Reading Response:
I found the discussion that we had over yama (moral injunctions) to be very interesting. I guess its because there are so many couplets/groups in the practice of Yoga that make it easier to understand and keep it from being too overwhelming. It was really easy for me to relate the eight limbs to the eight fold path. I know the concepts are a little different but I found that they have a lot of similarities. Like the internalization of the senses toward their source (prathyahara) is like right mindfulness, and concentration (dharana) is the same as right concentration, and moral injunctions are like right livelihood.
I also found the ending of the book "How Yoga Works" to be so fitting. I wish we would have read it last this semester so that the completion of our course could also be the completion of the book. However I don't think that I would have understood the big main points of Yoga if it hadn't been for the journey of the Captain.
Practice Response:
My hamstrings and legs feel so sore for some reason but I think its unrelated to Yoga, but its definitely affecting my practice. If anyone has any advice that ISN'T DOWNWARD FACING DOG to help loosen up hamstrings, I'm all ears. On another note I really enjoyed the breathing exercises that we did on Thursday. I wish we had more classes where we could really focus on breathing. Growing up my mom used to practice this breathing yoga, it was called Kapalbhati. In it you would exhale repeatedly and take out all the toxins from your body through exhalation. It actually used to come on an Indian channel my mom watched everyday and the yogi that was in charge had thousands of followers watching him while he conducted the yoga. Anyways, the pranyama that we did the other day reminded me a lot of that practice. If anyone has the time look up Kapalbhati and see the difference in the practice.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Week 5 Post!
Reading Response:
I found the answer to my questions on page 223 on How Yoga Works. It was just killing me to read all the philosophy about Yoga and doing the practice but not knowing the connections between the two but it was laid out beautifully by the Captain. He explains that the yoga "gets you ready to have the ideas we've been talking about. Because if you do them right, they loosen up the knots almost by brute force: knocking on the pipe". I finally understand the connections between the philosophy and the practice. It was almost like an "ah ha" moment. In the story I think I relate so much more to the Captain than any other character. I share his frustrations with the understanding. It's almost as if I ask the same questions he does before they are written before my eyes. I think one part of the book which really captured my attention was the part explaining hurting others especially in terms of war and how it is conducted. I guess since I've always wanted to be an officer in the Air Force I was biased toward the idea of war and saw it as a necessary evil at times to keep balance. However, reading Friday's explanation of it made me a little uneasy about my profession of choice. I don't think any soldier wants to hurt someones son, daughter, brother or sister but at the same time, the society or our time has become too adapted to this way of thinking. It's not a hatred of each other, I guess we fight over insignificant things like, land, money, resources and forget that we are all here on this earth to live in harmony together. I've read just war theories and doctrines on war and how it should be conducted but the reality of the matter is, nobody plays fair and I know we shouldn't live our lives on the terms of an eye for an eye, but sometimes the circumstances just aren't fair. Nobody plays fair and there's no way to make everyone in the world understand Friday, Iyengar, or Patanjali's doctrines. Its just not feasible. That's why when the Captain screamed his frustrations at Friday about the doctrines not "up to level of thinking which is current, which is sophisticated" (247), I was yelling at the same time. Ugh, I liked this yoga stuff a lot more when it didn't challenge my beliefs and way of life. I know I can stand firm with what I believe, but that doubt is already arisen, the crack has already been made. How do I go back to that ignorant bliss?
Practice Response:
I think I enjoy doing the twists the most in Yoga practice now and anything which causes me any strain on my calves I flat out dread doing, maybe that's why I hate downward facing dog? I like to think I'm pretty flexible with my upper body, like my arms and my waist up but for some reason my legs just feel like bricks to me, like they just don't belong. I've been struggling with Padagunthasana (Big toe pose). I 've tried doing it with a little more of a bend with my knees but I'm so frustrated that I can't bring my torso closer to my legs. Also chair pose, seems really easy when I see Dr. Schultz doing it but when I try to get the right form in front of the mirror I just can't seem to do it. I've gotten really good at eagle pose but the rest of the balancing poses still give me trouble. Any recommendations on how to get more flexible faster in my legs, anyone? Bueller?
