Eberlein3's Blog
Just another WordPress.com weblogWeek 10 Journal
Today’s practice was bittersweet. Although I’m sure I will participate in yoga classes over the summer, I’m sure they will not be the same as this class has been. Last time we went outside for class I was overly-concerned with bugs on my mat; today, however I made sure to keep my eyes closed as much as possible. When I did have them open, I was mindful to appreciate their presence rather than try to disturb them. I was reminded of this last article assignment, and how the insect was a subject to me, but I was also a subject to it. The only time I was disturbed by the insects was during the final relaxation-something I found to be quite interesting considering last practice the only time I could rid my mind of their presence was during meditation/relaxation.
I became quite in tune with my breathing and principles of alignment during this practice, and I was so “in the zone” that I failed to realize one of my friends walk by (he later texted me to say that it looked like I was looking right at him). As always, I really liked doing the headstands, and plan to practice on my form/entrance into the posture over the summer. This course has been a wonderful experience and I will definitely take yoga again through the dance department.
Journal Week 9: The Spell of the Sensuous
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this excerpt, and was left wanting to read more. Although Michael acknowledged the fact that this article does not focus specifically on the yoga practice, I feel that it can be applied to our practice both on the mat and off. It may be for the fact that I have not had enough experience reading the yoga-related articles that they were harder to comprehend. However this reading seemed more understandable because I could apply it to various aspects of my life, it was not as dense, and it is written in a way that I find appealing.
The very beginning starts out with a vivid, detailed description of the author’s surrounding environment. The author could have easily simply stated that he was sitting outside at night looking at a lake. However, by describing the scene as he does, it sets us up to better understand the message of the entire story. It’s interesting to note that the author must travel so far away to find the meaning of beings that exist worldwide.
On several occasions, I was reminded of the Transcendentalists- I could imagine someone sitting at Walden while contemplating these subjects. One section in particular that drew my attention to this way of thinking was when the author talked about the spider and its web in the storm. It was through watching this seemingly insignificant creature that the author was able to see that that what he initially perceived wasn’t what truly existed– there was not one spider, but rather a great multitude of them in a stunningly interconnected pattern.
The author addresses the fact that perception and life itself involves a great deal of reciprocity. This idea reminds me of our practice in yoga when Michael explains the importance of not only being open to sending out our grace to others but also receiving others’ grace. I enjoyed pondering reciprocity concerning mechanical goods and non-human animals. Today, we devote so much time to computers, television and other objects that only serve specific functions. In return, we ourselves become more mechanical, and forget about the other more worldly aspects of living– we forget that we too are animals. Because of this, we lose relationships with other animals, and begin to think that we belong to some higher hierarchical level than them and claim to know their reasons for interacting as they do. It is impossible to fully understand why the bee, baboon or bull act the way they do because we are not them. Yet it is imperative to realize that just as we perceive the bee, the bee perceives us. I think we need to take time to distance ourselves from technological means, and to acknowledge all the animals of the world as equal and intertwined.
Furthermore, the sections concerning perception as being temporal included ideas that I hadn’t previously considered, but which really made sense once thought about. I fully agree with the fact that we are never capable of seeing the entire “big picture,” whether that be simply only being able to view one side of a bowl, or understanding our role in this universe. I believe it is for this reason that our perception of others, and our acceptance of how they perceive us constantly changes.
I really liked the section concerning the recuperation of the senses, which talks about the natural disaster that caused the people of Long Island to go without power for several days. It seems like the natural disaster was relaying a universal message to encourage all people to stop overcrowding their minds with mechanical objects and technology, and to appreciate their surroundings. The natural disaster allowed the people to see that which had always been surrounding them, but had not been acknowledged. It reminded me of a few summers ago when the power went out for a large portion of the eastern coast, and how it affected my life at the time. I feel like not using modern technologies allowed me to enjoy laying in the grass at night or admiring the flickering of fireflies. While the author talks about this experience as inviting people to experience non-human senses and activities, I believe it furthermore creates a bonding of the senses among humans. During this time, my family and I were “forced” to not use electricity, which enabled us to interact more with one another and to better understand each other’s emotions and ideas.
