Skip to main content

Iyengar Yoga Experience

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 find it difficult to hold the postures for so long. It was more challenging than I thought it would be, but I enjoyed experiencing a new type of yoga.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ashtanga Yoga- 2/22/18

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...

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 t...

Yoga Journal 4/26

At my yoga classes, spirituality is a minor component that is expressed mostly by the instruction from the teacher. For example, she will talk about energy in the body, which could be referring to the soul. Additionally, pranayama is always practiced, which could be used to get in-touch with the soul. Besides the use of certain instructions and words from the teacher, spirituality does not appear to be expressed in other ways. Religion or things related to religion are never mentioned during the class. Based on  other classes that I have attended, I think that spirituality is typically a larger aspect of yoga than it is at the class I attend. I think this has to do with my instructor, and how she talks about yoga in a scientific and logical manner rather than in a spiritual way. If the teacher is a religious or spiritual person, that will tend to come through in their class. However, the opposite is also true. Therefore, I think that the extent to which yoga is taught as a spiritua...