I found the answer to my questions on page 223 on How Yoga Works. It was just killing me to read all the philosophy about Yoga and doing the practice but not knowing the connections between the two but it was laid out beautifully by the Captain. He explains that the yoga "gets you ready to have the ideas we've been talking about. Because if you do them right, they loosen up the knots almost by brute force: knocking on the pipe". I finally understand the connections between the philosophy and the practice. It was almost like an "ah ha" moment. In the story I think I relate so much more to the Captain than any other character. I share his frustrations with the understanding. It's almost as if I ask the same questions he does before they are written before my eyes. I think one part of the book which really captured my attention was the part explaining hurting others especially in terms of war and how it is conducted. I guess since I've always wanted to be an officer in the Air Force I was biased toward the idea of war and saw it as a necessary evil at times to keep balance. However, reading Friday's explanation of it made me a little uneasy about my profession of choice. I don't think any soldier wants to hurt someones son, daughter, brother or sister but at the same time, the society or our time has become too adapted to this way of thinking. It's not a hatred of each other, I guess we fight over insignificant things like, land, money, resources and forget that we are all here on this earth to live in harmony together. I've read just war theories and doctrines on war and how it should be conducted but the reality of the matter is, nobody plays fair and I know we shouldn't live our lives on the terms of an eye for an eye, but sometimes the circumstances just aren't fair. Nobody plays fair and there's no way to make everyone in the world understand Friday, Iyengar, or Patanjali's doctrines. Its just not feasible. That's why when the Captain screamed his frustrations at Friday about the doctrines not "up to level of thinking which is current, which is sophisticated" (247), I was yelling at the same time. Ugh, I liked this yoga stuff a lot more when it didn't challenge my beliefs and way of life. I know I can stand firm with what I believe, but that doubt is already arisen, the crack has already been made. How do I go back to that ignorant bliss?
Practice Response:
I think I enjoy doing the twists the most in Yoga practice now and anything which causes me any strain on my calves I flat out dread doing, maybe that's why I hate downward facing dog? I like to think I'm pretty flexible with my upper body, like my arms and my waist up but for some reason my legs just feel like bricks to me, like they just don't belong. I've been struggling with Padagunthasana (Big toe pose). I 've tried doing it with a little more of a bend with my knees but I'm so frustrated that I can't bring my torso closer to my legs. Also chair pose, seems really easy when I see Dr. Schultz doing it but when I try to get the right form in front of the mirror I just can't seem to do it. I've gotten really good at eagle pose but the rest of the balancing poses still give me trouble. Any recommendations on how to get more flexible faster in my legs, anyone? Bueller?
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Week 4 Post!
Reading Response:
Is it just me? Or is it confusing to read the yoga sutras and not see any mention of physical movement in them? I understand that we're just on the first chapter and the first couple of sutras but I'm tired of hearing that Yoga helps my seer abide within myself and that I'm controlling my vrittis. When exactly does it tell me to do downward facing dog? When do I find out that meaning. I guess I kind of resemble the character of the captain in the story. I know I should be listening and paying attention to my teacher and understanding the deeper meaning of yoga, but honestly when do the physical movements come into play in the text? However I have to admit, that the 1.14 sutra which talks about "When that practice is done for a long time, without a break, and with sincere devotion, then the practice becomes a firmly rooted, stable and solid foundation" makes sense to me. Its kind of like working out, at first it seems like a chore and its not pleasing and hurts everytime you do it, then slowly but surely you become persistent with it. You start to find something pleasing about it, and before you know it when you don't work out there seems to be something missing from your day and eventually from your life, it becomes a part of you. Now, I'm not trying to say that I've gotten to that point in regards to working out or even with Yoga, but I understand the concept. Has anyone else noticed how in the sutras everything is bunched together into numbers? There are 5 vrittis, 4 thoughts of concentration etc.... I guess it helps to understand the categories if they are sectioned off but I forget how many of each there are sometimes. I guess it doesnt really matter, I think I'm getting to caught up in the logistics of it all and missing the real big picture. Sometimes when I read the novel though, I feel like the logistics of it all is what really needs to be understood first to get the big picture. I guess aside from the practice aspect of Yoga, I'm really confused, maybe I should meditate on it?
