Hayley Coutts Midterm Paper

Hayley Coutts

CSOCS 3452 Yoga: Theory, Culture, and Practice

Professor Laura Douglass

February 21, 2011

My experience at Synergy Yoga: The Pros and Cons

Although I have attended Synergy yoga four times in the past, I have always made sure to attend the basic class they offer, mainly because I was afraid of the power yoga class. Synergy practices in a studio that is heated at ninety degrees. The first time I visited this fact alone was very overwhelming. I am a long distance runner, so I am used to sweating, but over a gradual amount of time. The heat in the Synergy studio activates the body’s sweat glands almost instantaneously upon walking in. The basic class allows for a chance for the body to regulate itself in the heat, while as I learned Thursday night, the power class does not. Synergy’s basic yoga allows my mind to benefit from the practice, while their power yoga class does not.

Synergy opened in 2004 in Providence, Rhode Island, then a year later they moved to Barrington, Rhode Island where it currently resides (Sullivan). Alyssa Sullivan, the owner has been practicing yoga for twenty years. She began her training with Baron Baptiste (Sullivan). She studied and taught with him for three years. She took her findings to her own studio, Synergy, and continued to teach Baron Baptiste’s Power Vinyasa yoga (Sullivan). “Baron has combined the disciplines of Astanga, Bikram, and Lyengar yoga; and has created a flowing, challenging, and moving meditation accessible to just about everybody” (Sullivan).

The studio is kept at ninety degrees “to help open the body and deepen the experience of release” (Sullivan). The practice is meant to stimulate the mind and body. “The relationship between effort and ease, doing and non-doing, and strength and flexibility all relate to bringing, not only the body, but your whole being in to a state of equanimity” (Sullivan). Classes are available by drop in for a price of fifteen dollars, and a discounted price for students for thirteen dollars. The studio also offers a class card, which is good for ten classes priced at one hundred and ten dollars.

When I arrived at the power yoga class, I noticed that the class was a lot smaller than the basic classes I have been to. This maybe due to the fact that it was a week night, but I have a feeling that people have the same fear I had about power yoga .The people in the class also seemed to be showing off a lot more skin than those in the basic class. I am aware that it is hot in the class, but this class seemed to not be for the modest, self-conscious type. The class shared similarities with the basic class, one being that there were more women than men. The total class consisted of about ten people, two of them being men probably around the forty to fifty age range.

I believe Synergy appeals to the public, because yoga skeptics visiting the website would believe it to build body strength, and tone. The images on the website are of the owner, who is very fit, and would make any skeptic believe that whatever she is practicing works. However, although Synergy most likely receives many customers in hopes to achieve a better physique, I believe that the practice at Synergy activates the mind over body.

In the studio, they have painted on the wall a quote by Sri Ramakrishna. The quote reads: “The winds of grace are always blowing; all we need to do is raise our sails”. This quote applies to the yoga practice in terms of breathing. The body itself is always breathing, most humans never pay attention to their breath unless they have asthma or some other breathing condition, but in order to calm their mind all they need to do is concentrate on their breath. This is how I interpreted this quote, that all one needs to relax is oneself. Yoga is something that can be practiced any place; it doesn’t have to be in a class, or studio.

The influence of Synergy seems different from what I have learned in class so far. Although I have felt benefits from both my body, and mind, I feel as though it is very Americanized. By this I mean that the way Synergy presents itself is through image. During the power class the teacher even said during one of the poses this will tone your quads, and glutes. The impression I got from the readings in our course is that this is not what yoga is suppose to be about. It is meant to be about freeing oneself, and by worrying about achieving better thighs you are doing just the opposite of that.

In comparison to the Hatha practice we do in class, Synergy’s yoga differs greatly but shares few similarities. In class we focus a lot more on breathing. We concentrate of different breathing techniques. At Synergy, the only time we focused on breath was to count out the pose. We do this too in class, but its not in a rushing way, its in a meditating way.

The main difference between the two is the heated room in comparison to the non-heated one. During our class practice, I usually experience little to no perspiration at all. At Synergy, especially their power class I couldn’t control my sweat. At times I found my sweating distracting from the yoga experience. I found myself worrying about slipping on my mat or watching the sweat drip down off my body and hit the floor. I would then have to remove myself from the practice to wipe my face or hands with my towel, or to get a drink from my water bottle.

