Yoga as Healing (medicine)

Yoga obviously would not be considered a traditional medicine, like antibiotics or ibuprofen, in our culture. Although, that does not mean that it has no medical benefits. At the beginning of each class, Stevee asks us if we have sustained any injuries throughout the week, or if we are having any other problems. Maybe back pain or stress or headaches. A lot of times most people just say no, but every now and then someone will say yes and explain the problem, or ailment. Stevee then tailors the nights class in a manner that will best help with the problem. 
For me personally, I have noticed that since starting the weekly classes my shoulder does not bother me as much, or I guess it isn't as sore as usual would be a better way to put it. I injured it a few years back but my insurance would not cover the physical therapy for it, so it has bothered me ever since. This was not an overnight thing though. Actually, in the beginning, it was more sore than usual, but that was most likely due to the fact that I tend to not use that arm as much because it will start to bother me. Over the past two months though I have noticed a change in the level of soreness and I have actually started using it more than I use to. 
I guess in a way yoga can be used for medicinal purposes. Things like physical therapy or something similar. Honestly, I don't really see many other purposes for a medicine type use despite all the healing stories I have read. 

Ashtanga Yoga

This week in class practice was Ashtanga Yoga. Our instructor's name is Loren Russo. She was really nice and extremely knowledgeable about what she does. Ashtanga seemed to be much more high impact than the other styles I have tried so far. Well with the exception of Bikram of course. I am not very flexible so I found this style to probably be the hardest for me personally. Especially the binding parts because it felt like my arms were just way to short to accomplish what she was demonstrating for us. Getting to see the headstands and some of the other poses that require a very high amount of flexibility was pretty amazing. It was completley different to see someone do them in front of you as opposed to seeing someone do them in a picture or on screen. 
As far as the prompt for this week, yoga practice as community, I feel like having a single class doesn't really allow for a sense of community. Although, the class overall does have a sense of community, or perhaps camaraderie is a better word. Most of us have no idea what we are doing, so that kind of helps us to bond together because we are all falling over and thinking we look stupid together. 

Yoga Practice as Community

The group of people that come to the Tuesday night yoga class at The Lodge is pretty consistent. Occasionally it does fluctuate, and a new face or two may show up or a face may disappear for the week but that does not happen often. I feel like because of this consistency it has allowed for us to have a sense of community. We talk about each others days and classes before and after class. We try to make sure the props are distributed so that everyone has what they need. I also think the fact that the large majority of the people attending are students gives a stronger sense of community as well because that is something that everyone has in common outside the realm of yoga. 
Stevee is also good at making the group feel like a whole as opposed to a bunch of individuals stuck in a room together. She tells us stories about her yoga experiences and also asks us to share if we are comfortable doing so. She asks about our weeks and if we have anything special we would like to do in class that day. 
Overall the atmosphere actually puts me in a better mood when I leave. Especially if I have been having a bad day. Most of these people I only see that one time during the week, but I talk with them in a friendly manner more so than the way I would with an acquaintance. 

Practice as Ritual

This weeks practice was with Stevee at the Lodge again. The space itself does not make for much in the way of ritual in regards to the actual space. Although, you could find ritual in the structuring of the class, the use of the postures (i.e. the order in which they are done), and in the use of various props.Stevee always starts the class with the chanting of Om three times. We then proceed into the set of postures that she has gotten ready for the night. We always end class in a similar manner. We do heart bridge, or something similar, and then the corpse posture. The last thing we do is chant Om one time. In the manner with which Stevee structures her class, the props we use, and the order with which we do the postures, a basis of ritual can be found. It may not be "ritual" in the way most people would see it, but by definition is "a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order" (Webster's Dictionary). Based on that definition I would say there is an obvious ritual feel to the classes regardless of where they are being held. 

Iyengar Yoga

Our in class practice this week was Iyengar yoga. The teacher was Annie Stiver. I enjoyed Annie's class very much. Her personality was very calming and she had a very encouraging manner about her. Getting to use some of the props that I haven't previously had a chance to use yet was also interesting. Some of the poses I was familiar with already from classes with Stevee, so that made things a little easier. Still not so great at the balancing thing, but I'm sure if I decide to stick with this after the semester has ended that will eventually become easier. 
As for this weeks prompt, practice as ritual, it was a little hard to visualize anything as "ritual" in a classroom like our practice was. I guess the best I would be able to say in this regard is the use of the props and the way in which Annie presented everything to us was in a ritual manner. Perhaps a better way to put it would be the way in which Annie structured her class gave it a ritual feel. 

Bikram Yoga

Today in class we did a Bikram yoga practice. Honestly, I really thought I was going to fall and hurt myself or whoever was next to me. Once we got started though it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Although, had it been in an actual studio with the 105°temperatures I'm sure it would not have gone as well. The biggest difference I noticed between this class and the one I normally go to on Tuesday nights was that the teacher did not participate with us. Stevee usually does the poses with us and demonstrates them first. Kris did not demonstrate or participate, which I was told later on is actually standard for a Bikram class. I am not really sure how I felt about that, but Kris himself was a very nice man. He described the poses in sufficient enough detail that I feel like most of us were able to figure out what he wanted. In regards to the physical culture prompt for this week, I did hear a little of that. He kept saying that the postures were good for our digestive systems and how specific postures were good for different kinds of pain in different parts of the body. At the end of the class he even told us about how he first got introduced to Bikram, and about how it helped out with all the pain he had after the first class he attended. Honestly, I am not sure that Bikram is for me. I have shit balance and kept feeling like I was constantly going to topple over. Although, I would definitely like to at least try it in a studio with the heat at least once. 

