FINAL BLOG!! 1000 WORDS!!!

Before coming into this class, I never really knew the affect yoga could have on someone and the way it affects the body. After learning about the history of it and how each culture looks at yoga differently it has broadened my eyes that yoga actually has a positive affect on people. Some people have think let me just do it because I see famous people doing it. They try to jump on the bandwagon of the newest trend as we saw in certain movies that we watched in class over the semester.  Like many beginner yoga students, it took at least a couple weeks of classes before I stopped looking around to see if I looked like everyone else while doing the poses. I wondered how ridiculous I looked in various poses, thinking for sure that when the instructor suggested a modification, it was meant for me alone. Following the breathing cues felt like trying to write with my left hand, and after five minutes in “Savasana,” I was convinced we were left in the dark to fend for ourselves. it wasn't too long before my awkward body movements started resembling yoga poses, before I began feeling the ebb and flow of energy and strength in my body. I have been practicing yoga this whole semester and have found I feel completely better about myself and have a different outlook on how to think and when getting stressed there is no need to. The breathing techniques have been the most helpful to me and teaching my body how to relax and not overwork itself. I feel like yoga sometimes is overrated to some people and they don’t know the benefits it could have on the body. I found that during practices it would sometimes take a while to find the rhythm, to follow the language of yoga, and to bring your body through the movements. This process of going your own pace will allow you to efficiently build physical strength in the body, boost confidence in the mind, and create happiness all around. If you do not go at your own pace and rush the whole practice you will not be getting the full benefits. It is more important to get the full benefit I learned throughout the semester than to rush and not achieve the pose correctly. After completing yoga, I also was able to realize that rushing anything in life and not taking breaths in between doing poses and while staying in the pose it changes yoga as a whole. Many of us have goals of achieving certain poses or asanas in our practice. Dreams of sitting into a split or forming a beautifully round wheel can seem far in the future. While it is true that practice makes perfect, it is important to resist focusing too intently on the outcome It is better to practice and master one pose over years than it is to rush it and never achieve the correct pose. This type of impatience can leave behind feelings of self-doubt and frustration. Since it can lead to frustration, this is the last thing that you want when you are a yogi. I realized through yoga and the meditation it is not worth to be frustrated over the little things. Realizing this I was able to realize there are more important things to worry about in life. Instead, focus on developing a well-rounded practice, and embrace both the strengths and weaknesses of your body. The end result you hoped for often makes a surprise appearance when you least expect it. After watching the films and talking about practicing after we did yoga in class and hearing the instructor’s stories on how long they have been practicing shows it takes hard work and dedication. One of the best pierces of advice I was able to get this semester from one of the instructors was “hard work pays off”. She said this because she was talking about her experience of being a yogi and how she never knew what she wanted to do with yoga, now here she is teaching a class and doing what she loves to do. Thinking about what she said I felt like I was able to look into my future and realizing that if I don’t put hard work into getting my degree, I will not achieve the goal I want in the end. I was able to gain and learn things about myself that it is okay if you don’t achieve something at first like a pose, practicing and working harder will help you achieve the goal. I was also able to see that yoga is able to bring people together that you would not expect to normally be around. We saw in the films and the books we read, that you are able to create bonds with people in the classes and the instructors. For example, when we saw him kissing the feet to show respect, it was nice to see the level of respect they were able to have for the guru. Different cultures have different rituals on how to act in class and what to do, but we see that all of the different types of people in class agreed on one thing and came together. I was able to see this when I went to classes, there was not a crowd that I would have expected to be there, but we all had the same goal to practice yoga and better ourselves and our mind. Overall, it was a great experience meeting new people and doing something I never thought I would do and learning about how it has evolved in todays society from back then. I never expected to learn so much about yoga and the culture, but I honestly enjoyed it and was curious how it changes the minds of people. I was able feel clear, relaxed and energized when I left the practices. I have become much more flexible, stronger and I can feel an improvement in my overall health and well-being. Yoga practice has provided great benefits to both my body and my mind. It is nice to feel myself gradually improving and feeling comfortable practicing yoga on my own. Yoga has become an interesting hobby and a wonderful addition to my way of life. I will definitely continue to practice yoga and to apply what I have learned to the rest of my life.