Yoga

Yoga Reflection 1

* Personally, I really like the idea that yoga can be practiced by anyone, regardless of age, sex, race, or religious belief. This idea is new to me because before reading this article, I thought yoga is mostly practiced by female for religious purposes.

* This article stated that yoga is practice of self-observation, in other words, to see ourselves better. This is a new concept to me too. I never thought of yoga as a process of self-observation.

* Yoga is not about self-improvement or making ourselves better. It is a process of deconstructing all the barriers we may have erected that prevent us from having an authentic connection with ourselves and with the world.  I found this idea very interested. My first intention for taking this class was to help myself to be more relax and flexible. However, after reading this article I know the real goal of yoga. It’s not about making ourselves better. It’s about seeing ourselves better.

* I also learned that yoga has 8 limbs. The first one is Yamas and Niyamas, which includes 10 ethical principles that would allow us to be peace with ourselves, our family, and community. The second limb is Asanas, which are some internal dances that would help us to keep our body strong, flexible and relaxed. The third limb is Pranayama, which are some breathing practices. The fourth one is Pratyahara, which can draw our attention towards silence. The fifth one is Dharana, which focuses attention and inner awareness. The sixth one is Dhyana, which is a sustaining awareness. The last limb is the return of mind into original silence. Before reading this article, my understanding of yoga is only one limb of it. I thought yoga is all about the internal dances. After reading this article, I realized that there is more to it. Yoga can be implied to every part of our life including how to interact with others around us.

* The article focused on explaining the first limb of yoga, which is the Asanas. The...