week 11

This week's yoga blog reflects on the meditation class taught to us by Dr. Spinello. The first hour of class was a review of what exactly it means to meditate, and the special uses of meditation. I also learned that there are various types of meditation, such as walking meditation. Dr. Spinello also touched over the idea of the final three sutras being tied into what it means to be "zen."

Once practice had officially started, I struggled getting my mind to stay calm. He told us to use positive reinforcement in being able to catch yourself and notice your mind is traveling, rather than scolding yourself for not being able to focus. It was difficult, but after a while, I feel like my own energy calmed down, and flowed with the energy of everyone else. breathing is also very important in meditation, just as it is in yoga.

The overall feelings I felt during the meditation were a mixture of peace and a high energy of emotion that I feel has been bottled in me. Clearly it is therapeutic, but due to the feelings I felt, I believe meditation is more personalized than yoga, as in my opinion it is more intimate to the practitioner. It was a different change, however I really enjoyed this class.