoga class is what helps me relieve stress and clear my mind. I understand that I am not supposed to be taking part in any forms of physical activity but I feel my yoga sessions are more mental relief than physical movements.          The role of the body is to physically carry oneself through the movements in order to mentally and spiritually reach enlightenment. The body is what allows one to perform the yoga movements. The body can be looked at as an outer layer that simply holds the mental and spiritual aspects of someone inside. Without the body enlightenment would not be able to be reached. The body is needed in order to perform the physical movements of yoga.          The body is approached as a vehicle. The body just allows for th
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Journal 9: Yoga as "Meditation"

         This week I participated in a yoga class via Zoom, but due to being sick I did not take part in the movements but instead just watched the class. I was annoyed that I wasn't feeling well enough to participate in the class fully and follow along with the instructor. I enjoy having these weekly yoga sessions because they ease my mind and relax my body. I feel that not being able to take part in the yoga made my head extra foggy this week besides from being sick.           Yoga is definitely used as meditation in my yoga space. Meditation is practiced by when I hold my stretches for long periods of time and I am able to clear my mind. When I perform yoga I feel that I am able to clear my mind and focus solely on my yoga postures. When practicing yoga I am able to leave everything that I was originally thinking about behind. Yoga is the only time I am truly able to meditate.          When I perform a posture I clear my mind of everything I was thinking about before. Meditation
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Journal 8: Definitions of Yoga

         This week I participated in my yoga class via Zoom. As the weeks go by I keep finding my yoga classes becoming more fun and easy to do. I feel that my range of motion and flexibility has increased greatly. My mental clarity has increased as well. I feel less stressed throughout the week as compared to where I was a couple months ago before starting yoga.          In my practice space yoga is defined as a relaxing and stress relieving ritual. It is a ritual that when being done is the only thing that matters and anything that was important before is no longer a thought. The kinds of connections that are made to this definition and my group practice is that they both focus on keeping the mind clear and thinking only of the stretches and postures being done. Both are meant to relax the body and mind thus making oneself better. Both practices make me feel relaxed and stress-free.          There definitely are connections made outside of the context of the practice space. In my eve
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Journal 7: Yoga as a Lifestyle & Culture

         This week I participated in a yoga class via Zoom. The class was focused on Sivananda Yoga. The postures that we practiced seemed to relax my body and it was not too difficult. I enjoyed this yoga session over previous ones I have taken part in. This class moved at a casual pace and was not too fast. The postures were easier for me to do rather than some past sessions where the postures were difficult for my body to hold.           What I have observed about yoga that firmly establishes it as "pop culture" is that every one young and old can do it. It is popular among the culture, therefore it establishes it as "pop culture". It is a form of practice that is done all around the world from country to country. The history behind yoga and how it was brought from India to the United States and how quickly it became a part of the culture here is proof of how yoga is "pop culture". I've also observed that it has become a part of every day life and h
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Journal 6: Yoga as Healing (medicine)

         This week I participated in a yoga class via Zoom. I feel that the more yoga classes I take part in the more I am enjoying yoga. Each class seems less difficult and more relaxing as time goes on. I am able to do more stretches and positions that I was not previously able to do. I find myself looking forward to my yoga classes now.          Yoga is seen as a healing practice at my practice space because it clears my mind and physically stretches and relaxes my body. Going to the gym every day and lifting weights tightens and stiffens my muscles and yoga is my therapy afterwards. I feel that yoga is better than medicine because it relieves my body of any aches and pains that I used to take pain killers for. This idea that yoga is medicine is part of most of my classes that I have participated in. Most of the yoga instructors speak on how yoga is better if not just as good as medicine.           After doing yoga I feel that my body is stretched out and relaxed. I feel that my min
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