1. What are you most proud of in your 2 hour presentation and/or your senior project and why?
I am most proud of my product as well as the process it took for me to acquire information regarding my topic. If someone told me I would be as strong, flexible, and toned as I am now 9 months ago, I wouldn't believe them. When I was putting together my 2 hour powerpoint, I added my before and after pictures and realized how much my body has physically changed! It's amazing how much dedication I put into this project without even realizing it. Also, I'm proud of the fact that I was able to find great mentorship with mentors who guided me every step of the way when it was difficult to find credible research.
2A. AE
2B. AE
3. What worked for you in your senior project?
What worked for me was the fact that I was able to get involved in my topic. While others have a hard time applying and using their senior project on a daily basis, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to do yoga on a daily basis and see results. Also, my activities worked very well and in my favor. I used my skills and knowledge I've acquired through experience and research and apply it to my activities. This worked in my favor because not many people were able to use first hand experience in their field and share it with others.
4. I would improve my senior project by getting more involved in my mentorship. Even though I was only cleaning, I took classes to make up for it although that didn't count as mentorship. As Mrs. Pittman stated, she told me to look into health fairs that certain yoga studios offer. This made a lot more sense than just cleaning a studio because I would gain so much more knowledge on the art itself, not on the cleanliness of the studio.
5. My senior project was very helpful for me in my future endeavors by aiding me in my communications skills. I was a very quiet, shy girl but when I entered the yoga studio, I was challenged with talking to students and persuading them to purchase a membership. Also, I gained confidence in myself to be more personable with others due to the sudden physical changes in my body. I feel like if I can be persistent in my yoga endeavors, I can further better my inner and outer self.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Monday, May 20, 2013
Blog 25: Mentorship
Literal
-mentorship log
-Antoinette Contreras (or Monique Jaime), 626-965-4000
Interpretive
The most important thing I've gained from my experience at Yoganette was being able to communicate with others. When I first started as a receptionist, I had to go the extra inch to service the students and make sure they had a great experience at the studio. It was weird for me to talk to people who weren't my own age, so I was a little shy but eventually I was able to overcome my fear. Usually I'm pretty comfortable enough to speak to people my own age, but it was definitely different to be able to communicate to people of superiority or higher respect. Communication is a big deal here at the studio. I actually had some communication problems with my mentors about my scheduling. I usually am scheduled to come in on Wednesdays and Sundays but due to my work schedules, I would come in on Saturday morning instead of Wednesday. I failed to let Monique know which caused so much confusion. Thankfully she was very understanding which made me realize that communication is pretty much vital in any relationship, professional or personal.
Applied
Although I wasn't able to have a hands-on experience with teachers as they were teaching classes, I was able to have amazing one-on-one conversations with Antoinette, Kellie (Hicks), and Monique. These three are all teachers at Yoganette who are always willing to help me out on my senior project even though I didn't have access to any yoga related activities. Instead, while classes were going on, I would talk to them about my essential question, my interviews, research, and any other yoga related questions I had. Like I said, I might not have had any hands-on experience by shadowing a teacher, but every conversation I've had during my shift at Yoganette was full of quality and substance.
-mentorship log
-Antoinette Contreras (or Monique Jaime), 626-965-4000
Interpretive
The most important thing I've gained from my experience at Yoganette was being able to communicate with others. When I first started as a receptionist, I had to go the extra inch to service the students and make sure they had a great experience at the studio. It was weird for me to talk to people who weren't my own age, so I was a little shy but eventually I was able to overcome my fear. Usually I'm pretty comfortable enough to speak to people my own age, but it was definitely different to be able to communicate to people of superiority or higher respect. Communication is a big deal here at the studio. I actually had some communication problems with my mentors about my scheduling. I usually am scheduled to come in on Wednesdays and Sundays but due to my work schedules, I would come in on Saturday morning instead of Wednesday. I failed to let Monique know which caused so much confusion. Thankfully she was very understanding which made me realize that communication is pretty much vital in any relationship, professional or personal.