Practice Response:
I feel like this week I took a backwards leap in my yoga. I feel more sore than ever, I don't know if that has to do with my workouts with ROTC outside of Yoga or just something I pulled in my legs. I do feel myself getting more flexible but it hurts more than I remember it hurting in past weeks. I think Chatush is my new favorite pose, not just because its fun to say the name but I feel very calm and relaxed when I do it. You know what's really strange? Dandasana is actually really hard to perfect for me. It seems like such a simple pose, to sit with your legs stretched in front of you and sit up straight but I have the hardest time with it. I guess I'm now realizing how bad my posture is. I wonder how I would be evaluated and looked at by Friday sometimes. In the book, she's so good at judging other people with just a simple glance. Its almost like she's Regina George from Mean Girls or something....ok a huge stretch but still....I hope I can perfect my shoulder stand pretty soon, for some reason I have trouble straightening my legs. I don't want to move on to head stand without getting shoulder stand perfect, guess I should start working on it everyday :/
Is it just me? Or is it confusing to read the yoga sutras and not see any mention of physical movement in them? I understand that we're just on the first chapter and the first couple of sutras but I'm tired of hearing that Yoga helps my seer abide within myself and that I'm controlling my vrittis. When exactly does it tell me to do downward facing dog? When do I find out that meaning. I guess I kind of resemble the character of the captain in the story. I know I should be listening and paying attention to my teacher and understanding the deeper meaning of yoga, but honestly when do the physical movements come into play in the text? However I have to admit, that the 1.14 sutra which talks about "When that practice is done for a long time, without a break, and with sincere devotion, then the practice becomes a firmly rooted, stable and solid foundation" makes sense to me. Its kind of like working out, at first it seems like a chore and its not pleasing and hurts everytime you do it, then slowly but surely you become persistent with it. You start to find something pleasing about it, and before you know it when you don't work out there seems to be something missing from your day and eventually from your life, it becomes a part of you. Now, I'm not trying to say that I've gotten to that point in regards to working out or even with Yoga, but I understand the concept. Has anyone else noticed how in the sutras everything is bunched together into numbers? There are 5 vrittis, 4 thoughts of concentration etc.... I guess it helps to understand the categories if they are sectioned off but I forget how many of each there are sometimes. I guess it doesnt really matter, I think I'm getting to caught up in the logistics of it all and missing the real big picture. Sometimes when I read the novel though, I feel like the logistics of it all is what really needs to be understood first to get the big picture. I guess aside from the practice aspect of Yoga, I'm really confused, maybe I should meditate on it?
Practice Response:
I feel like this week I took a backwards leap in my yoga. I feel more sore than ever, I don't know if that has to do with my workouts with ROTC outside of Yoga or just something I pulled in my legs. I do feel myself getting more flexible but it hurts more than I remember it hurting in past weeks. I think Chatush is my new favorite pose, not just because its fun to say the name but I feel very calm and relaxed when I do it. You know what's really strange? Dandasana is actually really hard to perfect for me. It seems like such a simple pose, to sit with your legs stretched in front of you and sit up straight but I have the hardest time with it. I guess I'm now realizing how bad my posture is. I wonder how I would be evaluated and looked at by Friday sometimes. In the book, she's so good at judging other people with just a simple glance. Its almost like she's Regina George from Mean Girls or something....ok a huge stretch but still....I hope I can perfect my shoulder stand pretty soon, for some reason I have trouble straightening my legs. I don't want to move on to head stand without getting shoulder stand perfect, guess I should start working on it everyday :/
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Week 3 Post!
