Final Reflections

This semester, I was able to take on the task of not only attending a yoga class, but an adventure through my own personal practice. It has been an interesting adventure, but I feel I have learned many valuable lessons along the way. Throughout this semester I learned the history of yoga perspectives in both eastern and western cultures, practiced different yoga sequences from different yoga instructors, and most importantly, I learned a little about myself along the way.

Yoga is such a broad term to use, and it is because yoga is defined in so many ways by all different cultures. Yoga is a way of life, it can be a religion, it can even be a person’s literal salvation. Here in the West, we generalize yoga as a way of staying healthy and fit. It is an excellent practice for those looking to be more fluid in the movements and have more flexibility. To some, it’s a social call; grab up the girlfriends and namaste in sequence. Some, like myself, or initially anyway, see yoga as a way of peace, a way to disconnect with the world, and be more in tune with your own self. Your own world within you. These reflections of what yoga is can technically be considered correct, however yoga goes much deeper than that. Yoga is an Eastern movement, and is taught completely different than how we in the west perceive it. To the yogis in the East, yoga is in fact a religion, and way that becomes who you are. Yoga is much deeper than the asanas provided in each modality. To the East, yoga is liberation, because it can bring the practitioner to that blissful state of being void, and everything. Yoga has the power to transform, and enlighten, and through eastern philosophies, that is the true beauty of yoga.

To me, the most interesting thing I take away from the semester is the different modalities available, and more importantly the asanas that are taught within the modalities. Some modalities are much harder to digest; however, each has their own way of doing things, and for rightful causes. Although I am not as disciplined in yoga as I would like to be, my favorite modality we covered was Ashtanga. I enjoy the discipline that it stands for, the transition of asanas between breath, down to the stages the practitioner must go through to do every asana in the sequence. Its challenging, and so rewarding at the same time. I remember feeling so accomplished of being able to perform some of the postures, even though I can admit that I can’t do them all. All the modalities preformed in class all had their own interesting beliefs and ways of doing things which I appreciate, however I still enjoyed Ashtanga more so than the others.  I still plan on doing Ashtanga even after the semester is over, because I felt such a deep connection with the modality as a whole.

Lastly, the most interesting thing I learned this semester is understanding myself a little more. I have always been a quick tempted person, and yoga is the best way I have found to help calm myself down in the most stressful situation. Yoga is a great way to find peace within yourself, and for me, it is the best way of doing so. I have always considered myself a more spiritual person than most, however meditation was more of an interest for me than yoga. This semester has been a refreshing eye opener for me because I have always had that “western philosophy ideology” that yoga was for health fit people, not realizing how much more spiritual it truly is. I feel like even though the class was taught from a lecture perspective, I got more out of this semester than I ever thought I would.