Skip to main content

Yoga Journal 4/19

Pranayama is consistently the focus of the yoga classes I have been attending. The first instruction is always to take deep breaths, and this instruction is repeated throughout the class. My teacher also shows us how to use different types of breathing, like alternate nostril breathing and ujjayi breathing. Although these breathing techniques are not emphasized at every class, they are the focus of about half of the classes I have attended. Often, these techniques are practiced first without any postures or movements of the body to go along with them, which further emphasizes the importance of breathing in my class. In addition to these techniques, the teacher tells us throughout the class to make sure we are moving with our breaths, and that our focus is remaining on our breath. Based on these instructions, it is very clear that pranayama is a focus of my yoga class, with the physical postures being much less important. Based on other instruction from the teacher, like to keep the mind quiet and free of thoughts, I assume that the purpose of this emphasis on breath control is to keep the mind focused and to avoid wandering of the mind or outside thoughts. The breathing techniques practiced are also very calming, so this may be another reason that the teacher uses them.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more

Yoga Journal 3/1

This week, I attended a class at Stockton's TRLC for the second time this semester, and with the same teacher, Jason. I have always noticed how at most of the classes I have attended, the teacher always mentions some of the ways that yoga can alleviate pain and be beneficial for the body. For example, this week Jason told the class that the postures we were doing, such as coming in and out of a plank position, were building core strength. He also said that some stretches would alleviate back pain. However, Jason only talks about benefits that have to do with relieving aches and pains, and not how yoga can be beneficial for illness. Other teachers I have had talk more about mental health. At my yoga class with Stevie that I have attended several times before, she always mentions how practicing slow, deep breathing can be used to calm anxiety. She also talks about how some postures, like spinal twists, are massaging the connective tissue of the body. These messages that my teachers o...
Post a Comment
Read more