Week 11

     This week I performed a 30-minute yoga class with Fightmaster Yoga on youtube again. The class was called Ashtanga Yoga Body Workout (30-minute flow) for inner peace. I truly enjoyed this class taught by her and may continue to use it for my Ashtanga Yoga practice. Not only did I do a yoga practice, but I was also able to practice a meditative class.

    This class was taught by Marcello Spinella who is a professor at Stockton University. Before starting the class, he gave a small lecture about the brain and meditation. He then guided us through a thirty-minute meditation. We focused on our bodies and the space our bodies are in. 

    While meditation is often included during savasana at the end of yoga practice, this was the first time I performed purely meditation. It was different from what I experienced in yoga practice. During savasana, the point in my meditative practice is to relax after performing the asanas. However, today I had specific things I needed to focus on. Meditation is already difficult for me, and today showed how I really struggle with it. I had a difficult time focusing for such a long period of time and found my mind wandering often. 

    However, after performing the meditation, I felt such a sense of peace and calmness. I feel that if I continue to work on my meditation, I will be able to stay in that mindset for longer without being distracted. Like in the Vipassana video I watched, prisoners had mentioned that the first few times were difficult. As they continued to do it, it became easier and they had an enlightening experience. I hope to achieve that experience through practice. I will incorporate separate meditative practices after my yoga practices.