My Yoga Experience

When yoga was first introduced to me in high school. I was the worst kind of yoga practitioner. I was super excited about the different poses I could do and always eager to move quickly ahead. I felt the need to buy essential oils in every sent, buy mood lights and salt lamps, and find me "zen". Oh, and constantly wanted to buy different yoga mats with different designs.....and all I was doing was yoga in gym class.

When I started college, I toned it down... a lot.

This class made me more observant not only in my yoga sessions, but each day. At yoga sessions, I don't just follow instruction, but I pay attention to my surroundings. In other words, use the five senses. I learned about the history of yoga in the east and how there are many different definitions of yoga.

A way to strengthen the mind, body, and spirit

a fun activity

exercise

a way to make money

a religious ritual

a pathway into healing

physical therapy

We also talked about selfless service. As I mentioned in homework assignments in class, when hearing the word "karma", I think of the shoe, "The Good Place". Without spoiling the first season, a girl named Eleanor was rude and let many people down when she was alive on Earth. When she passed, she entered the good place. There, she learned that every good deed you did on Earth added points and every bad deed deducted points. The total points determined if one should enter the good place or the bad place for eternal life. Eleanor knew she did not belong in the good place. She tried to learn ethics and then decided to open doors for people millions of times to earn enough points to stay. After several thousand, Eleanor realized that just because she was opening doors and not expecting a "thank you", she was doing it mechanically and for a reward. It was a selfish deed rather than a good deed.

In class, I did not realize that there were many different forms of yoga. I really enjoyed Bikram. I liked the sequence a lot. However, I was very happy we did not do hot yoga. I don't think I would have done well during it. I also loved Iyengar. It felt peaceful and meditative. I found it very interesting when we learned that elderly people practice it and it can be used for physical therapy. I think it was also a great way for beginning yoga. It focused more on posture instead of how far one can stretch. I realized I had been doing triangle pose wrong for years! Next, was Ashtanga. And I absolutely loved it. (Hint my Absolutely Love Ashtanga blog). It was rigorous and fun and I felt my body become so much stronger.

How I've grown after taking this class is how I am very observant of my surroundings. I feel more graceful and I don't lose my footing as easily. When I do, I am able to recover and stop myself from tripping. I'm not as out of breath anymore when I get to the third floor of the academic building. Also, I have been more conscious of my eating habits. I've stopped snacking, eating healthier foods rather than processed foods, and drinking more water. I now have a deeper meaning of what yoga means. My biggest takeaway is to never lose focus on my breathing. Slow breathes are how you get through each pose. It is also used for meditation. Also, I need to remember to slow my breaths when dealing with anxiety.