This semester has been a wild ride, especially since everything was online and I hardly had any real social interactions outside of my family. These yoga practices that I did throughout the semester has helped me stay in the moment and gave me the chance to block the world out for at least 20 minutes. In the beginning, it was very hard to keep my balance and was always struggling to keep the pose long enough. Now, I am doing way better at it, although it isn't exceptional considering its only been a few weeks.
It was really interesting to not only do the practice but to learn about the different practices based on people's preferences. In the West, most people who do yoga are either looking for 'authentic' and 'traditional' yoga or just an alternative to a regular workout. Those who are looking for traditional yoga, usually look for yoga practices that has to do more with spirituality, gurus, asanas, and a long history connected to the practice. Others who look at it as just an exercise, are usually trying to get a yogi body or have jump onto the bandwagon after seeing a celebrity or influencer doing yoga. They see yoga as hip, cool, or as a trend. When I was doing yoga, I wasn't looking for the traditional practices or the heavy workouts, I was looking for practices that would help me relax and to focus on my body in order to stay in the moment.
The space where I was practicing made it very difficult give the practice my complete focus because it was my bedroom. All of my practices were online, and mainly consisted of YouTube videos so it was hard to build a community. Maybe if I was in a studio with an instructor guiding, not just me but others, I would feel more comfortable and motivated to to do longer practices. There also wouldn't be as many distractions because while I'm home, anyone could call for me. In a studio, I would be able to have a completely different experience, especially in sounds, space, and decorations/props. When I was in my room the only prop that I really had was my yoga mat and I always tried to put instrumental music on so that I wouldn't get distracted by any lyrics, but it was still a challenge.
Throughout the semester, I heard about how yoga could be used not just for exercise but for healing. For example, when I did the Iyengar yoga practice, the instructor kept talking about how the practice was created for those with chronic pains, and could even work on a cellular level. This is a form of physical practice being used for healing. Another form of healing could be Tantra yoga. This is a form of healing that is done by using the energy in your body in order to do a spiritual cleansing. It has less to do with physical poses and more to do with connecting with ones body and spirit. I am still unsure if I truly believe in the healing claims but I do know that when I did the Iyengar yoga practice, I felt more relaxed than when I did any of the other practices and enjoyed it a lot.
I'm not sure if I will make yoga a part of my day everyday routine but I would like to occasionally practice it. Hopefully when COVID is no longer affecting our lives and isn't a primary health concern, I will be able to visit a yoga studio and have that real experience. I had fun doing the practices this semester and have learned a lot during the practices and while in class. It was especially interesting to learn about how the West has adapted yoga for themselves and to use it in a way that would be beneficial for those who practice yoga.
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