Applied
Although I wasn't able to have a hands-on experience with teachers as they were teaching classes, I was able to have amazing one-on-one conversations with Antoinette, Kellie (Hicks), and Monique. These three are all teachers at Yoganette who are always willing to help me out on my senior project even though I didn't have access to any yoga related activities. Instead, while classes were going on, I would talk to them about my essential question, my interviews, research, and any other yoga related questions I had. Like I said, I might not have had any hands-on experience by shadowing a teacher, but every conversation I've had during my shift at Yoganette was full of quality and substance.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Blog 24: Exit Interview Questions
1. What is your essential question? What is the best answer to your essential question? Why?
How best can Hatha yoga improve strength and flexibility? The best answer to my essential question is to perform the more intense poses such as inversions, standing poses, twists and arm balances. I stand by this answer because those poses tend to use more of your muscles. It takes a lot of balance, coordination, and strength to hold the poses and smoothly transition to another one, thus improving strength and flexibility.
2. What process did you take to arrive at this answer?
To arrive at this answer, I ran mini tests on my answers. For example, I tried taking classes at a studio and a gym for a while. After, I made sure my alignment was all correct. I realized that being in a yoga studio makes it more personal and intimate, but it doesn't guarantee an improvement in strength and flexibility. I figured that with poses such as inversions, standing, twists and arm balances, it will benefit the practitioner no matter if the alignment is off or if it is done in or outside a yoga studio.
3. What problems did you face? How did you resolve them?
One of the biggest problems I had to overcome was my availability. Things got hectic at school and I was recently hired to close in retail. This left me with little to no time to take classes, learn and experience. Although taking classes didn't count as mentorship, it was the main source of information I acquired (I don't know how to cite this as a source if it counts). Anyway, to counter this problem, I decided to do yoga at home using videos online. It wasn't as effective but it did the job and I still learned a lot about the poses, breathing, and how to teach a class.
4. What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?
One of the sources I found to be extremely significant are my interviews with teachers at the yoga studio. I really utilized the ability to create questions on the interview to make their answers suitable and more personal to my essential questions. Through these interviews, I was able to attain information that could have been unavailable to me via Google. As for a print resource, I found Yoga for Dummies by Georg Feuerstein and Larry Payne to be very helpful. This book was unlike anything else. Instead of descriptions on how to perform certain yoga poses, this book had information regarding the history, the Eight Limbs of Yoga, the styles, and so much more. In other words, it had substance and quality information that not many yoga based books offer.
5. What is your product and why?
My product is my increase in strength and flexibility. Coming into senior year, I was barely able to touch my nose to my knees. Class after class, I can now touch my nose to my knee in more ways than one. In terms of strength, I can now do chaturanga (plank to push up) with a strong body and no limp limbs. I've also noticed that my lung capacity has increased. Not only during yoga, but when I am at the gym, I feel less winded than I used too. The product of my senior project basically resulted in many physical change.
How best can Hatha yoga improve strength and flexibility? The best answer to my essential question is to perform the more intense poses such as inversions, standing poses, twists and arm balances. I stand by this answer because those poses tend to use more of your muscles. It takes a lot of balance, coordination, and strength to hold the poses and smoothly transition to another one, thus improving strength and flexibility.
2. What process did you take to arrive at this answer?
To arrive at this answer, I ran mini tests on my answers. For example, I tried taking classes at a studio and a gym for a while. After, I made sure my alignment was all correct. I realized that being in a yoga studio makes it more personal and intimate, but it doesn't guarantee an improvement in strength and flexibility. I figured that with poses such as inversions, standing, twists and arm balances, it will benefit the practitioner no matter if the alignment is off or if it is done in or outside a yoga studio.
3. What problems did you face? How did you resolve them?
One of the biggest problems I had to overcome was my availability. Things got hectic at school and I was recently hired to close in retail. This left me with little to no time to take classes, learn and experience. Although taking classes didn't count as mentorship, it was the main source of information I acquired (I don't know how to cite this as a source if it counts). Anyway, to counter this problem, I decided to do yoga at home using videos online. It wasn't as effective but it did the job and I still learned a lot about the poses, breathing, and how to teach a class.
4. What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?
One of the sources I found to be extremely significant are my interviews with teachers at the yoga studio. I really utilized the ability to create questions on the interview to make their answers suitable and more personal to my essential questions. Through these interviews, I was able to attain information that could have been unavailable to me via Google. As for a print resource, I found Yoga for Dummies by Georg Feuerstein and Larry Payne to be very helpful. This book was unlike anything else. Instead of descriptions on how to perform certain yoga poses, this book had information regarding the history, the Eight Limbs of Yoga, the styles, and so much more. In other words, it had substance and quality information that not many yoga based books offer.
