Reflect on your practice of yoga in relation to Radha’s images of the philosophy of yoga and its animal roots (and the rest of the course readings). All of the asanas you practice are named in groups: animals, plants, birds and structures. As you move from one asana to another, your body tells you where you are holding tensions, where you are protecting yourself and where you are open to forge connections with others. Observe some of the images that arise in your minds, connected with the practice of, let’s say, tree, cobra or camel. For instance, as you practice the simple and foundational mountain pose, you might reflect: What is a mountain? What is to be high, to rise up? What is it to be like a mountain, to see in the distance? What do I feel when I stand still and just be? How do I endure through time? What lasts? Did the practice of mountain bring me to a more elevated place within myself, willing to take a stand for what I consider valuable? Willing to “think” like Leopold’s mountain? Did the practice bring me into union of body, mind and the outside world?
Did the movement between different life forms –dog, cow, fish, tree –sensitize me that the world is a place that I share with other living creatures? That all life is sacred or valuable? Did the intensification of my ability to listen to my body also open up such attentiveness to what other animal or plant bodies experience or have to say? Did it prompt me to reflect on the degree to which I share certain physical capacities with or belong to other animals’ environments?
The above questions provide an illustration of one way to approach the assignment. Each human body is different and as you are listening to your own bodies during your yoga practice your journeys of self-exploration will be different.
Please, specify the style of yoga as well as the location of your practice. Your responses are due by midnight on April 5. I look forward to reading them. Namaste!
SD 3800 Voices in Sustainable Development 
I started practicing yoga when I was twelve years old. I turned to yoga on and off throughout the years until I really buckled down last year when enrolling in a yoga teacher training program. I now teach at a studio in Carrollwood and also at the recreation center on campus. I chose to attend a class in Ybor city at the museum. They offer donation based hatha/vinyasa classes every Saturday morning. I chose that place because it is operated by the YogaLoft, and that’s where I received my certification so I know that they really know their stuff. Normally, my yoga is like a moving meditation, but this time I paid attention to the poses more carefully. Whenever I am in vrksasana, or tree pose, I picture a strong tree rooted to the earth. Sometimes I’ll sway my arms back and forth, picturing a rhythmic tree swaying in the breeze. Other poses, such as padmasana, or lotus pose, I’ll sit there and picture a lotus flower rising from the mud in the water. I view that as a symbol of overcoming hardships and rising above the negativity and darkness. I paid careful attention to ustrasana, or camel pose. Uddiyana bandha, or drawing the navel in and up, is normally engaged in backbends to prevent crunching in the lower back (along with various other reasons, such as moving kundalini up the spine), which caused me to move slowly and work into the pose. I imagined the shape of a camel’s back as I bent back. The pose is a major heart opener as well, so I also made sure to feel each second of the pose fully. I’ve noticed that sometimes when I teach, people dislike tadasana, or mountain pose, and just want to flow through it but sometimes I’ll have them stand there for a few breaths and just feel. I really ground myself to the earth and just be in this pose. I’m not sure what drew me to yoga at such a young age, but I stuck with it because I was always very easily stressed and the poses seemed to help with that. Now, I practice yoga for a variety of reasons. I practice the yamas, niyamas, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, and (eventually) samadhi, along with, of course, the asanas. Those are the entire eight limbs that make up yoga. It is much more than the poses to me; however, I do love the asanas because I feel a thousand times better afterwards. I enjoy practicing in nature as I feel more connected with my surroundings and the life within and around. My favorite place to practice yoga with others is definitely at the Ybor museum on Saturday mornings. The people are amazing and the location is outside, under a canopy of trees.
