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 competition season would begin, my dance teacher would require us to take part of her “yoga strength and conditioning” courses, which was really just extremely intense strength and stretching, so I really always viewed yoga as a physical activity.  I began this class by just doing the required weekly practices, but within about three weeks I began trying to do yoga a few times a week.  

I began by doing classes on zoom with my friend who teaches at Yoga Body 360, and then I started doing youtube yoga since it was easier for me schedule wise.  Due to the pandemic I haven’t been having cheerleading practice, and I didn’t realize how much flexibility I had lost.  I have also had physical therapy on my back due to the tension in my back causing large back knots.  When beginning our weekly yoga practices, I realized how much my body really needed the release of tension.  I shortly noticed how much doing yoga and meditation was such a stress relief and improved my back pain as well as increased my energy and motivation.  When doing at my dance studio, meditation and focusing on breath was never really incorporated, so I never really realized how calming and healthy for the mind yoga really was.

As much as I did enjoy this class, I really wish I got to experience it in person because I really would have liked to attend weekly yoga practices in person.  Making my practice space a healing space was a little hard in my apartment since I share a room, so when it was nice outside I would do it on my balcony and enjoy the fresh air, or I would do it in my living room with my sliding doors open and I would light a candle or use my essential oil diffuser frequently.  Scents and scenery are important to me in my healing space.  Although, with my roommates coming to and from class or work, it often took away from my practice.  When things return to normal I plan to get a yoga membership at my friend’s yoga studio where they teach quite a variety of different types of yoga, so I can attend yoga regularly in a proper practice space.

I never really realized how much the media and branding has transformed yoga over the years until taking this class, and I thought yoga had always been practiced primarily by women in the East and West, until learning about the real history of yoga.  I was also unaware of how many different forms of yoga were and how each different form had a slightly different aim, goal, focus,  or meaning.  For example, Iyengar Yoga focused on use of props and healing the body even on a cellular level, Bikram Yoga focused specifically on the physical aspect of yoga and physical health, and Ashtanga Yoga focused heavily on breathing, stretching and physical health, as well as mental health.  I personally enjoyed Ashtanga Yoga the most because I liked how it was a bit more challenging, and focused breathing and meditation is very important to me when trying to relieve stress.

In conclusion, I was aware that to many, yoga was a way of life, but I did not realize the different sacrifices many make in other countries in yoga as a devotion to God, such as mummifying your arm, giving up eating, or shaving one’s head.  To many, yoga is viewed as a religion, but I personally do not see yoga in this way.  For me, yoga is a physical practice and a way of mental healing.  Unfortunately this past month I have been very sick and have not been able to practice yoga, but I hope now that I am feeling better that I can begin doing yoga even more.  I would like to make a routine of practicing yoga for 30 minutes a day, and meditating for 10 minutes everyday.  As I will be attending NYU for graduate school next year, I am really excited to get to attend yoga classes in the city where there is a huge variety of different yoga forms taught.  I hope to continue to broaden my yoga knowledge and practices, as well as make it part of my daily routine.