Ashtanga

This week's Ashtanga practice in class lead by Loren was by far the most rigorous yoga practice I have done thus far. I am still sore today two days after, and just completed a short 20 minute solo yoga routine to help stretch my body out. I actually felt sore during the practice about half way through when we were taught how to jump from the plank into sitting while balancing our weight on our hands, which I'll admit I messed up. The highlight of the session for me was when Loren pointed out how I was doing the headstand incorrectly, and when she corrected my form, I was able to do a tripod headstand. Although only held for a short time, it felt rehabituating to do something I went in thinking I would never be able to do. This practice felt like a communal practice, building a sense of community both before during and after the practice. The communal aspect of the practice comes into play when the gossip starts in the beginning about how the session will go, and laughing at yourself when you can't do a pose properly. I really felt the communal aspect at the end when we sat in the dark and discussed the practice. There was a sort of collective consciousness of the group having all enjoyed the same experience, but perceiving it 20+ different ways.

During this weeks Iyengar practice, we did a wholesome yet rigorous session lead by Annie. It was rigorous in the sense that it stretched me in new ways, and I was sore for two days following (even while sitting in class on Thursday!). I enjoyed moving into different postures during this practice, as the blocks and props helped holding positions. The space was a little tight, as many of us were packing into eighty percent of a classroom, with the other twenty percent covering the area of the desks. The Virabhadrasana II pose caught me as being one of the difficult poses, not necessarily for the pose itself, but because of the way you were supposed to flex your hips, and the length of time you are expected to hold the pose out. I later found out from class that our class only held the poses out for about a third of the time you are supposed to hold them. To remark on Yoga as a ritual, I view it as a ritual practice when it is something you perform as a discipline to achieve a specific purpose, one that is internally motivated and can differ based on the person. This differs from something that you do on the side, or for mere recreation. A ritual is to attain an intrinsic spiritual goal, by frequently performing a task.

Week 3

This week I attended an evening class at Yoga Nine on Tuesday. We did a yoga routine with blocks, blankets, and sand bags which is something new to me. There was something special about this past weeks practice as it seemed much more laid back, and there was soft music playing in the background, and far fewer people. We did some of the same poses I am starting to become familiar with from past week's practices, as well as new twisting postures both standing, and seated. While in a cat's pose, the instructor placed a sand bag on everyone's back including mine for an extra stretch, and that really helped. In regard to this week's blog questions, I have to admit that I have not yet seen what empowers you doing yoga more than other physical sports/exercises. I ran track and cross country for four years before college and I felt just as empowered at the end of a run as I do now at the end of the yoga session. It's not that yoga isn't empowering; it certainly is, but I cannot yet compare it as being above any other sport. If I were to guess, I'd say that yoga's ties to India in the spiritual realm make it seem to be a heightened practice.

Sacred Space

Some consider their yoga space to be a "sacred" space. I personally think yoga can be done just about anywhere, although I would prefer doing it on a mat or carpet opposed to doing yoga on a hardwood or concrete floor. In terms of its sacredness, many have their yoga space set up as a very spacious room. Typically I have seen is a large spacious room with a wooden floor, and some Buddha statues at the front where there could be soft music playing, or some incense burning in the front. My buddy has a living room that is exactly this: his own personal yoga studio. Considering all of this, there is no precise definition of what makes a yoga space a sacred space. Some people have their one spot that they can only do yoga in , while others, (myself included) can do yoga just about anywhere and make that my sacred space.

Week 2

This week for yoga I attended a class on campus at the TRLC lead by my good friend Jason. The class began in the same way as last week's with some breathing exercises. Once we were finished with that, we switched into a table top position and began our movements, alternating between a child's pose, downward dog, cow pose and cat's pose, among others. The event room in the TRLC was dimly lit and there was soft music on in the background. There were maybe fifteen people in the class and there were only two men aside from Jason, myself included. The space and energy in the room was nice and it was oriented towards beginners because it was the first week that this class had started. Although the group was moving somewhat slow I still had to move even slower as I still can not touch my toes. Yoga is painful; while planking, and doing other movements involving core strength, I could not keep it together very long. I found I was shaking doing core exercises and that I was tensing up even in areas that were not being exercised, such as my shoulders and neck. If I remembered to focus on my breath, which I did not always do, then that made it better by forcing me to concentrate. This definitely felt like a more spiritual session, and after it was done, although I felt worn and tired, I also felt well and accomplished.