On Tuesday March 31, 2015 I attended the “hot healthy hour yoga” class at the Asana Yoga of Brandon. I have attended other yoga classes sporadically throughout the past few years, but have not dedicated myself to attended classes on a regular basis. I choose to participate in a hot yoga class because the elevated temperature is aimed to help alleviate stress and during my past experiences, this has been achieved. Meditation has not been an easy practice for me, often I have challenges when it comes to turning off my mind and setting aside my other stressors. I find myself becoming easily distracted with other pressing priorities when I attempt to turn off my mind. This often occurs when I am trying to sleep as well, which the practice of yoga has worked as a remedy for others with this issue. At the beginning of the class I found myself thinking about work, school due dates, and other tasks. My distractions mostly occurred while I was in the lotus position, but eventually I was able to force myself to focus on the heat and pay attention to how my body was reacting to the elevating temperatures. I related the sweat from the heat to the water of which the lotus flower floats upon and was able to relax my mind by thinking about the serene environment of which types of bodies of water these flowers float upon. I did not focus on the yoga reading until after attending the yoga class, as I was reading Radna’s piece about the lotus pose I was comforted to know that I was not the only one who struggled to reach a level of meditation. She speaks of how the flower grows up through muddy water, which imposes a resistance and struggle that the flower must work through in order to bloom. It was interesting to see that my issue is not isolated and that meditation requires practice and is not always attainable. During the Gomukhasana, or the cow pose I did not in any way associate myself with a cow. I do however believe this pose was one of the most relaxing poses and relieved the most tension. I typically carry all of my stress in my back and greatly throughout my shoulders. While in this pose I could feel my tension melting away and my body becoming more relaxed the longer this pose was held. The reading points out the value of the cow through the many ways cows can provide nourishment. The thought of butter was the only way I could relate to the animal in this pose, because of how relaxed it made my body feel. Shifting to the Vrikshana or the tree pose I tried to focus myself to relate to a tree as much as possible. I pictured myself in a trees natural setting, standing tall, with strong roots to bind it to the earth. Whenever I could not relax my mind in this pose I thought of those distractions as animals, such as birds, who land on trees momentarily, then I pictured them flying away to represent my other thoughts leaving for the time being and get back to focusing on the tree. This pose was challenging in the sense that I could not fully clear my mind, but I was able to quiet myself enough to feel as if I was in natural setting of the tree. I found this pose also relieving as I imagined my head as a treetop stretching towards the skies. From this pose we transitioned into the Bhuujanasana or cobra pose. I absolutely hate snakes so I immediately pictured myself back in cheerleading practice, which we used as a stretch prior to beginning practice. Throughout the time in this pose I was very anxious to move on to the next because I the instructor kept referring to the “cobra” which I greatly despise. Due to my dislike with this animal I could feel by body becoming more tense and increasing greatly in temperature. I did find peace and relaxation through distracting myself by imaging being elsewhere. I was relieved when we transitioned in to the lion pose. Again, I forced myself to think of a lion, being strong and dominant. I pictured myself being in the lion’s natural habitat in the plains of Africa, the heat of the room aided in being able to relate to their environment. My mind was completely at ease in this pose, as I imagined a lion freely roaming the land. My body and mind were both in sequence with letting go of the surroundings as I became very in touch with nature. I was surprised that I was able to achieve such level of meditation in this pose. I would have to label this pose as my second favorite.
I enjoyed taking the yoga class and believe that with more practice and repetition I would be able to achieve the meditative state with more ease. The heat of the room definitely helped me relieve stress and feel refreshed when the class was complete. My body and mind both felt relaxed and left me with a clear head. The class brought me more in touch with nature, my surroundings, and myself. After the class I felt that yoga is a great way to relieve stress and release negative tension that comes with daily life tasks.
On Sunday, March 29th I participated in a core focused yoga class with my sorority outside on the lawn outside of the sorority house during the evening. Throughout the last five years I have taken plenty of yoga classes and have always greatly enjoyed them because of how relaxing they are. I have never taken a class outside though. It was a wonderful change that really helped me connect with nature.
Listening to the chirping of birds and the soft breeze during the downward dog pose made it easier for me to put myself in the right mindset as we moved from pose to pose. Not only was I more connected with myself as I meditated, I also thought more about the union between humans and nature as I moved from just asana. While stretching out in the grass I considered the names of all the different poses and how each animal plays a part in the world. All life is sacred and we must all work together to take care of it. Yoga helps us not only take care of our own bodies, but helps us understand on a more personal level just how important the world around us is. All of nature influences us in ways we don’t typically think of.
As a whole, I really enjoyed taking a yoga class. Going in to the class with the perspective of truly finding myself one with nature instead of doing the poses solely for a workout or to make myself relaxed really changed the experience for me. Being outside instead of in a gym also helped in that being outside is a much better way to experience the outside world and help me connect with it.
