Weekly Journal #12

Kaitlyn Gonzalez 

Weekly Journal 12 

GIS-4636-091

December 6, 2020 

    In the West, I think that yoga is taught semi-spiritual practice. I think that a lot of teachers in the West take the things that they like from eastern yoga spirituality, and pick and choose what they want to express and teach to others. They take the parts that make yoga marketable, the promises that yoga is supposed to bring you if you practice enough with them. Also, I think that when you take a class sometimes teachers connect the poses to spirituality, saying things like "connecting to the earth" "feeling the energy around you" but these are pretty vague statements and do not go into depth about spirituality. On the other hand, I think that yoga in the East is connected more to spirituality and teaching it as a spiritual practice. Even the way that young yogis learn, is to follow someone and have a guru, which proves the point further of how it is more of a lifestyle and spiritual practice.  The way it is taught and the way it is practiced is very different from how it is here. Yoga and the spirituality behind it wrap around the person that they are teaching in a way and that you learn all of the lifestyle changes as well. There is no true definition of yoga, wherever you go, but I think that even in the many ways that yoga is practiced around the world, I think that even small aspects of it are connected to the spirituality and history of yoga. Even if it is telling the class to connect with themselves more or connecting to the earth around us.

    When it comes to my practice space, I do not think that there is one true definition when it comes to spirituality. In my opinion, spirituality for me and my practice space is connecting with the world around you, your body, and your soul. These are some of the things that truly drew me to begin practicing yoga, the ease of mind, and the connection that I feel when I practice. I don't know if it's a placebo effect or just a figment of my imagination, but I do feel closer to the earth. Yoga makes me feel more connected to the roots of the world around me and is able to clear my mind and not focus on all the other stuff going on. You are able to feel the stretches and just focusing on that sensation alone can bring peace. When doing my practice, small things like the teacher saying  "feel yourself connect to the earth" "or clear your mind" and things of that nature, I think these are small ways that spirituality is expressed in my practice space. 

    For this week, I've decided to explore different types of yoga. This week I did a Kemetic yoga practice, which is an Egyptian-originated practice that focuses more on breathing and the mind-body-spirit connection. In this class, I noticed that some of the poses that I had known prior were called different things. For example, the classic cat/cow pose was referred to as something else. Nevertheless, I think that this practice was more grounded and slow, and you were able to focus on the sensation of the stretch, and your breathing. I've noticed that as I have been practicing my limbs and muscles are feeling more lose, and I feel as though I am able to move more freely through the world. 

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey0-Oi9ygsU

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