Luiza's Yoga Blog

This week I did a vinyasa yoga class. The class was from a youtube channel called Floating Yoga School. It was about an hour long and there were many students in the class to look at for example. This class was very enjoyable because there were a lot of poses I have already learned. I also enjoyed how there were headstands involved because I attempted it and I was actually able to hold it for a little bit of time. The practice was challenging because it was so long and we had to hold the poses for a good amount of time, but it was also very enjoyable. Yoga was very traditional at first when it started in the east. It was a part of life that enlightened and raised you to a higher level. As it came to the west it became a counter-culture practice because it started breaking traditional yoga. After more time passed it became pop culture. Yoga is now more of a trend middle-class women attend. It is not used so much for enlightenment, but for a good body and to fit in.   Yoga in th...

Andrew Eppler taught this week’s yoga class. It was called ashtanga yoga which was definitely the hardest yoga I have done so far. The movements were very rapid from pose to pose. Also, the poses at the end of the class were very difficult like balancing on your two hands. I found myself having to take breaks and modifying the poses a lot in order for me to be capable of doing the practice. Yoga is seen as a healing practice because it is meant to enlighten people. In order to heal one must come to an agreement that they want to be healed. After this is done it is like being enlightened so that is how they are connected. This is shown to me by the teachers always helping me improve by correcting me. Correction is a normal part of any yoga class because if it was not then people could get hurt. Also, they would not be getting the full experience if they were not doing the poses correctly. After yoga, I feel happy I did it because I know it is good for me mentally and physically. I enjoy...

This week I practiced Iyengar yoga in class. The instructor’s name was Amita Baghat and it lasted for over an hour. This was a nice practice because it was not too challenging, but we did do some fun poses. I enjoyed how the instructor taught us as she led the yoga practice. She would pause to teach about Iyengar yoga and to show us how to get into poses. It was only difficult for her to show us the full pose because the camera could not capture either the top or bottom of her body, but she did move most of the time for us to see her full body from different angles.  Practice spaces do build a sense of community within all of the yogis in the class. Even though online yoga classes I still feel connected because we are all doing the same thing together. Always when someone asks a question or says they are having trouble doing a certain pose I can relate. Having a relationship with your class is important even if it is just knowing everyone is supportive. It is much harder to have a ...

This week I practiced laughter yoga followed by meditation. The laughter yoga video was instructed by Bianca Spears, unlike the typical mellow yoga teacher she was very cheerful and excited. She led the class very well and made the laughing for 20 minutes enjoyable. We also clapped because it served as pressure points and took deep breaths. It is said there are many benefits to laughter yoga which is why I wanted to try it after a very complicated week. It did make me laugh because I felt silly doing it.  I also tried meditation for the first time in over six months. The guide was named Sara Raymond. She was very calm and had a soothing voice. The meditation was mainly for mindfulness and being present. This was a very big change of scene from the fu laughter yoga to a very relaxing and calm meditation. I did enjoy the contrast and felt the benefits of both. As we discussed in class, everything the instructors were saying could not be true, but the power of the mind made me believe...

This week’s practice was done in class with a guest yoga instructor, Diane Polli. She was a very sweet lady with 50 years of experience. The type of yoga done was called Bikram which is a healing yoga. It was the longest practice I think I have ever done. It lasted about an hour and a half. My muscles are very tired and I will probably be sore. The poses were interesting, but holding each pose for ten or more seconds is what made the yoga challenging. I enjoyed the more difficult yoga because I felt as if I am advancing with my yoga skills. My favorite part was the end. Her chants felt very special. I really liked how they were for safeness/protection, healing and enlightenment. Yoga is definitely more than just exercise. It can be many things like a stress relief method, a way to connect your mind and body, a way to feel more balanced, etc. Different people use it for different reasons. This is why there are so many different types of yoga and yoga classes. Like bikram yoga is done fo...