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.

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.

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.

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.
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• 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.

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!

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.

Winter break yoga

Prepping the prop room which includes folding blankets, cleaning mats, organizing blocks and bolsters.

Freshly swept & mopped yoga studio!

A sweet little surprise from one of the instructors, Nancy.

Nancy's goody bag included milk tea, chocolate, and shortbread cookies!

Blog 10: Senior Project Update

(1) What are you currently doing in your independent component? 
I am taking yoga classes at my mentorship about 3 times a week, trying to learn from each instructor on the roster. A personal goal for myself was that I had to take a class every day but unfortunately, it's impossible as of now due to my hectic schedule involving drama and the play coming up soon. But after December when the play is over, I am sure I can reach my goal & hours required for my independent component.

(2) What is a recent piece of research (article, interview, or audio-visual) that have you reviewed you would say was significant in helping you understand where to go next in your senior project?  The piece of research should be something you reviewed in November.  Please explain what you learned and where are you going next because of this piece of research.
"Healing Injuires With Yoga" by Kino MacGregor was an interesting read. It was about properly aligning yourself in a pose so that any injuries would be avoided. With this piece of research, it opens up more knowledge for my science experiment which is based solely upon alignment.

(3) Provide evidence from your independent component or the piece of research as something you recently did.  For example, a photo of something you working on for your independent component or your notes from the video you watched. 
This photo was taken after Alex's last Vinyasa Flow class. I was lucky enough to catch his class before he took off to venture out to something better for him.

Bakasana

Today, I finally mastered bakasana, or crow pose, which is my first inversion as a yogini. I hope to be able to perform a lot more inversions by the time my 2 hour rolls along!

Blog 7: Independent Component 1 Plan Approval

1) I plan to continue to take yoga classes at Yoganette Yoga Studio and try to meet and speak with all the teachers. Lately I've only been sticking to a couple of teachers because they just so happen to have a class at the time I'm available. For my independent component, I plan on taking classes the entire day on Saturdays and Sundays since I come to clean and close up, anyway. This way I can meet more teachers and try new styles compared to coming at the same time regularly. I have also spoken to Mrs. Pittman about teaching her yoga elective, but that is still tentative due to Mr. Hogan's decision since I am taking his drama elective for VAPA credit.
2) As I stated earlier, instead of taking a class once every other day, I plan to take one every day during the weekdays and the entire day during the weekends. Since the classes are only 90 minutes, I am hoping that multiple classes every day will help fulfill the 30 hours for my independent component. It would also be the icing on top if I am allowed to teach Mrs. Pittman's yoga elective because it's a whole different experience being a teacher opposed to a student.
3) My independent study component relates to my working EQ because as a student, I can observe how the instructors teach and how the students respond to certain teachers, atmospheres, and yoga poses. I once took an intermediate class by accident and the teacher was very understanding. She wasn't pushy and she allowed me to go at my own pace. I'd like to observe how yoga classes work when something is off because they would have to adapt to the students needs.