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.

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!

This video really did it for me. Dancer's pose (the one screencapped before you play the video) has my hips about to snap in half!

Yoga videos for this week's routine.

MLK Yoga weekend.

One of the many yoga videos I've practiced in the comfort of my own home.

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!

Blog 13: Rough Draft of 30 Minute Presentation

30 Minute Lesson Plan

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?

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. 

Though this Yogini was scantily clad, this video demonstrated the beauty of yoga and I hope I don't get asked to take this down.

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!

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.

Since I've had virtually no time in December to take yoga classes, I did a couple of yoga sessions in the comfort of my own home.