Yoga Practice

The ideal way to learn yoga is by going to a yoga class or by one-on-one instruction. Next best is to be shown examples of yoga and then trying them on your own by watching a video or watching it on television.

Since this is an internet-based course, some of you won't be able to come to the yoga class that I put on for you. But you can still learn to do yoga on your own from right here.

There are many places on the web to learn more about yoga. A great overview of yoga can be found by going to this website:

http://healthology.com/search.asp?keyword=yoga

Once there, click on the first listing titled "An Introduction to Yoga." You will get a "webcast" of an interview between some interview person and 2 people who are apparently interested in yoga. If you can't get the webcast (due to limitations in your computer), you can view the transcript. I found this to be a very nice overview of yoga. It answers many questions for people have who have never encountered yoga before, but sense an interest to learn more about it.

Having viewed that webcast, I must add here that yoga is something that can't be learned intellectually. You can't learn yoga by talking and reading about it any more than you can learn how to swim without getting into the water and learning how. So we must make this a "doing" experience as best we can, but you will have to do it in your workout clothes ... not sitting at your computer.

You will use your textbook as the basis for learning some common yoga poses. Go to chapter 22 and read through the chapter. Toward the end of chapter 22 you will find pictures of some very common yoga poses (there are a whole bunch more in addition to these).

You will also find value by going to the following websites to work through this assignment.

http://www.santosha.com/asanas/

http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/index.cfm?ctsrc=hg7

On 2 separate occasions during this week you are to experiment with at least 10 different poses (and more is better) according to the directions at the two websites and chapter 22 of your text.

My suggestion is that you disregard your fears, your misconceptions, and your perceived limitations about stretching and go for it, to your level. Follow the guidelines, tips and pointers for proper yoga in the textbook as you do these. I strongly urge you to try (amongst the 10 that you do) the following: (and it's even better if you do more of them)

• Standing forward bend

• Triangle pose

• Thunderbolt

• Downward Dog

• Child’s pose

• Head to the Knee

• Spinal Twist

• Bridge

• Belly Turning pose

• Sun Salute (Be sure to follow this carefully as it is a series of sequential poses.)

• Corpse pose (always end with this one)

It may help to copy the instructions and print them out or work with a partner.

Realize that there are an enormous number of poses and variations to each one. These are just a few common ones and a great start to a life of great yoga.

Using your word processor, please answer the following questions in relation to your practice:

1. Which poses did you choose each time?

2. Which did you find difficult, easy, impossible?

3. How did you feel before, during and after doing the yoga sessions?

4. After actually doing yoga, describe how your perceptions have changed from what you perceived yoga to be before you did your sessions.