My Yoga Experience- Katelyn Smyth

If I had to sum up our in-class Ashtanga practice in one word, I would say challenging. The fact that it was challenging made it an enjoyable class, because I like exercise that challenges me and forces me to work hard. The most difficult aspect of the class was getting into some of the poses because they required so much flexibility, and I am only moderately flexible. The class stretched my entire body, especially my legs, which made me feel good afterwards. One aspect of the class that made a community atmosphere was how the entire class was arranged in a circle, with all of us facing towards each other. This brought a sense of togetherness to the class because everyone was facing each other instead of being in rows towards the front of the room. Another aspect of the class that made it feel like a community was how the class would look at each other for help for some of the moves. Because of this, we weren't doing yoga individually, but rather looking to our neighbors to see how

This week, my yoga practice was Yin yoga with Stevie at the lodge. The class was very similar to classes I have taken before, with many of the same Yin postures, such as dragon pose and bridge pose. Since this class began at the beginning of the semester, a type of unspoken community has formed. Many of the same people attend this yoga class every week, with only 1 or 2 different people attending each week. Additionally, the group of people who do regularly attend this class is small; only about 10-15 people. The small size of the group makes it easier to form a community than a larger group of people. This class may feel like more of a community to me than to others who attend the class, because I already know several of the people who go to this class. I often go with a few friends, and I always see classmates there, which makes me feel more at home than others may feel, if they do not already know people. Another aspect of the class that fosters a community is that many of the peopl

This week, I attended a different yoga class than usual. I attended class at the trlc with a different teacher named Jason. I immediately noticed that the class size was significantly smaller than the class I usually take. I was one of about five people at the class. The small size allowed Jason to tailor the class to what each of us wanted, which made the practice more enjoyable. The class focused greatly on arm and shoulder strength through poses like downward dog and holding planks and side planks. I am realizing that I tend to favor strengthening poses over poses that don't require any body strength, so I enjoyed this class and its focus on strengthening. The atmosphere wasn’t also different than what I am used to because the trlc is quiet, and the teacher played soft music in the background, making the space much more calming than the lodge with its noisy kitchen.

Our in-class Iyengar yoga was different than any yoga I have done before. One thing that I noticed about the practice was that the postures were held for several minutes, making this class difficult for me. I had to come out of some of the postures a few times because they were being held for so long. Another aspect of the class that was new to me was how the teacher had everyone watch her as she demonstrated a pose, and then the class did the pose afterwards. In other yoga classes that I have been to, the teacher typically describes and demonstrates the pose at the same time as the class does the pose, so this was a new experience for me. There were several aspects of the practice that I enjoyed. For example, many of the postures stretched the back and legs, which I liked, especially because I was sore on the day we practiced. One of the postures I liked best was downward dog because it stretched my calves and felt nice on sore legs. Overall, I enjoyed the Iyengar class, but I did fin

This Thursday, I practiced Bikram yoga for the first time. After reviewing the 26 postures of Bikram yoga, I was apprehensive about the class because many of the postures seemed to require great balance, flexibility and strength. However, the class turned out to be easier than I had anticipated, although it was still quite challenging. I ended up enjoying the class much more than I thought I would. The combination of stretching and strengthening moves made the class very comprehensive, in my opinion. Furthermore, I was able to see the practicality in many of the postures. For example, the tree pose is obviously effective for improving balance, while awkward pose strengthened the legs, specifically the quads. Being able to clearly understand how each pose was affecting my body made me favor Bikram yoga over my weekly yoga class. After taking this class, I am curious to see how other types of yoga, like Iyengar and Ashtanga, will differ from Bikram.

This Tuesday I attended the same yoga class I have for the past two weeks. This week, class was more focused on breathing than holding postures. Unlike previous classes where the emphasis was on ujjayi breathing, this class was focused on alternate nostril breathing. This was something I had never done before, and it seemed very odd to me. I was unsure of why we were practicing it. Does it have benefits? Is it better than regular breathing? These are questions that ran through my mind while at class. While doing this practice, Stevie mentioned that alternate nostril breathing can be very effective for a stuffy nose and for calming anxiety, making it a useful tool to use in those situations, not just when doing yoga. In addition to alternate nostril breathing, we also learned the Tibetan five rights, a sequence of five moves, each done a certain number of times. Stevie told the class that this sequence moves every joint in your body, and that even though it wasn't too strenuous, we