Zach's Yoga Blog

         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 po...

         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 ar...

         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 ...

         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 ...

         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 p...

         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 t...

         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 ...