Reading Response:
I feel so much pity towards the dog everytime I read about what it is all enduring. I guess it's because I'm a dog lover but I feel like the author chose to put him in the book How Yoga Works for a reason. I think he's meant to show how yoga not only encompasses the girls' life but it also affects the dog and her patience is rubbed off on him. It also shows his loyalty and friendship with the girls to be living outside of the jail day in and day out. Something that does puzzle me is how she didn't really fight the captain on her sentence. She was very submissive when he told her that she would be staying in the jail. I think if I were in her situation I would have thrown everything in his room around and created a scene. Also, when she saves a little bit of water everyday to wash her clothes and her body I felt as if she could have gotten her way easier or bargained some necessities in life like clean clothes and a proper toliet by blackmailing the captain that she wouldn't help him. She has more chips in her bag then she thinks, she just doesnt use them. I guess its because she's practiced the Yoga Sutra, 1.15 (Renunciation is the practice of detachment from desires.) But I wouldn't consider these desire so much as basic necessities in life for her to live. How does the captain or guards expect her to do her work if she isn't even fed? It just makes no sense! I get a little frustrated with how passive she is in the book. She only has guts to stand up to the Captain when it has to do with his Yoga practice but she can't stand up to him and say, "Hey I need a toliet and 3 square meal?" She's beyond me. My favorite character by far is the dog. :)
Practice Response:
I really think I'm getting the hang of the downward dog. I can feel my hamstrings getting more and more of a stetch everyday. I really found the should stand in class to be uncomfortable. I was able to get into the pose I think once at home by myslef but it was only in a turning motion. I had to pretend like I was doing a backward summersalt and then still my body and straighten out my legs. It was pretty frustrating. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to slowly stretch my legs up. Maybe I'm just not remembering it right. I think a lot of the stretching poses that we do in class are similar to the stretches we do in ROTC before we workout. Fierce pose as simple as it looks is actually pretty challenging for me to do. I feel a deep strain on my calves whenever I do it. I love doing all of the warrior poses though. They feel so comfortable to me and I like how it feels like it affects my whole body. Also I think after doing warrior 3 pose I've gotten a lot better at tree pose. Does anyone else find eagle pose to be extremely awkward looking? I feel like if someone was to walk into our class while we were doing it, they would give us the wierdest look. I only say that because I was practicing my yoga in the mirror today and my son came into my room and looked at me and started laughing. I felt pretty embarrassed so I save that pose for when he's asleep now. Hope everyone is enjoying their yoga practices, I know I'm not the best but I really think I'm improving! :)
I feel so much pity towards the dog everytime I read about what it is all enduring. I guess it's because I'm a dog lover but I feel like the author chose to put him in the book How Yoga Works for a reason. I think he's meant to show how yoga not only encompasses the girls' life but it also affects the dog and her patience is rubbed off on him. It also shows his loyalty and friendship with the girls to be living outside of the jail day in and day out. Something that does puzzle me is how she didn't really fight the captain on her sentence. She was very submissive when he told her that she would be staying in the jail. I think if I were in her situation I would have thrown everything in his room around and created a scene. Also, when she saves a little bit of water everyday to wash her clothes and her body I felt as if she could have gotten her way easier or bargained some necessities in life like clean clothes and a proper toliet by blackmailing the captain that she wouldn't help him. She has more chips in her bag then she thinks, she just doesnt use them. I guess its because she's practiced the Yoga Sutra, 1.15 (Renunciation is the practice of detachment from desires.) But I wouldn't consider these desire so much as basic necessities in life for her to live. How does the captain or guards expect her to do her work if she isn't even fed? It just makes no sense! I get a little frustrated with how passive she is in the book. She only has guts to stand up to the Captain when it has to do with his Yoga practice but she can't stand up to him and say, "Hey I need a toliet and 3 square meal?" She's beyond me. My favorite character by far is the dog. :)
Practice Response:
I really think I'm getting the hang of the downward dog. I can feel my hamstrings getting more and more of a stetch everyday. I really found the should stand in class to be uncomfortable. I was able to get into the pose I think once at home by myslef but it was only in a turning motion. I had to pretend like I was doing a backward summersalt and then still my body and straighten out my legs. It was pretty frustrating. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to slowly stretch my legs up. Maybe I'm just not remembering it right. I think a lot of the stretching poses that we do in class are similar to the stretches we do in ROTC before we workout. Fierce pose as simple as it looks is actually pretty challenging for me to do. I feel a deep strain on my calves whenever I do it. I love doing all of the warrior poses though. They feel so comfortable to me and I like how it feels like it affects my whole body. Also I think after doing warrior 3 pose I've gotten a lot better at tree pose. Does anyone else find eagle pose to be extremely awkward looking? I feel like if someone was to walk into our class while we were doing it, they would give us the wierdest look. I only say that because I was practicing my yoga in the mirror today and my son came into my room and looked at me and started laughing. I felt pretty embarrassed so I save that pose for when he's asleep now. Hope everyone is enjoying their yoga practices, I know I'm not the best but I really think I'm improving! :)
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