Shat karmas & Vajroli yoga

We learned about shatkarmas in class this week and I thought it seemed pretty gross to be honest. It blew my mind how there is a specific technique to swallowing rags to cleanse the inner body. I've known people who use neti pots before, but I've never tried one because just the thought of draining my nose like that freaks me out. haha. It was just something I don't think I ever would have learned about if I had not taken this class and it was really interesting to hear. We also learned a little bit about tantric exercises and read parts of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. It was kind of funny to me reading about vajroli yoga because it seemed so outdated. Vajroli yoga was definitely something I don't think most people want to practice... it was pretty intense.

Mudras & chakras

This past week in class we learned about all different body and hand mudras. I thought it was really cool that by practicing different mudras, you are supposed to feel different energies, and is supposed to raise your well being. Before learning about the mudras I've only seen, namaste mudra, and the om mudra before and it was really interesting to see a whole bunch of other ones, I want to remember what they all mean! In class we did the yoni mudra which I thought was really awkward because you had to cover your eyes, nose, ears, and mouth while buzzing like a bee. We also learned about chakras a little bit this week. This was super interesting to me because I always wondered if they were real or not. I have a little bit of experience with chakras because I went through a phase when I was really into psychics and one time a psychic told me my chakras were imbalanced. After taking this class I wonder now if she was telling the truth or not, and what I could do to balance it! I'm definitely going to read more about these things once this semester ends. :)

Missing my mat

With this semester wrapping up I'm sad to say I haven't been able to practice yoga half as much as I want to. I was really getting in the groove of things and was used to waking up early and going to practice almost everyday before and after school, and now I hardly even have time to leave the library. :( I really can tell the effects not doing yoga is having on my body and I don't like it at all. I feel like I've been super groggy in the morning and really achey at night. This week is the last week of school and I can't wait to get back to my practice! It's crazy how beneficial yoga is for the mind and body. Whenever I call my mom she can tell now that I haven't been going as often just because of how anxious I've been. After this class I realized that I don't think I'll ever stop practicing again. I hope that everyone can find something they enjoy that makes them feel how this practice has made me feel. It really is just amazing how less than 2 hours a day can change your entire body and mindset for a lifetime.

MEDITATION

Since we've started practicing yoga I have only been to one meditation class outside of school. The class that we had in school was cool because Marcello really seemed like he knew what he was talking about with the philosophy of meditation. I really haven't been too big of a fan of meditating because I find it hard to relax without falling asleep. I always feel so awesome after, but I feel like I always wind up passing out while I meditate. After this class my roommate told me she wanted to try to start meditating because she got this new meditation ap on her phone, and it was fun to try and teach her some of the stuff we learned through it. It was pretty much just calming music playing on the ap as I talked her through what she should be feeling throughout her body. I definitely hope I start getting better at meditating without falling asleep in the future because it seems like a really good practice to have.

Pranayama Practice!

This week in class we learned all about Pranayama. I thought pranayama was really strange but also really interesting and I liked it a lot. The nauli yoga that we saw blew my mind! I couldn't stop talking about it all day. I was only able to do the first part, but once it came to trying to roll my stomach around itself, i was lost. I thought it was really cool how people are able to do those movements with their stomachs all through breath control and practice. I really liked how we did the nostril breathing techniques too because it reminded me of the classes I take every week with Betsy, and I find it really calming. This type of yoga practice was so interesting because it really teaches you all the types of techniques people use to cleanse their bodies, and stay healthy in ways I would've never imagined.

Yoga culture

After thinking about all of the assignments from this semester, and all of the movies we watched, and practices we experienced, I realized yoga really is its own specific lifestyle and culture. I was thinking about how different yoga is here in America compared to parts of India. Yoga here in America is mostly used for fitness, and to be surrounded by the yoga community that everyone thinks of as friendly, and motivational, and I love the yoga culture in America. However, the culture in India is completely different. People in India use yoga as a way for spiritual guidance, and to heal the mind and body. Part of the culture that we learned about in "Naked in Ashes" involved people performing weird austerities, and covering their bodies in ash to symbolize already being dead. Even in the different practices we had in class, you can see that some of the ideas contrast each other, making it pretty obvious that the cultures surrounding that practice are different than other ones. It was just really interesting to learn and see how one practice, YOGA, can be interpreted in so many different ways.

YOGA HEALS

Yoga has a huge amount of health benefits, mentally and physically. Aside from the obvious ways yoga can physically improve a person's lifestyle, yoga can be used as an alternative medicine for health problems such as depression. For example, by practicing certain poses, one can reinforce certain feelings, and eliminate others. Just from taking yoga classes regularly  I can already feel a difference in my mood and anxiety. I also liked learning about Ayerveda in class and found it really interesting how everybody has a different way of using diet and exercise to heal themselves.I also thought it was interesting that different parts of the world have all different ideas of yoga. Some yoga practices don't focus on the benefits of the physical body at all and only focus on the mind and spirit. Whereas places like America focus mostly on the physical aspects of it, along with the mind. If you ask me, I think yoga always benefits the mind, body, and spirit, and I plan to continue it throughout my life!