Hasib's Blog

 Since one of our classes included mediation unfortunately I had to miss it due to personal issues I wanted to take time out of my day to give myself a chance to relax, refocus, regroup and gather my thoughts together. I did the vipassana meditation for 1 hour sitting that the professor provided in the email. I noticed that the YouTube video is not really a video so I just put my headphones on, closed my eyes, crossed my legs and just relaxed. I began listening to his voice many of these hums I have never heard. His voice was soft but there was just something about it that I didn’t fully like and it threw me off my zone a few times. I also never fully experienced multiple moments of just plain silence with your eyes closed. It felt like I was entering another world and imagining a place with just peace and comfort. Also the best part is I kept my room dark, I lit up a candle, put the fan on low and put on my noise cancelling headphones. Personally out of all the different variation...

I had a Full Body Yoga class taught by Sarah Beth Yoga today. It was a thirty-minute video on Youtube. Working on my versatility and power was the emphasis. She expressed doing the asanas while breathing with any shift as well. I also wanted to mimic the sacred space and allow a great space of breathing. I decided to go to my balcony where the sun was shining and there were bird chirping, plants around me. I could taste the fresh clean air going in my body.

I wanted to take a 20 minute lesson for this week's yoga class that concentrated on opening the body to relax muscles and preparing you to start your day. I feel like the past few weeks yoga has been kicking my butt. Kassandra was appointed the lecturer of this class. I felt very welcome and secure right at the beginning of the lesson. The sound of Kassandra's voice was very passive and hospitable. The class as a whole was incredibly friendly and easy to keep up with. I'd say this was probably a class of beginners style, the movements used were fairly straight forward, and I had no trouble executing any of the included movements. The pace was slower and more comfortable for this class than the other classes I have taken. I feel a lot more relaxed taking part and keeping up with this class's flow. In addition, Kassandra not only mentioned the name of the movements, but also explained how to carry them out and what aspects to think on while making the movements. I noticed...

  I exercised this week alongside a 20-minute YouTube video posted by Yoga With Adriene called Full Body Flow.. There was a combination of calmness and rush to this practice. I was unable to do any of the poses at some times because they were a bit difficult, but then there were moments when I could relax and breath a little. Depending of what you ask or where in the world you ask, the concept of yoga varies. In the United States, yoga is used more as a workout and a means to get into shape than as a spiritual experience that binds one to one's mind and body. Personally, if I need a break from life and really want to relax and breath, I see yoga as an exercise to be performed. 'I do yoga to kill anything that weighs me down, and to get free from it. But yoga has always been something broad it has never had a true meaning, it's more like what you decide to take yoga as and what it means to you type of definition. Personally I also like taking classes more in live than lookin...

  Today's yoga session was supervised by Jen Kretzer, who practiced shivananda. As I am a visual learner and perfectionist, I was relieved that she practiced with us while simultaneously facilitating the lesson. Because of this I was confident of performing my pose. This was my first time doing shivananda practice. I was exposed to new facets of yoga such as methods of pranayama that I had not realized existed as the open/close breathing of the nostril. I can honestly say that it is my favorite so far, now that I have encountered shivananda. I'm not sure if it was this kind of yoga itself or Jen's teaching, or both, but I was  interested in the class. To further explore my new found choice, I am interested in taking another shivananda class. I appreciated the cohesion of the series in which we practiced. Jen started the technique of pranayama, followed by a warm up. This time around the feeling of easing into the exercise allowed for a stronger quality of experience. Next w...

Because of the non-traditional style of yoga that is now practiced, the root of yoga can no longer be found in the West. Yoga started with the primary aim of a higher power link. Channeling that greater force was coupled with mantras and rituals for yogis by individual acts or lack of them austerities to serve as a vessel for the worshipped deity. A change from this conventional culture to counter culture, and now to pop culture, has taken place over time. I don't have to be removed from a yoga session to make assumptions about it while living in America. Yoga is used on different sites. Entertainment by films, advertisements and yoga showcases on television. There is no feeling of being aware when yoga is referenced in the media or used for advertising. It is expected that Americans will know about yoga at this point. For this lack of knowledge, the manner in which its popularity is displayed as a well-known lifestyle is responsible. Yoga has been carried out in the West by modern...