Love

Class: Yoga
Date: November 21^st, 2010
Time & Location: 7pm at Lakeside Lodge

Last Tuesday my boyfriend and I went to yoga at Lakeside. There were about ten student’s total, almost the same number of boys and girls. We set up towards the back of the room, in front of the teacher. We did the normal routine, but she added some extensive calf workouts. There was a position that required us to be in a lunging pose, holding our back leg’s ankle with our hand. I was really proud of myself during this position because I was the only person in the room who was able to do it, besides the teacher of course. I looked to my side and my boyfriend was falling over, with a face full of agony. It was pretty entertaining. During savasana, the noises coming from Papa John’s started increasing. It was a challenge to focus my attention. I focused on my breath and concentrated on a light I concocted in my mind. It was the only way I could focus during the savasana practice.

This is the third to last class of the semester. I will be going to her classes next semester because I really enjoy them and they are conveniently located. She did say that she wanted to find a better class location, which would be great. I’m really enjoying these last few classes because she’s really pushing and challenging all her students.

Meditation...

Class: Yoga: East Meets West

Date: November 17th, 2010

Time & Location: In Class

So today we had our regular yoga class. We were supposed to have an instructor, Marcello, come in and teach us guided meditation, but he never showed up. So instead, Laurie taught us some in the last fifteen minutes of class. All of us sat on the floor around her as she instructed us on what to do. She said that if we have a hard time sitting up to lean against the wall, so I did. Since Monday, my neck and back have been in immense pain. I can hardly move my neck and my back hurts whenever I do pretty much any movement. This is why I propped myself up against the wall. Laurie instructed us to focus on the breath on our upper lip and invision the cold air that we are breathing in and out. While doing this, I made the air visible by giving it a smoky appearance. The soft white air would slowly be inhaled and then exhaled as it scattered in different directions after hitting my upper lip. She then told us to relax our eyes and jaw, which I immediately was very tensed up. Then we were instructed to focus on any parts of our bodies that hurt alot, focus on the pain, and associate a shape with that pain and wait till it goes away. I tried to do this with my back and neck, but it hurt so bad. In fact, it made the pain worse and made it almost unbearable. After that, I don't remember anything. I didn't fall asleep, but I did completely zoned out. I don't remember if i was thinking anything in that time or if any thoughts were running through my head. The minute she said, "open your eyes," i snapped out of it. All I can remember is my head swaying back and forth in pain. It was a pretty weird experience. I definitely want to take another meditation class.

Lakeside

Class: Yoga

Date: November 11th, 2010

Time & Location: 7pm at Lakeside Lodge

So on Thursday, my friend Dave and I embarked on our journey to Lakeside Lodge to take another yoga class. When we got there around seven, the teacher was not yet there. She showed up a few minutes later and the room was not ready for us as usual. The drop down monitor was on and playing the news and Papa John's was blasting their music. She quickly moved some of the tables out of the way and asked the workers at Papa John's to turn their music down. Then we started class...

We did basic sitting, standing, and twisting yoga poses. The one thing I notice about these classes at Lakeside is that the teacher makes them progressively more difficult with each class. She had us do more balancing poses, which i found very difficult. She also made us hold the poses for longer amounts of time. Another new concept that she introduced to class was the ability for us to control our own movements. She gave us a sequence and would let us do it at our own pace, fast or slow. I really enjoyed this because I didn't have to worry if i was doing it in the same time as her, instead i was doing my own pace. It gave me a chance to close my eyes and not worry about what was going on around me.

I really enjoy this class and if it is still offered, I'll still go to it even after this yoga course is over.

Gentle Yoga and Pranayama

Class: Gentle Yoga

Date: November 4th, 2010

Time & Location: 4pm at Yoga Nine

Last week was insanely busy for me, much like this week will be for me. I decided that Gentle Yoga at Yoga Nine was in the best time slot for me last week, and it was a beginner class so it would be more my speed. I took my friend Keith with me. He was eager to try it, even though his jeans made it difficult for him to really get into the positions. We arrived on time, but class started a little late because Keith had to sign the health waiver and get adjusted. I was really surprised to see my Introduction to Social Problems teacher, Elinor Lerner, there as well.

We started off on our backs and did leg stretches. From our backs we eventually went up to our knees, all fours, and then standing positions. The one thing I noticed about Gentle Yoga is the frequent use of child's pose. It was very slow-paced compared to the other classes I've taken. The class was more my speed, but I was often bored at times. I'm so used to continuous movement and a more challenging atmosphere. I found the balancing exercises the most challenging. The instructor placed a lot of emphasis on breathing exercises. With every movement she would say, "inhale" and "exhale." The breathing stayed consistent throughout. She was helpful because she would often say "Don't forget to breathe," which in turn would make me catch all the times I would stop breathing and I would start concentrating more heavily on my breath.

In my past experiences, much emphasis has been placed on pranayama. I have done single nostril breath. One finger covers a nostril, leaving the other one open. Heavy concentration is focused on the breath and managing it. Teacher's will often make you focus on pranayama in the beginning of class, and let you keep it going throughout the remainder of it. It is through repetition that I have seen the importance of breath. Consistent breathing makes it easier to perform the different postures and allows the movements to flow evenly. I often forget to breathe during exercising, but now I catch myself doing it more often.