This morning, Saturday April 4th, I visited The Lotus Pond in Carrollwood; since I have not had any experience with yoga I took the beginners yoga class with instructor Danielle, a high school teacher. I must admit I did not know what to expect since all I’ve seen on yoga has been on television. Once I arrived there it was like a small forest with many trees, at the door you see many shoes, and I did not want to leave my shoes just yet. The receptionist greeted me and I explained to her my reason for the class and my first experience with yoga. She explained what I should I expect and waited for the class. Right from the start the environment seemed relaxing with music playing and incense aroma surrounding the room. Once the instructor arrived I grabbed a free mat, I did leave my sandals on a shelf. I met Danielle and we spoke of the assignment and she mentioned we would be doing some of the asanas. The room as well was filled with relaxing music and the view from where I was standing in the front of the class was beautiful, with trees, a pond and birds singing. As the class began I could feel myself feeling relaxed and was looking at and listening to the instructor. Some of the asanas we did were the cat cow, butterfly or Badakonasa, Adho mokha svanansa-downward facing, mountain pose or Tadasana, the tree or Vriksasana- which your feet are rooted and your upper body reaching out like branches, Danavasana-staff pose stems of lotus flower which roots down and upper body comes above the water, and lastly the sunbird- the balancing pose, I did not balance well, and these are to name a few.
In reflection of the reading “Hatha Yoga” by Swami Sivananda Radha and its descriptive writing of the poses such as the cobra, eagle, tree, and lotus I can now say I experienced some asanas. His writing shows the connection of the animal pose with human emotions, how cultures view these animals and how they are seen such as the eagle a symbol of power and victory. Yoga seems to connect the physical body with certain characteristics of the animal and nature with human thought. It brings a coexisting with the animal world when you actually move your body in poses which relate to an animal or nature. For example the dog pose it reminded me of watching my friend’s dog stretching his body. The tree pose also brings a look into nature and I could look out at the window and looked at the trees and see how beautiful they are. Even though I did not experience the spiritual connection as many do who have done yoga for many years, it did give me a perspective of the connection we as humans have with the natural and the animal world. We coexist together in one world we share and it gives you the sense of respect towards them. It truly was a relaxing experience and did not think my body could actually do the movements but I found myself feeling physically well and mentally relaxed.
I took my yoga class at The Y in New Tampa, and the style was vinyasa.
What I enjoyed the most was starting with sun salutations. The salutations made me feel warm, just like I do when I’m standing in the sun, and it also helped to calm and relax me so that I was prepared for the class at hand. I also enjoyed doing mountain pose, because I felt strong and mighty like a mountain. In our class we used mountain pose a lot, and I liked the fact that there was such strength to the routine.
I also enjoyed the animal poses, particularly cat and cow. The difference between the two is very small, with one where you arch your back and the other you bend it. The differences between the feelings of the pose what was the most interesting. With cat you arch your back, which reminded me of what a cat does when it is trying to defend itself. I felt connected to what a cat was thinking, and I felt in many ways like a cat myself. With cow you bend your back and tilt your face forwards, which reminded me of how a cow looks when it is hungry. I grew up next to cows my whole life, so I enjoyed feeling like I was on the other side of the fence with them.
Another pose that wasn’t necessarily part of nature that I enjoyed was chair pose. I liked the complexity and balance that the pose required, and that it did in fact help connect me to nature. Chairs are generally made from wood, which is a substance found in nature. The complexity of the pose helped me to connect the complexity of the process a tree goes under to become a chair. I felt a chain and circle of connections because of that pose, and it helped me to gain more out of the experience.
Overall I truly enjoyed my experience with a yoga class. I had taken classes previously but it had been a while. I was excited to return to the class and be able to relax and enjoy the movements and the music played in the background. I also really enjoyed being able to connect what I have learned in class so far with the positions used in yoga, because I had never previously seen the connection.