My favorite part of the Synergy practice is the last fifteen to twenty minutes when we did the practice on the floor, this reminds me the most of our class. During this time I am able to come the mind, and like we practice in class “forget about” the body. It is also the quietest part of class. I think it is interesting that this is the part I feel most free, because my mind has the opportunity to worry, or wander, but it does not. It just stays still.

The next morning after I attended Synergy’s power class I was so sore. I think it is because in the heat my muscles were able to relax, but when they returned to the cold air they tightened up. I have never experience soreness after taking part in the Hatha yoga we do in class. I believe the heat and the fast pace are the cause of the soreness I experienced. I think this could be a bad thing for Synergy, because most people when they feel pain are less likely to do it again. I think that is why less people attend the power class because only those who are physically able to practice it attend.

One of the teachers at Synergy offers free podcasts on her website. I think this is a great idea, because it allows people to make yoga apart of their life. Most people are busy with day-to-day responsibilities, but if they wanted to practice the Baptiste style of yoga anytime at their own leisure the option is available to them. However, this idea is also very American. Yoga should be able to be practiced by oneself. By incorporating technology, and images of toned barely clothed females, it turns a historical practice into a member of pop culture.

I enjoy the basic classes at Synergy, because I am drawn towards the feeling of calming the mind, and regulating the body, this practice seems most similar to my own practice of distance running, because it is done in a gradual pace. It’s not all at once, and rushed. Power yoga is like sprinting; the practice is to move from one pose to the next, very quickly. There is little resting time to even be aware of what is happening to the breath or body. I began to feel sick at one point due to the temperature of the room, and the up and down of the movements.

As a form of freeing the mind, I would prefer Hatha yoga. It seems to be the most “life escaping”. By this I mean you are able to escape the stress of everyday life, and are able to be in the moment. Power yoga allows you to be in the moment too, but in a different way. I was consumed with the concentration of which pose was after which, and what my body had to do next. However, this isn’t exactly freeing, because you are still telling you body to do things, unlike Hatha where the breath becomes your mantra and the body’s movements almost become voluntary. With that being said, there are more pros in Hatha yoga than cons, and more cons in Synergy’s power yoga than pros.

Works Cited

Sullivan, Alyssa. Synergy Power Yoga. Web. 15 Feb. 2011.

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Bikram Yoga - Nicole Inglis

Bikram Yoga

Yogi, Bikram Choudhury, who is originally from Calcutta, India, founded Bikram Yoga. He was born in 1946 and has been practicing yoga since the age of three. He has been learning technique and the lifestyle of hatha yoga from his guru, Bishnu Ghosh since the age of five years old. Under the supervision of Bishnu Ghosh, Bikram learned fast, becoming a regional yoga champion at the young age of eleven. Today, Bikram is not one of the most popular yoga teachers and fitness gurus in Hollywood. His practice, which is still fairly new in the world of yoga practices, has been becoming more and more popular throughout the rest of the United States each year. (Pyman, 1)

While still living in India, Bikram, at age twenty, became severely injured in a weightlifting accident. He then gave up weightlifting and began to narrow his focus on the practices of yoga. The sixth months following the incident, Bikram, with the help and guidance of his guru, used yoga to recover from his physical injury. This recovery through the practice of yoga sparked the idea to teach his method to the rest of the world. In 1973, he came to the United States, where he founded the Yoga College of India and Bikram yoga and began teaching his methods to other potential Bikram teachers.(Pyman, 1)

According to Yoga Journal, Bikram Choudhury refers to Bikram Yoga as "the most exciting, hard-working, effective, amusing, and glamorous yoga class in the world." (Despres, 1) Bikram’s view on most practices of Hatha Yoga in the United States is that is it not true hatha yoga at all. Bishnu Ghosh, Bikram’s guru, was known in India as one of the highest authorities in the practice of hatha yoga. Bikram believes that his personal practice of Bikram Yoga is one of the few true forms of yoga practiced in America because it has not been altered or in Bikram’s words, “crucified” by western culture. (Despres, 2)

Bikram Yoga is a practice consisting of twenty-six different yoga posture poses and breathing exercises. Each Bikram Yoga class is ninety minutes long and takes place in a heated room, kept at a temperature around one hundred degrees. The poses and postures range in difficulty according to the person’s physical abilities. Bikram Yoga aims to work every muscle in the body, as well as every tendon, joint, ligament, internal organ, and gland. One of the main goals of Bikram Yoga is to restore health to all of the body’s by removing all toxins from the body and creating a healthy blood flow. (Pyman, 2)

