Weekly Journal 4

  Kaitlyn Gonzalez 

Weekly Journal 4

GIS-4636-091

October 6, 2020


When it came to Bikram yoga, I think that it has changed my perspective on the question if yoga is more framed as an exercise. For Bikram yoga, it seemed to move a little fast and was hard to keep up with catching up with the poses. What made Bikram yoga different from other yoga classes I have taken in the past is the fact that the teacher didn't show what she was doing throughout. She spoke to us directly and named out the poses, and then we were to follow the poses that she called out. For someone who is new to practicing yoga, this can be difficult if you don't know some of the names of the poses. 

    Nevertheless, I was able to look at other people practicing on Zoom and was able to follow some of the poses that I didn't know. We did a lot of back and neck stretches, which was really helpful considering most of us are sitting at a computer every day. On the flip side though, Diane Polli, our instructor for this Bikram yoga, still explained how each pose impacted our bodies and how it helped our bodies. She put a focus on bringing air and energy into our bodies, which I feel helped us energize for the poses we were about to do. Prior to this, I have never done Bikram yoga and have only heard of it. 

    In some instances, I believe that yoga can be more framed as exercise. For different types of yoga, it can be more connected to the spirituality of yoga versus the physical practice of yoga. For example, one of the forms of yoga we saw in Enlighten Up was laughing yoga. I would say that this is more connected to the spirituality of yoga, rather than the physical aspect. This just goes to show how diverse yoga and its definitions around the world can be. For one part of the world, yoga can be viewed as a spiritual practice that is able to ground you and connect you to your higher self. On the other hand, yoga can be viewed as merely a physical practice that someone does once a week to get more flexible. 

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