Week 9 Journal
Going outside for today’s yoga practice was an entirely new experience, and I enjoyed nearly every minute of it. Although we performed the same movements that we’ve done in the past, I got to face the rising sun, feel it’s warmth, and listen to the birds chirping and the cars passing by. Prior to beginning out outdoor practice, I wondered if all of the noise and people walking on the Oval would cause a distraction, but felt excited to try something new. From the way that people around me positioned my mat, I was face-t0-face with one person or another no matter which way I turned, and I thought this might take away from “my” experience. On the contrary, while I didn’t look directly at these other students so as not to interrupt their experience, I feel like our circle created a certain bond between everyone. I felt completely comfortable closing my eyes for motions that I’d never closed my eyes while practicing in the classroom. Now looking back, I never thought of the sounds of flip flops passing by or horns honking as people watching and/or judging what I was doing. I felt like I was engaging not only in my own practice, but rather in our practice, and something made me sense that others felt similarly. I believe this feeling of comfort comes from our previous 9 weeks of learning together, and because our practice is considered something more than physical exercise. Without this bond, I don’t know if I could/would have been so willing/able to commit myself to the practice and those around me, and I’m appreciative to have had everyone there.
As I stated before, I enjoyed nearly every moment of the practice. Although I kept my eyes closed for many of the postures, there were some postures that for balance reasons required me to keep them open. I noticed these incredibly small red bugs on my mat and some were crawling on me. I continuously tried to tell myself that they were posing no harm to me, and to just stop worrying about them, but I simply couldn’t fully commit to my practice for that portion. Finally, when it came time for meditation, I was able to let go of my insect concerns and relax.
Journal Week Eight
Today we worked on the Vissuddha chakra, which concerned the throat. Although I had difficulty experiencing this chakra, I really enjoyed the quote Michael said at the beginning about asking ourselves before we speak: 1. Is what I’m saying true? 2. Does this need to be said?; 3. Is this the right time to say it?; ; and 4. Can it be said with love? I feel like I’m frequently considered quieter than others, so I tend to think about the above aspects #2 and #3. However, today’s yoga practice really made me question whether everything I say is said with love. I feel that everything can be said with love, but there are times in which I become too concerned with whatever things I “need” to get done, and I pay less attention to what I say to others. I feel that constant speaking with love first requires constant love of oneself and furthermore a conscious effort to have genuine interest in what those around you say and/or are needing you to say.
I had a lot of fun with the headstand today, although I’m not sure if I was doing it entirely correct (for the fact that I may not have opened my neck the way Michael was explaining). When I was younger, I always had headstand competitions with my aunt, so it was somewhat nostalgic for me to be in this posture. This was definitely a posture that was done with love. At one point during this exercise, I accidentally lost balance, and flipped over into a backbend. Although Michael stated the advanced nature of what I had done, my descent was completely unintentional. =) It is interesting to me to note that I have always had difficulty with postures that involve hand stands, but that I’m able to do headstands for extended periods of time.
Journal Week 7: Chakras
I was really looking forward to following along with the chakra related meditation from Journal Week 7 Part 1, but my computer sent me a notice saying that I was not granted permission to listen to this file. I’m not sure why this was, but if there’s any other way to find and experiment with this audio file, I would really enjoy doing so. Nonetheless, I read the Journal Week 7 Part 2, which presented a description as well as visual of each of the chakras. I tend to be a very visual and kinesthetic type of learner, so for me it was really helpful to actually see the names of these chakras spelled out in text and to be able to relate to them. I liked the drawings of different chakras because they helped me think of ways in which one can experience the chakras (the one that stands out the most is the Anahata chakra where the birds are flying freely out from the heart. I also found the part about the “Third Eye” interesting because I’ve always heard people talk about the third eye (sometimes in movies) but I never knew what the chakras were before this class. Although we were supposed to be concerned with looking at the various chakras, I found this site to be incredible helpful by once again giving a visual representation of the alignment principles. It was interesting to see exactly where one should feel inner and outer spiral. Furthermore, I liked the “Four Corners” diagram because I tend to have problems with my wrists hurting like they have deep bruises– through this diagram I was able to see that I’ve been standing on the balls of my feet, which I’m guessing is making a lot of pressure go into my hands. I will most definitely use this resource in the future.