Heat is essential in Bickram Yoga. According to the Bikram Yoga website, heat therapy is a healing method that originated in Greece during ancient times. Greek physicians raised body temperatures in patients to help the immune system fight against infection. The heat used in Bikram opens the pores and induces sweating, which detoxifies the body. The warmth loosens muscle tissue increasing flexibility. The extreme heat improves the flow of fresh, oxygenated, thin blood throughout the cardiovascular system. Also, the heat stops the body from overheating while working out because the raise in body temperature inside the body is creating equilibrium, matching the heat within the studio. (Pyman, 2)

I attended two of these ninety-minute classes at Bikram Yoga in Harvard Square. The instructor of my first class, Rich, was very welcoming toward new students and was very enthusiastic about the practice. Yoga has always been a part of Rich’s lifestyle, and for the past ten years he has been teaching Bikram Yoga. At the beginning of the class he told us a story about his first experience with Bikram Yoga. Rich said, “being that I practiced yoga for many years, I went into my first Bikram class with a big head, thinking that it was going to be a breeze. I left the class, which I barely completed successfully, frustrated and I didn’t attempt Bikram again until three years later.”

Initially, I was very intimated walking into Bikram Yoga. The studio itself was intimidating with its bright white walls and giant mirrors. Also, seeing the students, all extremely fit and sculpted made me nervous as a beginner. I was shocked to see everyone walking around in his or her skimpy spandex outfit. I stuck out, fully clothed with a baggy t-shirt, which instantly became drenched with sweat ten minutes into the class session.

The class began with a pranayama breathing exercise where we breathed in deeply through the nose and then breathed out through the mouth, emptying the lungs. Next, the series of twenty-six poses began, which included the awkward pose, the camel pose, and the tree pose. New to yoga in general, I found these poses to be awkward and somewhat strenuous. However, I did find that the heat enabled me to flex and elongate my muscles more than I normally am able to.

I left the class feeling very accomplished and invigorated. Rich told us walking into our first class that the goal was to simply stay in the room for the full ninety minutes. After class Rich explained the importance of using heat in Bikram Yoga as well as the significance of breath control and posture. I noticed that during the class session, Rich used the words pranayama and asana when leading us into either a breathing exercise or a postural pose. “Imagine a string running along your spine connected to the top of your head. Pull that string and lengthen the spine.” Rich said this referring to asana or the posture of many of the standing poses.

In Swami Muktibodhananda’s book, Hatha Yoga Pradapika, he describes the importance of asana in hatha yoga. “Through the practice of hatha yoga, one’s entire being is made fit and strong, as a shelter from the effects of the pains which come in life.” (Muktibodhananda, 34) Bikram Choudhury initially founded Bikram yoga as a healing yoga, which he found useful during his weightlifting accident. “Hatha yoga is the process through which the body becomes like a tortoise so that the external form is not the breeding place of disease and disharmony, but rather a protective covering.” (Muktibodhananda, 36) Asana, or posture is important in the strengthening aspect of Bikram.

Like discussed in class and in the readings, pranayama is breath control and is the foundation of yogic practices. “By practicing pranayama correctly, the mind is automatically conquered. By becoming aware of the nature of breath and restraining it, the whole system becomes controlled” (Muktibodhananda, 15) According to Muktibodhananda, breath is not only connected to the physical body but it is greatly connected to the mind. The more controlled the breathing, the higher the frequency of prana. “Breathing is a direct means of absorbing prana and the manner in which we breathe sets off pranic vibrations which influence our entire being.” (Muktibodhananda, 16) In Bikram yoga, the practice begins and ends with pranayama breathing exercises. Breathing, as a foundation in yoga, is used to relax mind wanderings, control mind activity, and bring the self into a meditative state. This idea creates these breathings exercises to be a great introduction in the Bikram practice to become focused and aware, and is the perfect cool down after a rigorous exercise that Bikram Yoga allows.

There is a clear connection between mind and body in Bikram Yoga. Practicing Bikram Yoga increases strength, flexibility, and balance in the physical body while energizing and awakening the mind. The workout gives a full body release, which in turn reduces stress and helps train the mind to focus and concentrate. (Pyman, 2)

“Connect your mind with your thigh” stated Rich during my first class as we stretched, tensed, lengthened, and then released the muscles in the thigh during on of the posture poses. Focusing the mind on each body part as it was tightened, loosened, and strengthened throughout the workout gave more intention to the practice and helped maintain focus and balance.

