Sivananda Practice

    Yoga has become widely popularized in the past years, largely based around the idea of white women who shop at lululemon and don't have jobs. Yoga is quite the opposite than that idea and it was not until I took this class that I began to understand this idea. Yoga is largely based around the idea of worship all to reach the greater self without even considering the thought of doing it for anyone but yourself. In recent years, this idea of yoga has transitioned from a ritual practice for the soul to doing it for the appearance of being considered a “yogi.” 
    Yoga in america has formed a stigma around who is and who is not fit to practice, when in reality it is for anyone who is looking to reach a place in their body they have never found. The stigma has deterred people away from the practice, all because they believe they are not fit when in reality they have no idea. I mentioned it to my mom last week that she should consider sitting in on some of my practices and her response was, more or less, “I am not fit for it.” She didn't even realize that yoga does not need to be practiced by the twig blonde women who don't have jobs, it is indeed for everybody, regardless of any factor. It can be practiced in a way that fills in for exercise or it can be a method of relaxation focusing on breathing. Yoga has made this stigma that has caused certain people of all types to be deterred from the practice. I believe yoga should be for everybody who wants to find themselves. 
    This week, we practiced class yoga with a woman named Jenn Kretzner. She taught the basics of Sivananda yoga. This form of yoga was similar to that of ashtanga considering it made me sweat about 3 poses in. I did however notice it was a bit slower than ashtanga and emphasized on the idea of resting positions to rejuvenate in a sense. I felt as though this form of yoga was a combination of the other ones we have practiced as a class. Relaxed, but still hard work. I enjoyed this practice more than ashtanga because I did not feel rushed by each breath to accomplish each position individually. This week, my second yoga practice immediately followed the class yoga practice. I focused on a meditative style rather than a physically demanding one. This helped to relax my mind and wind down from the first practice. Overall, this week's practice was successful.