During my freshman year here at USF, I did yoga once a week with my friends and I found it to be very enjoyable. I usually go to Hatha yoga or Pilates here at the USF Rec center. I started back doing yoga my senior year because my back problems became unbearable. I thought yoga would help strengthen my core and most importantly, my back. I have always found the soft music playing and easy movements to be very soothing to me. But for this assignment, I took time to think about each movement and how it relates to the earth. Not only does yoga help strengthen and tone your body, it helps you to connect with the earth. Each asana teaches me a lesson that helps me connect with others and the earth. The tree pose reminds me of a being a root of a solid tree. The mountain pose urges me to think I am on top of a mountain; I am tall and strong. Doing yoga helps me to reflect on that all life is sacred and valuable. Taking the time out to consider the different poses, helped me think of yoga in a different perspective.
I was very hesitant to attend a yoga session at first, I do not consider myself flexible in any sense nor did I have any real understanding of what yoga really meant. I dragged a friend of mine with me on April 1st to experience this with me, we attended a yoga session at the USF gym that focused on Ashtanga yoga. I was told that this specific type of yoga focuses on a specific sequence of postures, which are linked through movement and breathing. I was also told that it was a basic session that would prepare me for future yoga if I so desired. The unique aspects of this type of yoga included engagement of the internal locks and deep breathing, which are used to assist the regulation of the flow of energy or life force throughout the body. And as I went through the session I could recognize the common themes of energy and life force. Ashtanga is an athletic flow combining strength, flexibility and stamina for a complete practice. And was far more detailed than whatever I had expected out of a yoga course. I was told that yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual practice. I requested that day’s session be based on the environment to best relate it to this course, what I came to find is that yoga naturally has a great deal of environmental roots. This can be found in the poses, the mentality, and even the way energy and life force plays a role. The raw animalistic nature of yoga helped me connect better to the ideals of what nature really is and how much of a part of nature humanity is. The majority of other students actively participate in to better themselves in those areas to achieve relaxation and peace. And I was highly encouraged to continue attending yoga to best see the results of how it could impact my life and my health. One student afterwards even told me of the many studies that have tried to determine the effectiveness of yoga as a treatment for cancer, schizophrenia, asthma, heart disease, and a multitude of other ailments. And after the session I could see how someone would think that. After the session I felt more relaxed, calmer, and had more energy throughout the day. My experience with yoga will continue with me throughout life as I learned a great deal about mentally building up my tension and letting it go. I think that more people should experiment with topics like yoga for their own wellbeing as I would probably never have done it if it were not for this course.
I was unable to attend a yoga class due to unexpected circumstances. As an alternative, I practiced alongside several online videos at home. The first video clip I watched was Rodney Yee’s yoga for beginners. He practiced vinyasa yoga. Most of the clips started with a sun salutation sequence that included the following positions: mountain, flat back, lunge, plank, cobra, and downward facing dog. I found this routine to be very intensive since I had never participated in a yoga session before. My lack of flexibility also made it difficult to maintain certain poses like the downward facing dog. My body broke into sweat at the three minute mark. After five minutes, I took a water break. I realize the pace of the video was too fast. For the second attempt, I paused the video several times before the instructor moved to a new pose. Now at my own pace, I was able to recognize the connection between each movement and my breathing pattern. While in each pose, I reflected on Hatha Yoga’s questions to understand the relationship with the pose and object.
I began in the mountain pose. I was instructed to inhale deeply as I spread my arms out and moved them together above my head. I slowly exhaled as I moved my arms down to my sides. I felt taller and longer as the muscles in my arm lengthen. My lungs began to open up and I could feel the flow of energy from my nose to my lungs and then to the rest of my body. I closed my eyes and pictured wind blowing on the side of a luscious, green mountain. Still in the mountain pose, I abstractly viewed mountains as a living entity by adopting James Lovelock’s organismic perspective of the Earth. I imagined a mountain taking a deep breath through the trees that inhabit its surface as I simultaneously inhale and exhale.
In the cobra pose, I laid face down on my stomach and pushed my chest up with my back muscles. I gained consciousness of my spine. I was surprised how I felt like a cobra without the weight in my arms and my lower body on the ground. I held the pose, took several breathes and felt my chest opening. Although it was strained my back, I felt relaxed in the chest and abdominal area. I have a fear of snakes, but that did not stop me from gaining some insight. As I breathe in the cobra pose, I remember that snakes have to breathe as well so they would probably cherish the same air as me. From this, I am able to recognize snakes as a living entity with intrinsic value.