5. What is your product and why?
My product is my increase in strength and flexibility. Coming into senior year, I was barely able to touch my nose to my knees. Class after class, I can now touch my nose to my knee in more ways than one. In terms of strength, I can now do chaturanga (plank to push up) with a strong body and no limp limbs. I've also noticed that my lung capacity has increased. Not only during yoga, but when I am at the gym, I feel less winded than I used too. The product of my senior project basically resulted in many physical change.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Blog 23: 2014 Interview
1. Who did you interview and what house are they in?
I interviewed Jorge Mancilla from South House.
2. What ideas do you have for your senior project and why?
JORGE: I was thinking of doing something along the lines of clinical psychology. If that doesn't work out and I can't find any mentorship, I would really love to do something like marriage counseling. I think the information that's out there is really interesting. Those two topics really interest me and it's something unique I can bring into senior year.
3. What do you plan to do for your summer 10 hour mentorship experience?
JORGE: For clinical psychology, I plan on going to a hospital like City of Hope or wherever is convenient and close to me. As for marriage counseling, I'm not sure where I can do mentorship at. I guess I'll have to do more research on that.
4. What do you hope to see or expect to see in watching the 2013 2-hour presentations?
JORGE: When I watch the 2013 presentations, I think it will open doors for me to choose my topic. If someone is doing something similar to the topics I want to do, it will definitely give me some ideas and examples on how I should take on my senior project.
5. What questions do you have that I can answer about senior year or senior project (or what additional information did you tell them about senior year or senior project)?
JORGE: I don't really have any questions...
ALYSSA: So you think you can handle senior year on your own?
JORGE: No... Okay, I have a question. How are we supposed to show proof of the 10 hours thing that Andy told us about?
ALYSSA: Oh, the mentorship log? Well first, you've got to find a mentor under your senior topic and shadow them. Once you've got that going, you're going to make a log on GoogleDocs recording the date, what you did, how long you did it for, and the total time. You're going to have to constantly update it or else you'll fall way behind.
JORGE: That makes sense. Okay, I'll go to you whenever I need help.
I interviewed Jorge Mancilla from South House.
2. What ideas do you have for your senior project and why?
JORGE: I was thinking of doing something along the lines of clinical psychology. If that doesn't work out and I can't find any mentorship, I would really love to do something like marriage counseling. I think the information that's out there is really interesting. Those two topics really interest me and it's something unique I can bring into senior year.
3. What do you plan to do for your summer 10 hour mentorship experience?
JORGE: For clinical psychology, I plan on going to a hospital like City of Hope or wherever is convenient and close to me. As for marriage counseling, I'm not sure where I can do mentorship at. I guess I'll have to do more research on that.
4. What do you hope to see or expect to see in watching the 2013 2-hour presentations?
JORGE: When I watch the 2013 presentations, I think it will open doors for me to choose my topic. If someone is doing something similar to the topics I want to do, it will definitely give me some ideas and examples on how I should take on my senior project.
5. What questions do you have that I can answer about senior year or senior project (or what additional information did you tell them about senior year or senior project)?
JORGE: I don't really have any questions...
ALYSSA: So you think you can handle senior year on your own?
JORGE: No... Okay, I have a question. How are we supposed to show proof of the 10 hours thing that Andy told us about?
ALYSSA: Oh, the mentorship log? Well first, you've got to find a mentor under your senior topic and shadow them. Once you've got that going, you're going to make a log on GoogleDocs recording the date, what you did, how long you did it for, and the total time. You're going to have to constantly update it or else you'll fall way behind.
JORGE: That makes sense. Okay, I'll go to you whenever I need help.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Friday, April 26, 2013
Blog 21: Independent Component 2
LITERAL
a. I, Alyssa Soberano, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
b. My third interview with Antoinette Contreras & Monique Jaime and forth interview with Kellie Hicks were most beneficial to my independent component. They backed up a lot of my answers with supported evidence from their experience as teachers and as students. Also, to help create my sequences, I referred to this book to put it together.
c. Independent Component 2
d. For the past few weeks, I have created a sequence of yoga poses for every week. For the rest of the week, I performed the sequence almost every day for an hour and a half. Although some sequences do not have many yoga poses for the time allotted, I repeated the sequence until my time was up in order to meet the 30 hour requirement. I usually performed some poses at the studio to take pictures because the lighting is terrible at my house, but unfortunately, I was not allowed to take pictures anymore. Also, I thought it might have been too repetitive if I had taken pictures of myself since that is what I usually update my blog with.