Journal Week 7
Today Michael opened class with lyrics that stated, “today is just another ordinary day, but maybe it isn’t.” This is something I had just thought about on the way to class. I have felt like Spring Quarter has consisted of weeks that fly by and the same daily routines. I was walking past the Oval thinking how much I would love to just sit on the grass and enjoy the smell of fresh air, and the blueness of the sky. Although consistency in life can be a good thing, I feel we all too often go on “autopilot.” There have been occassions, for example, when I have simply performed the moves in yoga class mechanically. I sometimes fail to truly appreciate or discover new ways in which each muscle attaches to the bone, or how changing the angle of my postures significantly alters the sensations.
I enjoy focusing on the chakras, but today’s was slightly more difficult for me to experience. We were given the images of a glowing green sphere or a flower blooming for the chakra concerning the heart, but I only seemed to feel a slightly warming sensation in my throat. I feel it will be beneficial to post this journal entry prior meditating and listening to the audiofiles, as well as interesting to see if my experiences change as I gain further knowledge and understanding of the chakras.
Journal Week 6: The Splendor of Recognition
Perhaps this is because I’m naturally inclined to think with a “western” mindset, but I’m somewhat confused with the way the author differentiates Siva from our traditional views of “God” or “Lord.” The author says that Siva is different in that Siva is within us. Personally, I’ve felt that “God” is a distinct being, but is also within every person. I’m therefore not sure if they’re differentiating this western way of thinking by saying that Siva is completely within each person’s Self instead of only partially. I like how Shantananda claims that we carry out Siva’s “dance.” This makes me think of our yoga practice and life in general, because we are each at different places– physically, mentally and otherwise– in our yoga practices, just as various dancers have differing styles and levels. Similarly, in life, people have differing interests, morals and values. However, because we are all conscious and purposefully executing our “dance moves” as best fits us individually, we are all “dancing.” Each dance move has different meaning and purpose for each person, just as the speaker states each word in this article is received differently by various people. This article makes me want to be aware of opening to grace in a similar manner to the way the speaker expresses the words–and the entire book– dissolving once they’ve left consciousness; I want to let any past experiences or influences aside be open to new possibilities.
Journal Week 6
I was disappointed that a stomach virus kept me home from yoga Monday morning because I always look forward to practice. Although there were still some difficulties with poses in which our bodies were bent over (downward dog, for example), I adjusted and still had a very enjoyable class period. I found the new exercise Michael introduced where we made our stomachs concave to be quite interesting. At first, I felt uneasy with the posture because it seemed like I could not breathe, and that my throat was being stretched beyond its normal length. Eventually, after listening to similar questions others brought up, I better understood the process by which this move was supposed to be executed. I understand that it is best to refrain from claiming one position of a posture to be “good” or “bad” and to just appreciate where we currently are. However, I was still proud to see the progress I made from my earlier practices, as we performed one of the previous hand-standing postures and I was able to balance with both feet off the ground. Although I normally like strenuous practices, due to my stomach recovering, I was grateful that today practice did not feel as difficult as others.
Journal Week 5: Stephen Mitchell
I feel that in the world we live in it’s difficult to accept being in control of our actions, but not having a right to the outcomes of our actions. We often think ahead toward what results each of our engagements will produce, such as going to college and expecting to receive a well paying job. We think “I’ve worked so hard for these results, and I deserve to have them.” I therefore strive to find Self, but as I think of finding Self, I’m actually thinking of the results of finding the Self (for example, surpassing the “restless, unsteady, turbulent, wild, stubborn” characteristics of the mind). In doing so, I’m back to square one, and must figure out how to strive to find the Self just for the act of doing so. Because of this, I am going to make a conscious effort during my yoga practice to perform each move for the sake of performing it– not in order to see improved physical results or to expect to be in a tranquil state of mind once the practice is over. Maybe through finding my Self in my yoga practice, I will then be able to extend that understanding to other aspects of my life.