The downward facing dog pose required to be on all fours in a triangular shape. This pose was very difficult. It required balance of strength and flexibility that I did not have. So I stopped the video and tried other poses that were mentioned in the Hatha Yoga reading. My favorite pose was the lotus. I was familiar with this pose since I participated in mediation sessions at Thai Buddhist temples. I attempted to mediate in this pose. At first, I felt a bit distressed. I was mainly concerned with my cramped legs or distracted by my internal thoughts. I was able to clear my mind by redirecting my focus to follow my breathing pattern. After ten minutes of mediation, my body eased into relaxation. My stressed melted away and a cooling sensation appeared in my chest. When I came out of mediation, my body felt much lighter than before. The peaceful emotion I felt was like the beauty of a lotus.
Overall, I found this assignment to be very interesting and fun. I will definitely encourage my friends to try vinyasa yoga and other poses.
Throughout my life I’ve danced and to enhance my posture along with my flexibility I have taken many yoga classes. I was fortunate to go back to Valdosta over the weekend and go on base to take a free yoga class early in the morning. For me the beginning of yoga is imperative the feet being hip length apart and you start to take your deep breath and you settle in and lose tension from your body. In the transitions of the positions it was like having a tension ball moving to different areas of my body. The half-moon pose I felt the tension from my shoulders to whichever side I was leaning. This pose helps me realize that although I might be strong in one area, in another I can be easily vulnerable. As I did the Tree pose taking in my deep breaths Not only did I feel strong and grounded but I felt a sense of pride and being proud. As many know there are many variations of poses and I took the challenge of having my left foot in front of my thigh. This made me reflect in regards to balance a rattle sank; it took me a few swaying left to right before I found my center. Snakes have no legs or arms but they are able to hold themselves up or move in ways that would seem complex. As a went into down facing dog It taught me how to know my limit but realizing other species limits and being considerate. As I did it I reflected to when I see a dog preforming in a relaxing if not tiring stretch; the less I thought the more my muscle began to conform. The longer I stayed in that position I will say it challenged the palms; I did catch myself yawing like a dog. Upward facing dog made me feel like I was soaring like a bird it opened my chest and I felt although my eyes were closed I had a lot to look at. Doing yoga made me appreciate the small things of the world, fresh air and the simple fact unlike animal I have hands and feet. And when you’re all done with the class although though sweaty the tension I came in with I did not leave with. Another befitting aspect from my yoga class was the music along with the instructor’s voice; it made me feel like I was in a jungle or a forest with different things going on in the background. The positions aided me in learning how to adopt which animals have to do every day!
On March, 4, I attended Full Moon Yoga in Sarasota. The yoga class practiced on the cool, soft sands of Lido Beach and began as soon as the sun sank completely into the gulf. The class was a diverse group of beginners and expert yogis. The positions performed were demonstrated at a beginning level, and more advanced alterations were encouraged to the more experienced yogis. As we began the yoga session, I found myself self-conscious about doing the poses properly, however as the night sky became darker, it became easy for me to release inner insecurities, and tension and focus on my inner balance. As I assumed my favorite yoga pose, Savasana, I listened to the outside world, while gravity firmly anchored my body to the earth. By laying still, and just being, I’m able to properly listen to the outside world. I heard the water rhythmically panting against the sand, and soon found myself breathing in time with the sea. My body molded into the sand, and soon I found myself becoming one with the beach. “Only the mountain has lived long enough to listen objectively to the howl of a wolf.” As I found myself becoming one with the ocean, and one with the beach, I believed that I could listen objectively to the world around me. I lay, attempting to listen objectively, and soon I began to notice sounds other than those provided by the Earth. The sound of nearby traffic engulfed the soft sounds of the ocean. Music from the nearby bars and restaurants of St. Armand’s circle murmured in the distance. The loud call of civilization removed me from my original connection with the beach. While Leopold illustrates the importance of “thinking like a mountain,” civilization has wedged itself permanently in a place that prevents such a minimalist mode of thought. Civilized interruptions plague any attempts of tranquility and balance.