INTERPRETIVE
As I stated earlier, I wasn't allowed to take pictures in the studio anymore, so I decided I could show what drove my Independent Component -- the Sequences. It may seem a little short and vague, but it was hard trying to figure out which poses were stepping stones to eventually mastering one of the harder poses. Please keep in mind my Independent Component Approval blog where I stated that the sequence itself may be short, but I will time myself until 1 hour and 30 minutes is up.
APPLIED
This Independent Component was quite similar to the first one, but the only difference is that I created the sequences of poses rather than looking up videos and practicing it at home. I believe this helped support most of my answers because since I created the sequence, I was more familiar with the poses. Although it seems like I took the easy way out, I chose familiar poses so I can align myself correctly. If I found a pose online that I had never tried before, chances are very high that I might end up hurting the next day. A lot of my sequences included strengthening poses which is part of my essential question. It does touch on the subject of flexibility as well. By that, I mean all of the lengthening and twisting poses would serve the flexibility aspect. To also clarify, I understand Hatha Yoga as the physical aspect of yoga, not the style of yoga. If I based this Independent Component on Hatha Yoga, the poses would be a lot more gentle since Hatha is usually a beginner's class. But since I want to touch on all styles of yoga, I figured Hatha would do a great job of telling a person that my senior project is on the physical aspect, not the spiritual aspect.
a. I, Alyssa Soberano, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
b. My third interview with Antoinette Contreras & Monique Jaime and forth interview with Kellie Hicks were most beneficial to my independent component. They backed up a lot of my answers with supported evidence from their experience as teachers and as students. Also, to help create my sequences, I referred to this book to put it together.
c. Independent Component 2
d. For the past few weeks, I have created a sequence of yoga poses for every week. For the rest of the week, I performed the sequence almost every day for an hour and a half. Although some sequences do not have many yoga poses for the time allotted, I repeated the sequence until my time was up in order to meet the 30 hour requirement. I usually performed some poses at the studio to take pictures because the lighting is terrible at my house, but unfortunately, I was not allowed to take pictures anymore. Also, I thought it might have been too repetitive if I had taken pictures of myself since that is what I usually update my blog with.
INTERPRETIVE
As I stated earlier, I wasn't allowed to take pictures in the studio anymore, so I decided I could show what drove my Independent Component -- the Sequences. It may seem a little short and vague, but it was hard trying to figure out which poses were stepping stones to eventually mastering one of the harder poses. Please keep in mind my Independent Component Approval blog where I stated that the sequence itself may be short, but I will time myself until 1 hour and 30 minutes is up.
APPLIED
This Independent Component was quite similar to the first one, but the only difference is that I created the sequences of poses rather than looking up videos and practicing it at home. I believe this helped support most of my answers because since I created the sequence, I was more familiar with the poses. Although it seems like I took the easy way out, I chose familiar poses so I can align myself correctly. If I found a pose online that I had never tried before, chances are very high that I might end up hurting the next day. A lot of my sequences included strengthening poses which is part of my essential question. It does touch on the subject of flexibility as well. By that, I mean all of the lengthening and twisting poses would serve the flexibility aspect. To also clarify, I understand Hatha Yoga as the physical aspect of yoga, not the style of yoga. If I based this Independent Component on Hatha Yoga, the poses would be a lot more gentle since Hatha is usually a beginner's class. But since I want to touch on all styles of yoga, I figured Hatha would do a great job of telling a person that my senior project is on the physical aspect, not the spiritual aspect.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Happy Easter from Yoganette!
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Photoshoot at the Studio.
I was cleaning the studio at my normal time of closing, but for some reason, my mentors were still there. I asked them what was going on and they told me they were holding a photoshoot for the new class they're offering, YBarre. YBarre is similar to PiYo (pilates & yoga) but with the use of "ballerina barres."
Monday, March 4, 2013
Blog 19: ESLRs
1. What ELSR have you excelled in most in your senior project?
This picture is a screenshot from the studio's website that I work at, yoganette.com. During mentorship days, I refer to this website often in order to update the schedule in the studio as well as updates on special offers and workshops. Also, through this website, I communicate with my mentor and sign up for classes to complete my independent component.
