I ❤️ Iyengar

I really enjoyed practicing Iyengar. I was really excited to see that I was coming close to crow pose! I felt that this session was very beneficial because I was helped on some poses I had no idea I had been doing wrong. It is important to not try to over stretch or over bend trying to reach a certain pose. I realized in triangle pose I was not opening my chest up enough. I have done triangle pose many times before so I was surprised that my form wasn't right. That's the benefit of a small class, you can dive deep into your postures and poses. I am very eager to buy a block or two to continue trying to get to crow pose. Maybe one day I'll be able to do an inversion.

Iyengar did not make me exhausted or sweaty since it's used for stretching and keeping your muscles active. I believe it was mentioned that older people like to practice Iyengar to help keep them moving and active.

What makes something a ritual? From class readings, yoga practices are to help create a different sense of using our bodies. I would say a ritual is similar to a routine. It does not have to be sacred or ancient. We perform rituals every day. Our morning rituals includes brushing our hair and brushing our teeth every day. When we study for an exam, aren't we just performing a memorization ritual and a ritual of understanding to aid us on our exam?

In yoga, words we say while practicing and saying "Namaste" at the end while in prayer or bowing is a ritual. A ritual differs from a yoga routine in that it's not robotic or a practice. It is a reoccurring action of importance. When we hear the word "ritual" we tend to think about it in a religious way. However, in yoga, it can be seen as a religious experience because of its rituals. It varies based from people's perspectives. Lighting candles and saying prayers before or after a practice is ritual.

On my blog page, I posted a PDF of an article I read in high school. I found it very interesting. I added a note at the end after you finish reading it. Enjoy !! :)