Week 9

     This week I took a forty-five-minute yoga class on youtube. It was a total body yoga-deep stretch class taught by yoga with Adriene. She taught the class well with a calm and welcoming tone. The way she transitioned the asanas made them easier to perform. She also emphasized breathing in and out while in an asana and explain the physiological benefits and reasons. By doing yoga often, I have noticed an increase in my flexibility.

    This change in flexibility has helped me enjoy my yoga practice further. While yoga is more than a physical practice, as a beginner it feels nice to be able to go deeper into an asana. Before working on my pranayama, I would like to have a solid foundation in my asanas and alignment. So being able to reach certain postures and bending forward more is an amazing feeling. Just through nine weeks of practicing, I have noticed such a change. 

    I want my yoga practice to not only be a physical experience but a mental one as well. It has helped relieve me of my stressors for the day and helped focus my thinking. At this moment, I think I am primarily focused on the asanas and physical aspects of my practice. I would like to just give myself into the practice and work on my mental health through it, but it's a process. I feel as though many other Westerns practice for the same reasons I do. For the physical and mental aspect of yoga. Overall, it has been improving my life significantly.