Effective Use of Technology
2. Please explain why you think you have excelled in this ELSR.
I have excelled in this ESLR because a lot of my senior project information was obtained through utilizing the internet. Not only do I frequently use the internet for information, but I use it for presentations (ex. 10 min & 30 min) on Prezi.com. That website is a powerpoint generator that provides pre-made templates and transitions to make presentations a little bit more fun to watch. Throughout the senior project process, it was really difficult to find credible websites on yoga, but after tons of research, I discovered Google Scholar (yes, I just discovered it this year, don't laugh!). Ever since that beautiful discovery, research checks was smooth sailing from there.
3. Provide evidence from your senior project to support your claim.
This picture is a screenshot from the studio's website that I work at, yoganette.com. During mentorship days, I refer to this website often in order to update the schedule in the studio as well as updates on special offers and workshops. Also, through this website, I communicate with my mentor and sign up for classes to complete my independent component. Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Gifts!
My mentor was out for an event in Hawaii and she brought all of the sevas (helpers) a little gift! Inside is an IslandGirl Lip Gloss, naturally scented by flowers, wrapped in heart spotted wrapping paper. Good karma is awesome!
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Blog 18: 2 Hour Meeting Answer #3
1. How best can Hatha Yoga improve strength and flexibility?
2. Alignment is crucial in performing the yoga postures correctly to gain strength and flexibility.
3. During my independent component, the yoga instructors always emphasized how important it is to stack your limbs. Often times I would hyper extend my knee in a pose without realizing it until the teacher told me I wasn't aligned correctly.
Alignment is the relationship between limbs, bones, joints, and muscles that work together to create an asana.
Different teachers can give a student different reasons why alignment is important, so it is better to ask, "What does alignment accomplish?" rather than asking which alignment is best.
4. Both my independent component and bodhitreeyoga.com are great sources that can justify the importance of alignment. Although bodhitreeyoga.com isn't a ".org" or ".edu," it is a yoga studio located in Canada who joined together to write this PDF.
5. I plan to study the injuries of alignment, how and where it's caused, and how to prevent it. Also, I would like to study the many different reasons why alignment is important. Because it differs from teacher to teacher, I will ask the teachers of my studio about their take on the significance of alignment.
2. Alignment is crucial in performing the yoga postures correctly to gain strength and flexibility.
3. During my independent component, the yoga instructors always emphasized how important it is to stack your limbs. Often times I would hyper extend my knee in a pose without realizing it until the teacher told me I wasn't aligned correctly.
Alignment is the relationship between limbs, bones, joints, and muscles that work together to create an asana.
Different teachers can give a student different reasons why alignment is important, so it is better to ask, "What does alignment accomplish?" rather than asking which alignment is best.
4. Both my independent component and bodhitreeyoga.com are great sources that can justify the importance of alignment. Although bodhitreeyoga.com isn't a ".org" or ".edu," it is a yoga studio located in Canada who joined together to write this PDF.
5. I plan to study the injuries of alignment, how and where it's caused, and how to prevent it. Also, I would like to study the many different reasons why alignment is important. Because it differs from teacher to teacher, I will ask the teachers of my studio about their take on the significance of alignment.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Fourth Interview Questions
1. How can Hatha Yoga improve strength and flexibility?
2. What style of yoga can best improve strength and flexibility? Why?
3. How important is correctly aligning yourself in a pose? Why?
4. Why is it so important to go at your own pace?
5. What is more beneficial -- holding yourself in a pose or doing many poses, holding them for a shorter time?
6. What are the perks of gaining strength and flexibility in yoga?
7. Is it better to practice with a teacher or on your own? Why?
8. Is there a difference between practicing at a gym versus a studio? Why or why not?
9. Continuous practice is important in improving strength and flexibility. How do you motivate your students to come back frequently?
10. Do modifications provide just as much benefits as an unmodified pose? Why or why not?
11. What injuries come from misalignment? (How so?)
12. If a student practices every day, what mental & physical benefits come from it?
13. What are some poses that demonstrate that someone has gained strength and flexibility?
14. Why is consistent practice emphasized so much?
15. Many people I've talked to said yoga is easy. How does one challenge themselves while practicing yoga?
16. Since yoga is typically seen as a "women's exercise," do men practice yoga differently? (Ie. Commitment, benefits)
17. In a general yoga pose, which parts of the body do student tend to have a hard time aligning correctly? Why do you think that is so?
