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Yoga Journal 1/23/18

My first yoga experience was a free yoga class offered by Stockton at the lodge on Tuesday, January 23rd. Having attended this yoga class a few times before, I knew what to expect when I attended. The instructor of the class was the same women who I had taken classes with before, Stevie. Upon walking into the lodge, I was not surprised that most of the people there were female, with a few males scattered among them. Most people were dressed in athletic clothing and had their hair pulled up away from their faces. Most people had their own yoga mats, but had to borrow yoga blocks from Stevie. People set up their mats in rows and left a foot or two of space between one another. I notived that the atmosphere didn't seem very suitable for a yoga class due to the distracting noises coming from the kitchen in the lodge. While waiting for the class to begin, most people were sitting cross legged on their mats facing Stevie. Because it was the first class offered at Stockton this semester, Stevie began by explaining that we would be doing Yin yoga, and taught us how to do Ujjayi breathing. This breathing technique instantly relaxed me and made me feel that I could easily fall asleep. Focusing on tightening my throat as I breathed also cleared my head, which is constantly swarmed with thoughts. The remainder of the class consisted of a variety of postures on the floor, like the heart bench and cat and cow postures. If I could use one word to describe what I was doing when doing yoga, I would say relaxing. The reason for this is probably because this class consisted solely of postures that were done on the ground and that didn't require great strength or effort, and because Stevie emphasized to focus on Ujjayi breathing. In addition to relaxing, I would say that while doing yoga, I was also stretching. For example, the heart bench felt like it was stretching my back and shoulder muscles. After leaving class, I felt calmer than I had earlier. However, it didn't take long for my mind to be filled with thoughts, plans, and to-do lists once again. Overall, I enjoyed attending this yoga class and the hour and a half of peace and quiet that it gave me.
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