Looking At The Positive: Post #3

Unfortunately this week I am not happy with my learning outcome! I can say that I definitely did not get the yoga time in… and did not fit much time of it in my schedule either. But, I know some weeks I will accomplish more than others. When looking at the positive side of things, I can say that I did accomplish a goal that I set for myself in my last post! If you have been following, my goal was to “learn more about the practice of yoga and its significance” which I did research and find some answers to my questions.

Even though this week lacked in minutes of yoga, I thought that maybe it was important to start from the basics: What is Yoga?

“Yoga is a physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated in ancient India” and  “aims to create union between body, mind and spirit, as well as between the individual self and universal consciousness” (What is Yoga?) 

The importance behind what I found and what differentiates yoga from other activities, is that it uses spirituality in order to practice it. This incorporates the connection between mind and body (mindfulness and awareness), but does not related to any religious practices. This practice involves physical, mental and spiritual determination and without one, it can be difficult to concentrate! This definitely is something I still struggle with and have to work through at least once during my yoga sessions. Often times, I find myself distracted by thoughts or thinking about something I have to do later in the day.

What is the significance of Yoga?

After doing so research, I have found many important reason why yoga is not only significant for our spiritual and mental well-being, but also our physical selves too. Some of Yoga’s benefits include: the relief of stress, inflammation, and anxiety. Although there are many benefits, there are includes many practices and kinds of Yoga. Some focus more on the mind, where others may be more beneficial as stretches or exercises. Here is a great educational site about the benefits of Yoga.

For Next Week:

This week I am striving to do yoga at least 4 different days. I am hoping to see some more flexibility in some of the yoga poses, such as the butterfly forward bend… which seems to feel tight and hard to stretch forward in. I am wanting to incorporate this pose into all my sessions to see if I can notice a slight difference in tension and flexibility. The second goal I have this week is to teach my Before and After School Program kids some yoga! I know a few do yoga as an extracurricular, however I want to put a fun kids yoga video on the projector and show them something new! I will update you and let you know how that goes!