18. What is the importance of hip and heart openers?
19. How does yoga create lean muscle?
20. If a student isn't correctly aligned in a pose, will they still be able to improve their strength and flexibility?
2. What style of yoga can best improve strength and flexibility? Why?
3. How important is correctly aligning yourself in a pose? Why?
4. Why is it so important to go at your own pace?
5. What is more beneficial -- holding yourself in a pose or doing many poses, holding them for a shorter time?
6. What are the perks of gaining strength and flexibility in yoga?
7. Is it better to practice with a teacher or on your own? Why?
8. Is there a difference between practicing at a gym versus a studio? Why or why not?
9. Continuous practice is important in improving strength and flexibility. How do you motivate your students to come back frequently?
10. Do modifications provide just as much benefits as an unmodified pose? Why or why not?
11. What injuries come from misalignment? (How so?)
12. If a student practices every day, what mental & physical benefits come from it?
13. What are some poses that demonstrate that someone has gained strength and flexibility?
14. Why is consistent practice emphasized so much?
15. Many people I've talked to said yoga is easy. How does one challenge themselves while practicing yoga?
16. Since yoga is typically seen as a "women's exercise," do men practice yoga differently? (Ie. Commitment, benefits)
17. In a general yoga pose, which parts of the body do student tend to have a hard time aligning correctly? Why do you think that is so?
18. What is the importance of hip and heart openers?
19. How does yoga create lean muscle?
20. If a student isn't correctly aligned in a pose, will they still be able to improve their strength and flexibility?
Thursday, February 7, 2013
2 Hour Meeting Answer #2
1) What is your essential question?
How best can Hatha Yoga improve strength and flexibility?
2) What is your second answer to your essential question?
Consistent practice is key in enhancing strength and flexibility.
3) What are three details to support or justify your second answer?
In my third interview, I brought my questions to my mentor, Antoinette, and her new manager, Monique. They were very firm believers of this answer. Like many sports or hobbies, one cannot perform better without continuous practice which brings me to another justification. When I started at Yoganette as a beginner, I was unable to do chaturanga (tricep push up) correctly but within a couple months practice, I have improved and am able to hold myself up longer. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, there are sports scientists who work with athletes to improve their performance in their sport. This is similar to yoga because the yoga teachers (as well as the practitioner) consistently condition themselves to train and improve their practice for the benefits.
4) What source helped you prove this answer is justified for your essential question?
What confirmed my second answer for my essential question would definitely be my mentor, Antoinette. I've always had an idea that consistent practice would best improve strength and flexibility, but I never thought that it would be one of the most important aspects.
5) What do you plan to study next with your second answer and why?
I will probably research a lot about sports science/medicine/performance because that's the more general topic for sports. There isn't much research about consistent yoga practice, so I figured that sports in general would be fine. I plan to understand it as much as I understand the purpose of yoga in order to make connections.
How best can Hatha Yoga improve strength and flexibility?
2) What is your second answer to your essential question?
Consistent practice is key in enhancing strength and flexibility.
3) What are three details to support or justify your second answer?
In my third interview, I brought my questions to my mentor, Antoinette, and her new manager, Monique. They were very firm believers of this answer. Like many sports or hobbies, one cannot perform better without continuous practice which brings me to another justification. When I started at Yoganette as a beginner, I was unable to do chaturanga (tricep push up) correctly but within a couple months practice, I have improved and am able to hold myself up longer. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, there are sports scientists who work with athletes to improve their performance in their sport. This is similar to yoga because the yoga teachers (as well as the practitioner) consistently condition themselves to train and improve their practice for the benefits.
4) What source helped you prove this answer is justified for your essential question?
What confirmed my second answer for my essential question would definitely be my mentor, Antoinette. I've always had an idea that consistent practice would best improve strength and flexibility, but I never thought that it would be one of the most important aspects.
5) What do you plan to study next with your second answer and why?
I will probably research a lot about sports science/medicine/performance because that's the more general topic for sports. There isn't much research about consistent yoga practice, so I figured that sports in general would be fine. I plan to understand it as much as I understand the purpose of yoga in order to make connections.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Independent Component 2 Plan Approval
1) For the next Independent Component, I plan on creating my own sequences of yoga postures along with performing it at home. Since I'm working now, it's difficult to take classes as often as I used to but I figured I could be creative and create my own class at home. Each sequence will focus on different parts of the body. It sounds very basic, but it will take a lot of research to see what poses are recommended to go together that will accommodate me. For example, I have scoliosis so I must make sure I included gentle, yet effective poses in my sequence. Every week I will create a sequence and perform it 4 days a week. Also, I will make sure that the sequences will last long enough to fill a 90 minute time slot. The difference between this independent component and the last one is that I am coming up with sequences that cater to my body's needs, not depending on videos.