Yoga as Physical Culture

Physical culture, or empowerment, is very alive within the yoga community based on what I've read and viewed. It makes claims about helping with your health and making your life better overall. We watched a web series called Namaste Bitches and the physical culture was glaringly represented, as well as the over-commercialization. This week I went to the Lodge, and thankfully Stevee is not at all like this. When she was giving us some background on the postures she was getting ready to show us how to do she told us that some teachers say the postures help with wrinkles and will reverse gray hair, among other things. After telling us that she kind of laughed a bit and was like I don't believe any of that. This is one of the reasons that I like going to Stevee's classes. She doesn't make any of the ridiculous claims, and she also demonstrates a secondary way to do the posture (usually including the block) to help if you are having trouble with it the normal way. The question was posed, "Why not run, or do zumba?", well, I feel like for awhile zumba was the big craze. Dance away those extra pounds, lose that extra weight in a fun way, blah blah blah. As for the actual physical culture of it, I can't presume to have much knowledge of. At the height maybe there was some to an extent, but I don't think that it would be like yoga for one reason. Zumba has no roots in a religious or spiritual history nor does running. Yoga, on the other hand, does. Its common place for miracles to go hand and hand with religious or spiritual happenings, so for yoga it makes sense that if you do these specific postures it is going to make you stay younger longer. 

The Studio as Ritual Space (Part 2)

I know I did one post for this week, but I felt like this prompt deserved a little more attention. In order to do that I got up early Saturday morning and went over to Vaikunth Hindu Jain Temple. The teacher is Stevee. The same woman who runs the class on Tuesday nights at the Lodge. That made me feel a little more comfortable since I already know somewhat what I was walking into. 
This space had a much more ritual feel to it. I mean it is in a temple after all. We entered through the front of the temple, and then through a very large open area that led to a set of steps. We did pass by the area that looked like religious services were held, but I wasn't sure of the etiquette so I didn't want to just wander over and take a look. From what I could see through the open door though it was a beautiful space. 
The area used for the class is up a set of steps. The room itself was on the larger side, but not altogether huge, and had the leftover smell of previously burnt incense. There were strings of pennants hanging on each of the longer walls. A small table with a picture of what I can only assume was, or is, a guru. There were a few other items on the table, so perhaps it was meant to be a tiny altar of some sort.The one long wall had multiple windows, which was the only light we used during the class. The floor was carpeted in a neutral earth tone, and the walls were white. The walls had many pictures hanging, and from what I saw the pictures were mostly of nature scenes like flowers. In the window sills were vases filled with plastic flowers. On the wall across from where the small table was sitting was a painted (or possible decal) symbol of some kind. Also, there were a few dishes that were obviously for the burning of incense. There were a few out of place items, and you could tell that the temple was using some of the space for storage, but it honestly wasn't a very big issue since the rest of the room was decorated. 
There was a much better atmosphere, at least to me, in this room than there is in the Lodge. There was the loud ticking of a clock that I thought would end up driving me crazy, but it ended up being quite the opposite. It ended up having almost a white noise effect which was rather relaxing. The people in attendance also made a difference I think. They were all older women, and a few men, as opposed to all young students. These folks actually did the loud breathing and participated in the chanting. The students don't usually do any of that. I guess they feel like maybe they'll sound stupid, but either way, it made a big difference in the overall atmosphere of the class. 
All in all, I enjoyed the class at the temple and would like to definitely go back again. I'd also like to try a few other places/teachers as the semester goes on. 

The Studio as Ritual Space

This week I went to Stevee's class at the Lodge again. It's really hard to equate the Lodge with "sacred space", but I guess you have to work with what you get. Honestly, it might say something about how yoga is seen in our culture by the way that it's relegated to a random room that doesn't even have full privacy. Stevee does her best to make the space a more relaxing environment. She dims the lights, and does encourage all those in attendance to move closer to the front, or rather the area where she has set up her mat. Much of the atmosphere that is created can be credited soley to her, and the manner with which she uses her voice. Unfortuntely, it really does end with that. The kitchen workers don't shut the slide down window all the way so they can at any point just look through and stare at the individuals in the class. They also play music and have conversations very loudly. This does make it quite hard to consentrate, clear your mind, and remain in the moment. Yet again, you work with what you have I guess. Decorations wise there's not much to work with either. With the exception of mats, blocks, etc. which can't actually be considered decorations there is nothing within the room that would even hint at a yoga studio. Obviously this is because its a borrowed, or better yet a shared space. Due to that fact it would make it quite hard to decorate and give the room a more spiritual and ritualistic feel to it. Even with all these problems I do try my best to ignore the distractions from the other room. I've found this is done best for me by just focusing on my breathing and Stevee's voice, and then kind of zoning into those two things for the duration of the class.