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 people who attend all have one thing in common: they are practicing yoga because they believe it will benefit them in some way. It may be for physical, spiritual, or other benefit. It may be only for themselves or for others, but everyone who attends does so for some kind of benefit, which gives us all something in common. Our teacher, Stevie, also makes the class a community because she talks to us as a group of people, not individually. For example, she will ask the entire class how we are doing, as opposed to asking individual people how they are. Her addressing us as a single unit helps us to identify as a group of people rather than individuals, in this setting. I think this community that has formed is very beneficial to the class because it allows people to feel more comfortable when practicing. This is very important because yoga often requires one to quiet the mind and focus on the breath, which is easier to do in an environment where one feels comfortable and not self-conscious.
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...
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