2) As I stated earlier, I believe my plan will meet the 30 hour minimum. It will probably take about 30 minutes to create a sequence (once a week) and I will make sure it will last for a 90 minute time slot. Then I will perform my sequences 4 days a week (which will give me 6 hours/week). If I continue this from 2/10-4/25, it will give me around 66 hours.
3) My Independent Study relates to my EQ by educating myself about yoga not only as a student, but as a teacher. It'll help me explore different directions of where to take my research since I'll be seeing it from a new point of view. Taking and teaching myself gives me the hands-on learning to know what it takes to improve your physical health through doing and teaching. For example, as a student, I will learn more poses the hard way by physically performing it. As a teacher, I will learn how the poses affect the body with its benefits and I will learn how to modify poses if I'm not able to perfect it.
2) As I stated earlier, I believe my plan will meet the 30 hour minimum. It will probably take about 30 minutes to create a sequence (once a week) and I will make sure it will last for a 90 minute time slot. Then I will perform my sequences 4 days a week (which will give me 6 hours/week). If I continue this from 2/10-4/25, it will give me around 66 hours.
3) My Independent Study relates to my EQ by educating myself about yoga not only as a student, but as a teacher. It'll help me explore different directions of where to take my research since I'll be seeing it from a new point of view. Taking and teaching myself gives me the hands-on learning to know what it takes to improve your physical health through doing and teaching. For example, as a student, I will learn more poses the hard way by physically performing it. As a teacher, I will learn how the poses affect the body with its benefits and I will learn how to modify poses if I'm not able to perfect it.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Blog 14: Independent Component 1
LITERAL
- I, Alyssa Soberano, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
- Antoinette Contreras: 626-965-4000 / YouTube.com
- Independent Component Log
- To complete my independent component, I wanted to take more classes at the studio where I do my mentorship at. However, I made a commitment to my drama club by regularly attending practices no matter how small of a part I received. This caused a lot of difficulty in making time for classes alongside doing homework so I had to find a way to get around it. I discovered the amazing accessibility the internet has to offer! With that, I used a lot of YouTube videos to compensate for the classes I didn't have time to go to and it made up for it quite well. I practiced many different styles of yoga for about an hour to two hours about 3 times a week.
INTERPRETIVE
I have also conducted mini yoga sessions after classes have ended, right before I close the studio. Here are some pictures of me doing a basic, universal sun salutation.
I have also conducted mini yoga sessions after classes have ended, right before I close the studio. Here are some pictures of me doing a basic, universal sun salutation.
Downward dog
Plank
Chaturanga
Updog (NOT cobra!)
Big toe forward bend
- Independent Component tag - This link will take you to all of my updates regarding my independent component including videos, written blogs and pictures.
- Everything I've done in my independent demonstrated well over 30 hours of work. To me, yoga isn't only my senior topic; it's something that I enjoy doing on my own time. Because it's a hobby, I feel like it isn't homework to me. I put my all into it and treat it as if it's something not required to do. Although my independent component didn't quite go according to plan, I discovered loopholes such as at-home yoga videos on YouTube to make up for classes I missed. Of course, the videos don't add up to 30 hours but I like a lot of repetition until my body gets used to it and then I move on to another video. Alongside the YouTube videos, I was able to take a handful of classes and I made sure that I signed up for a different instructor. Taking classes with different instructors on different days was an experience; I learned new styles with a twist of my teacher's preference. So no matter how many hours I've done, I think the content and material that I've learned in one class was very significant.
APPLIED
- Completing my Independent Component gave me a great foundation of yoga and led me in the right direction to build off of it and discover more. Learning by myself through books and videos was a whole new experience compared to going to classes, but both were extremely helpful in showing me where to take my topic next. When I took classes, I guess you can say it was a "hands-on" experience. If I wasn't able to do a pose correctly, a teacher was readily available to be and can make modifications specifically altering the pose for my body. There was always the influence of other people at classes too. Again, if I got lost in the pose, I can refer to my neighbor to get me back on track. The whole yoga environment at the studio alone changes a lot of things. When I did yoga on my own, I constantly read about poses or listened through videos. It was a whole new learning process to me seeing as I've never done yoga at my own discretion, but that's the greatest part about it -- I learned how to do yoga on my own, without the help or influence of teachers and students. If my mentorship at Yoganette Yoga Studio ends, I know that I can rely on myself for a satisfactory (and free!) yoga session at the comfort of my own home.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Today's video!
