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Final Journal Write Up

  Alexandra Petersen GIS-4636-091 Professor Greene December 15, 2020 Final Journal Write-Up When signing up for this course, I didn’t exactly know what to expect.  I thought I would learn a little about the history of yoga and completing a few yoga practices.  With everything being online this semester due to the pandemic, I did not expect to learn nearly as much as I did.  This class taught me so much about the history of yoga, how yoga has changed throughout the years, the different forms of yoga, philosophy, and the many different meanings that yoga can have.  By making yoga a regular weekly activity of mine, I learned so much about my own body, the physical aspects of yoga, meditation, and the effects of yoga on mental health.   I grew up as a dancer, am currently a college cheerleader, and work at a physical therapy clinic as it is my intended career path, so stretching and fitness have always been a huge part of my life.  Before my dance competitio
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Yoga Blog 8

The Principle of Karma and Samsara is the belief or law that each action has an equal reaction.  Samsara is the belief in reincarnation, meaning a continuous cycle of life where the soul is reborn, as a reaction to each action.  Therefore, in a way saying your actions in one life may affect the reactions in your next.  The Practice of Non Attachment in yoga is the practice of non attaching to things and others through meditation.  I personally feel that this definition of yoga is the most difficult to practice.  As we discussed in class, it is so extremely hard to detach from things like your friends, family, pets, and even social media and our phones.         In the book of Bhagavad Gita, there are three yogas, Jnana, Bhakti, and Karma.  Jnana Yoga is the yoga of knowledge, Bhakti Yoga is the yoga of devotion, and Karma Yoga is the yoga of action.  I think the definition of the context of your practice space varies by person.  I think depending on your definition of your practice spac
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Yoga Blog 7

        This previous week we took a class with  Jenn Kretzer, who introduced us to Sivananda Yoga. I had never tried Sivananda Yoga before, but it is one I really enjoyed a lot. Jenn teaches at The Yoga Hive in Freehold, New Jersey. The Yoga Hive is actually extremely close to my home town, so I hope to take classes there in the future because I really enjoyed this new yoga form.         Jenn's class was very enjoyable as she explained how to do different asana postures differently, depending on each person's difficulty and skill level. Sivananda Yoga focuses on breathing, meditation, diet, asana postures, and relaxation. I think my personal favorite part of this yoga style was the focus and repetition of the savasana pose and relaxation because it is always my favorite part during a yoga class. It is when I feel most at peace during my practices.         I felt this form of yoga really gave me not only a workout, but a calming of body tension. I enjoyed how much this
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Yoga Blog 6

         Yoga is seen as a healing practice in my practice space because I don't think a yoga practice should depend on a location and scenery.  Yoga can be done anywhere, which is why there are so many different forms of yoga that come from all over the world for different reasons.  Although, with all of my yoga practices currently being on zoom due to the pandemic, I often try to convert my practice space to make it feel like more of a healing space.  My practice space then becomes a healing space because I make it one.         I always close the door when I am practicing yoga to limit noise and make it as quiet as possible.  I also will open up a window if it is nice outside to get some fresh air in my practice space.  The olfactory system is also one of the strongest direct lines to our emotions, which is why I often light candles or use my essential oil diffuser because it calms me down and makes me feel more at peace.  I think scent is extremely important in a healing space.
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Yoga Blog 5

          This week I was able to practice two different types of  yoga during class this week.  On Tuesday we practiced Iyengar yoga with Amita Bhagat, and on Thursday we practiced Ashtanga yoga with Andrew Eppler and his wife through zoom.  Both were similar in some aspects, but also very different in what was being focused on, breathing, and the difficulty levels.  Although, I think I enjoyed each yoga class equally.          In the Iyengar yoga class with Amita Bhagat, she had discussed uses of different wooden props, such as a wooden yoga bending bench and yoga blocks.  She also made a lot of use of the wall, especially for people who were struggling with specific poses.  Amita discussed a bit about herself and how Iyengar yoga poses help not only your physical body, but your internal body on a cellular level, such as your digestive system.  I thought it was interesting how many different poses that were specific to women's reproductive system and specific poses there were for
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Yoga Blog 4

        Based on the article by Nervin, I might analyze my practice as a "ritual" by embracing the spiritual aspect of yoga in my practices.  Often times, when I have practiced yoga I have only really viewed the body from the outside.  To me, yoga is often only been a form of exercise, stretching, and  strengthening  that calms me down and makes me feel more at peace.  Although, by analyzing my future practices as a ritual, I think I will now try to incorporate yoga as a an embodied experience.         This  ritual  function changes the nature, impact, or intensity of my yoga practice experience.  By ritualizing a practice, it does not  only change the practice in that moment, but your daily life.  This would help my view the body as a whole, heighten  sensitivity, involve a spectrum of emotions, and feel empowered socially and mentally.  I think analyzing my practices as a ritual will change the nature of the experience as I will spiritually feel more involved in each practi
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Yoga Blog 3

           This week I decided to write about our class with Diane Polli.  Our zoom class with Diane was much different than other forms of yoga I have tried.  Diane taught us a class of Bikram yoga.  Diane has been practicing Bikram yoga for most of her lifetime, and has practiced all over the world in places such as Bali, India, New York, Los Angelos, and Texas.  Bikram yoga consists of 26 distinct yoga poses, taught in cycles for sixty minutes.  It is typically only used as a form of exercise and breathing practice.          Bikram yoga typically does not incorporate any spiritual aspect of yoga from my understanding, but Diane Polli incorporated a small spiritual relaxation at the end of our practice.  I've done multiple types of  yoga before, in which have all included basic poses like a downward facing dog or pigeon pose.  The Bikram yoga class I took part in did not use a lot of basic poses that are very common in yoga.  Diane explained how 360 degree poses were most importa
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