Zach's Yoga Blog

         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

         This past week I participated in a yoga session via Zoom. The yoga types I learned this week were Ashtanga and Iyengar yoga. Ashtanga yoga is focused on purification of the body and mind. Ashtanga yoga focuses on quick powerful movements that force you to focus and grow as a yoga participant. Iyengar yoga is focused on structural alignment of the body and it emphasizes on precision and detail. Both forms of yoga are enjoyable to me, however, I feel that I prefer Iyengar yoga more than Ashtanga yoga because I feel that I get a better, deeper stretch with the Iyengar yoga.          My practice space does promote a sense of community. This community of yoga participants feels good and welcoming. The yoga community itself is a very understanding community that I feel accepts all new people. The purpose of the yoga community to feel this way is so that anyone, new to yoga or not, can join in and participate and gain the benefits of practicing yoga. The purpose of how the yoga commu

         Last week I participated in another online yoga class via Zoom. The instructor was very soft spoken and descriptive with her instructions. She spoke a lot about connecting the mind and body and feeling the connection between your brain and muscles. She also included how sometimes doing yoga can affect one's emotions and bring out feelings and emotions that are trapped within ourselves. Overall, this past week's class was an interesting one that I enjoyed.          Based on the article by Nevrin, my practice might be analyzed as a "ritual" by the use of a certain lighting I use every time and props and mat I use each time I perform yoga. Yoga instructors will have music or sound effects in the background when they do their classes or they'll burn incents or something along the lines of that. The practice of yoga could be analyzed as a "ritual" because usually each time one performs yoga they use the props they have each time or they use the same

         This week I experienced my yoga session via Zoom. This yoga session felt more strenuous than the last two the past two weeks. The yoga sessions that I attended the two weeks prior to this week were more relaxing and focused on breathing and ridding the body and mind of stress, where this weeks yoga session felt like it was mainly focused on the physical aspect of yoga and deep stretching. I felt that the stretches done during this yoga session were more fast paced and rushed compared to my past two yoga sessions. Also, the movements and stretches that I did this week felt a little more difficult as compared to the last two weeks.          Yoga is definitely framed as more than just exercise. Many people who participate in the practice of yoga feel that it cleanses the body and mind of impurities and rejuvenates the soul. Yoga is known for being just as healthy mentally and spiritually as it is physically. The ways in which it is suggested at my practice space that yoga can &qu