Final Journal Reflection

     Throughout the course of this class, I learned a great deal of information not only about the practice of yoga, but about myself as well. To be quite honest, when I decided to take this class, I was not entirely sure what to expect or what I would get out of it. I thought that we would just be completing different yoga practices whenever we met for class and reflecting on it. In addition, I considered taking this class for the physical aspects of it, but I am so happy to have gained a lot more than just this. I most definitely was misinformed about the whole topic of yoga. In addition, I have come to that realization that the Western practices have skewed the practice of yoga.

    Over the course of our class lectures, including the documentaries,  I have learned that yoga in the East is vastly different than the West. Their intentions and purpose of their practices has its differences. Yoga in the West is viewed more commonly as this physical practice. In fact, many yoga instructors/ practitioners are unaware of the origins of what they teach. The Western ways acquire some of the Eastern practices, however, the West has taken the marketable aspects of it. Yoga in the West is offered in in an array of methods and practices, and people just go their yoga class weekly and part ways after. Yoga in the West is more commonly known to focus on the health and fitness aspect and is viewed as this lifestyle to stay fit. On the other hand, the Eastern practices intentions for the yoga is to reach enlightenment and leave their daily sufferings. These yogis are extremely dedicated and leave their daily lives to reach this higher power. I feel that used to be viewed as a calling, but now, it is considered a lifestyle. In addition, I feel that because yogis here in the West practice yoga without even knowing its roots, therefore culturally appropriating it. Although this is the case, I feel that I also appropriated yoga, considering I viewed yoga as just a physical practice.

    In the beginning, I was only practicing yoga weekly, solely to complete the journals required. However, after just 2-3 weeks of this class, I realized how much yoga can really help both my body and mind. Now, my lifestyle and routine has changed drastically. I have been completing at least 30 minutes of yoga daily and it has made a huge difference in my body. Furthermore, after gaining all this knowledge and how there is more to yoga than just the physical benefits of it, I started to work on my spirituality within my practice.With some of the yoga practices I followed on youtube as well as the practices we completed in class, I worked on focusing on the present and my inner peace. I struggled with the breathing techniques in the beginning, but slowly but surely, I was able to really focus on the parts of my body that held a lot of stress. Whether I completed a yoga practice in the morning or at night, I was able to release the tension I had in my body daily. 

    Although I do not think I will be able to reach enlightenment and that deep connection many gurus have reached in the East, I feel that I have gained a stronger bond with myself. I feel that my self awareness has greatly improved for the better and it has really helped me manage my stress. I constantly heard from others that yoga has improved their mental health, but I never really understood how until experiencing it myself. I think that prior to practicing yoga daily, I constantly was too worried about future assignments or future tasks I had to complete, where I neglected the present and all the positive things I have now. I was too invested into the future where I neglected to see what I have right in front of me. However, this mentality has drastically changed for me now. I view these tasks and to do lists of mine with a more positive mindset, which also helped me increase my energy levels as well as improving my moods. As for the physical benefits, it definitely helped with tensions I had in my body and my flexibility. I was able to better my posture with the practices I completed, which helped with the tensions and heavy amounts of stress, most especially with my upper back and neck area. However, I feel that this change of mindset did not occur for me right away. Just like the gurus in the East, reaching enlightenment can take years or even a lifetime. I think that there is always room for improvement, and that this will be a constant process I will need to work on daily. 

    The pandemic definitely has given me many limitations to experience the practice of yoga to its fullest potential. I was not able to have the sense of community, like being able to go to yoga studios and being able to gain a connection with individuals and physically meet people who have the same interests as myself. Instead, my yoga practices consisted of watching youtube videos with my roommates in our own apartment. Although I was able to practice with my classmates, the sense of community was hard to mimic through zoom. However, given the circumstances, I tried to achieve and experience a sense of community as best as possible. I tried creating a ritual space where I was able to focus on the most. This includes not only clearing my intentions mentally, but also physically. I like to have a clean and somewhat organized environment, while also lighting a candle and having a window open for some fresh air. 

    To conclude, there were so many things I learned about the roots and origins of yoga. I genuinely am happy to say that it is a part of my daily routine. I have incorporated yoga into my self care routine, by making sure to set some time aside for myself and allow myself to destress and release all the tensions and stress in my body. This class helped me with my self awareness as well as my self growth, which has also increased my energy levels and moods. Although the physical benefits were great, such as the tensions and flexibility, I am more focused about the internal benefits yoga has given me. I plan on continuing my daily yoga practices even after this class is over.  Although I have not reached that sensation of pure bliss and serenity, I hope to one day.