Blog 5b: Science Fair Proposal

1. What is your topic?
Yoga

2. What is the driving problem behind your experiment and the quote by an expert to support that problem? (Expert citation must be MLA format.)
"Women's bodies are more lax or flexible than men's, Quinn said. Women have wider pelvises than men and less developed musculature. These factors affect the alignment, strength and movement of women's extremities."

1      Lasalandra, Michael. "Women and Sports Injuries: Why It's a Different Game."Women and Sports Injuries: Why It's a Different Game. N.p., Mar. 2011. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. <http://www.bidmc.org/YourHealth/HealthNotes/BonesandJoints/SportsInjuriesandPrevention/WomenandSportsInjuries.aspx>.

3. What is your hypothesis? (Must be in If-Then form.)
If a woman performs a set of asanas, then they are more likely to be misaligned than a man.

4. Write a paragraph summary of how you will perform the experiment.  Include the tools you plan on using.
I've had a lot of trouble finding someone to help me perform the experiment so I will be conducting this experiment on my own. I will use a general digital camera and yoga mats for the subject's comfort. The subjects will be recruited via Mrs. Pittman's yoga elective and since it consists of mainly women, I will recruit men from the junior's PE class. I'll have the subjects perform a set of asanas and photograph them between the poses they're holding. I'll then upload the photos and use a computer program to draw lines on the subjects, connecting the joints that should be stacked on top of one another. This will give me the results on whether or not women are more likely to be misaligned.

5. Select one of the following Project Categories for your experiment:
Behavioral/Social Science

Blog 5A: Science Fair Problem Statement

1) Senior topic: Yoga
2) Yoga isn't just stretching. Although stretching plays a huge role in yoga, breathing exercises, meditation and a healthy diet are important factors as well. If I get permission from Ms. Melogno and Mr. Hogan, I'd like to teach a class that yoga isn't strictly stretching or contorting ourselves into weird positions. I'd like to open their minds to the different styles that cater to different stretches and poses in sanskrit. Contrary to popular belief, this exercise does get you sweating from stretching and lengthening.
3) People tend to practice yoga incorrectly which results in an injury or an unsuccessful yoga class. Yoga teachers always teach differently so their pace might be faster than others. Students may feel challenged and push themselves harder than they should and the end result usually comes to a pulled muscle. Although it isn't too extreme, teachers always want their students to finish their class without stress, extra weight on their shoulders and obviously injuries. I would like to fix this problem by leading the class in some light, basic stretches and then upping the intensity before moving on to the poses. If I am allowed to teach Ms. Melogno's yoga class, I also have to have tons of patience, making sure that everyone is comfortable and can get in and out of the poses safely.

UPDATED PROBLEMS

• There is no set certification process/program to become a yoga teacher. There are programs to become a teacher from a local yoga studio, but there is no formal, consistent training.