This connection of mind and body is something we have been discussing in class. “Since body and mind are intimately connected, physical flexibility contributes to an increasing freedom from a rigidity of the mind, which is at the base of all forms of fundamentalism.” (Ravindra, Intro xii) Ravi Ravindra discusses the connection between the mind, body, and spirit in The Spiritual Roots of Yoga. “The aim of yoga is the transformation of human beings from their natural form to a perfected form.” (Ravindra, 4) Seeing the sculpted, flexible bodies and the concentration and focus of all the students at Bikram Yoga supported this statement. “The undertaking of yoga concerns the entire person, resulting in a reshaping of mind, body, and emotions.” (Ravindra, 4) After leaving the Bikram Yoga studio I both my mind and body were relaxed and made me feel happy and uplifted. Along with Bikram Yoga, the studio offers Reiki and massage, which also furthers this sense of connection between mind, body, and emotions, like mentioned in Ravindra’s book.

The second class that I attended was more difficult for me than the first class. Heather, the instructor spoke to me about how Bikram Yoga is a great way to get into shape and stay in shape. Like Rich, she was very enthusiastic about new members and was very helpful in correcting our poses throughout the class session. Heather was also very helpful in directing me toward resources for researching further into Bikram Yoga.

Attending a class at Bikram Yoga has been the most positive experience that I have had thus far with yoga. I came into this Lesley University Yoga course with little excitement because the one time I attempted yoga, it wasn’t the most enjoyable experience for me. I love working out and lately I have been trying to be healthy and get back into shape. After two classes I can feel the reshaping of my body begin and I can feel an improvement in my mood and energy level after each class. I am interested in learning more about Bikram Yoga and am looking further into becoming a member at Bikram Yoga to continue attending future classes.

Works Cited

Despres, L. (2011). Yoga Lifestyle - Yoga's Bad Boy: Bikram Choudhury. Yoga Journal:

Yoga Poses, Classes, Meditation, and Life - On and Off the Mat - Namaste.

Retrieved February 21, 2011, from http://www.yogajournal.com/life

Muktibodhananda, S. (2009). Hatha Yoga Pradapika. Bihar, India: Yoga Publications

Trust.

Pyman, A. (2011). Bikram Yoga Boston & Bikram Yoga Harvard Square - Bikram

Choudhury & Bikram Yoga. Bikram Yoga Boston Back Bay, Financial District &

Bikram Yoga Harvard Square. Retrieved February 21, 2011, from

http://www.bikramyogaboston.com

Ravindra, R. (2006). The Spiritual Roots of Yoga: Royal Path to Freedom. Sandpoint, ID:

Morning Light Press.

Bikram Yoga - Nicole Inglis

Bikram Yoga

Yogi, Bikram Choudhury, who is originally from Calcutta, India, founded Bikram Yoga. He was born in 1946 and has been practicing yoga since the age of three. He has been learning technique and the lifestyle of hatha yoga from his guru, Bishnu Ghosh since the age of five years old. Under the supervision of Bishnu Ghosh, Bikram learned fast, becoming a regional yoga champion at the young age of eleven. Today, Bikram is not one of the most popular yoga teachers and fitness gurus in Hollywood. His practice, which is still fairly new in the world of yoga practices, has been becoming more and more popular throughout the rest of the United States each year. (Pyman, 1)

While still living in India, Bikram, at age twenty, became severely injured in a weightlifting accident. He then gave up weightlifting and began to narrow his focus on the practices of yoga. The sixth months following the incident, Bikram, with the help and guidance of his guru, used yoga to recover from his physical injury. This recovery through the practice of yoga sparked the idea to teach his method to the rest of the world. In 1973, he came to the United States, where he founded the Yoga College of India and Bikram yoga and began teaching his methods to other potential Bikram teachers.(Pyman, 1)

According to Yoga Journal, Bikram Choudhury refers to Bikram Yoga as "the most exciting, hard-working, effective, amusing, and glamorous yoga class in the world." (Despres, 1) Bikram’s view on most practices of Hatha Yoga in the United States is that is it not true hatha yoga at all. Bishnu Ghosh, Bikram’s guru, was known in India as one of the highest authorities in the practice of hatha yoga. Bikram believes that his personal practice of Bikram Yoga is one of the few true forms of yoga practiced in America because it has not been altered or in Bikram’s words, “crucified” by western culture. (Despres, 2)