I chose this video to do as a warm up and as a cool down.
And here is the video I chose as my main workout.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
My dream mat.
As I was laying on my $6 mat from Target on cold, tile floor, I realize how bad my scoliosis is. My back ached so much! That's when I knew I needed something thicker and durable, that way I don't injure myself or bruise my knees. My sister told me about these high end yoga mats and boy... they were definitely high end at $94!
Another yoga video from this week's workout!
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Little Black Dress
I was contacted by my mentor, Antoinette Contreras, and was invited for a new program called Little Black Dress. The details will be announced to the sevas ("helpers" in Sanskrit) soon but as far as we know, we must show up in a little black dress ready for a professional photoshoot. I will post the pictures as soon as it's released to me!
Friday, January 18, 2013
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Third Interview Questions
1. How best can Hatha Yoga improve strength and flexibility?
2. How is a typical yoga class run?
3. What makes breathing exercises essential to a yoga class?
4. What style of Hatha Yoga is most beneficial to gaining strength and flexibility? Why?
5. What is the optimal time for an individual to do yoga in order for them to maximize the benefits?
6. Why is it important to inhale and exhale through your nose opposed to inhale/exhale through your mouth?
7. How are injuries typically prevented? How do you heal those coming into yoga with prior injuries?
8. What can you say to those who only believe yoga is simply stretching?
9. How do you know if you have gained strength and flexibilty?
10. Why are postures so important in a yoga class?
11. Do inversions improve strength and flexibility? Why or why not?
12. If you were to teach a class to improve strength and flexibility, what postures would you use and why?
13. Aside from saying you need to have determination, motivation, doing the postures, ect., how else can one improve strength and flexibility?
2. How is a typical yoga class run?
3. What makes breathing exercises essential to a yoga class?
4. What style of Hatha Yoga is most beneficial to gaining strength and flexibility? Why?
5. What is the optimal time for an individual to do yoga in order for them to maximize the benefits?
6. Why is it important to inhale and exhale through your nose opposed to inhale/exhale through your mouth?
7. How are injuries typically prevented? How do you heal those coming into yoga with prior injuries?
8. What can you say to those who only believe yoga is simply stretching?
9. How do you know if you have gained strength and flexibilty?
10. Why are postures so important in a yoga class?
11. Do inversions improve strength and flexibility? Why or why not?
12. If you were to teach a class to improve strength and flexibility, what postures would you use and why?
13. Aside from saying you need to have determination, motivation, doing the postures, ect., how else can one improve strength and flexibility?
I was very inspired by her form and tried bits and pieces of her flow (fully clothed, of course). It was extremely difficult to hold the pose while she was inverted. For example, while she was in bakasana and flowed into another inversion, I attempted to hold bakasana until the next doable pose. By the end of the senior project, I hope to be able to perform all of the inversions done in this video.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Too much.
This past week I've been going to the gym in the evening and to yoga at night for a week. During school, I jogged to the bathroom and felt my knees buckle which gave me aches over the past few days. I've never been seriously injured before, but it felt like I tore something beneath my knee caps. It wasn't terribly painful to the point where walking became difficult, it just shot jolts of pain throughout my entire leg with every step I took. Because of this, my parents told me to cool it on physical activity seeing as I was either doing something wrong or pushing myself too much. Hopefully I can get back on my gym and yoga schedule soon but for now I will be icing my knees and consuming a cup of tea. Until next time!
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Accomplished.
Yesterday I took a yoga flow class with Rita Sharma who conducted a class of many hip openers. It was the type of class that wasn't advanced enough to make you sweat, but difficult enough for you to feel the burn. Throughout the class when Rita adjusted postures for those who couldn't reach it, she kept telling me how flexible I was. Although it may not be a big deal to some, I was very proud of myself. Coming into the studio as a beginner, I could barely bend over and touch the floor but with Yoganette being my place of mentorship, I go in about 2 times a week which is more than I've ever expected of myself.
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