Bikram Yoga is a practice consisting of twenty-six different yoga posture poses and breathing exercises. Each Bikram Yoga class is ninety minutes long and takes place in a heated room, kept at a temperature around one hundred degrees. The poses and postures range in difficulty according to the person’s physical abilities. Bikram Yoga aims to work every muscle in the body, as well as every tendon, joint, ligament, internal organ, and gland. One of the main goals of Bikram Yoga is to restore health to all of the body’s by removing all toxins from the body and creating a healthy blood flow. (Pyman, 2)

Heat is essential in Bickram Yoga. According to the Bikram Yoga website, heat therapy is a healing method that originated in Greece during ancient times. Greek physicians raised body temperatures in patients to help the immune system fight against infection. The heat used in Bikram opens the pores and induces sweating, which detoxifies the body. The warmth loosens muscle tissue increasing flexibility. The extreme heat improves the flow of fresh, oxygenated, thin blood throughout the cardiovascular system. Also, the heat stops the body from overheating while working out because the raise in body temperature inside the body is creating equilibrium, matching the heat within the studio. (Pyman, 2)

I attended two of these ninety-minute classes at Bikram Yoga in Harvard Square. The instructor of my first class, Rich, was very welcoming toward new students and was very enthusiastic about the practice. Yoga has always been a part of Rich’s lifestyle, and for the past ten years he has been teaching Bikram Yoga. At the beginning of the class he told us a story about his first experience with Bikram Yoga. Rich said, “being that I practiced yoga for many years, I went into my first Bikram class with a big head, thinking that it was going to be a breeze. I left the class, which I barely completed successfully, frustrated and I didn’t attempt Bikram again until three years later.”

Initially, I was very intimated walking into Bikram Yoga. The studio itself was intimidating with its bright white walls and giant mirrors. Also, seeing the students, all extremely fit and sculpted made me nervous as a beginner. I was shocked to see everyone walking around in his or her skimpy spandex outfit. I stuck out, fully clothed with a baggy t-shirt, which instantly became drenched with sweat ten minutes into the class session.

The class began with a pranayama breathing exercise where we breathed in deeply through the nose and then breathed out through the mouth, emptying the lungs. Next, the series of twenty-six poses began, which included the awkward pose, the camel pose, and the tree pose. New to yoga in general, I found these poses to be awkward and somewhat strenuous. However, I did find that the heat enabled me to flex and elongate my muscles more than I normally am able to.

I left the class feeling very accomplished and invigorated. Rich told us walking into our first class that the goal was to simply stay in the room for the full ninety minutes. After class Rich explained the importance of using heat in Bikram Yoga as well as the significance of breath control and posture. I noticed that during the class session, Rich used the words pranayama and asana when leading us into either a breathing exercise or a postural pose. “Imagine a string running along your spine connected to the top of your head. Pull that string and lengthen the spine.” Rich said this referring to asana or the posture of many of the standing poses.

In Swami Muktibodhananda’s book, Hatha Yoga Pradapika, he describes the importance of asana in hatha yoga. “Through the practice of hatha yoga, one’s entire being is made fit and strong, as a shelter from the effects of the pains which come in life.” (Muktibodhananda, 34) Bikram Choudhury initially founded Bikram yoga as a healing yoga, which he found useful during his weightlifting accident. “Hatha yoga is the process through which the body becomes like a tortoise so that the external form is not the breeding place of disease and disharmony, but rather a protective covering.” (Muktibodhananda, 36) Asana, or posture is important in the strengthening aspect of Bikram.

Like discussed in class and in the readings, pranayama is breath control and is the foundation of yogic practices. “By practicing pranayama correctly, the mind is automatically conquered. By becoming aware of the nature of breath and restraining it, the whole system becomes controlled” (Muktibodhananda, 15) According to Muktibodhananda, breath is not only connected to the physical body but it is greatly connected to the mind. The more controlled the breathing, the higher the frequency of prana. “Breathing is a direct means of absorbing prana and the manner in which we breathe sets off pranic vibrations which influence our entire being.” (Muktibodhananda, 16) In Bikram yoga, the practice begins and ends with pranayama breathing exercises. Breathing, as a foundation in yoga, is used to relax mind wanderings, control mind activity, and bring the self into a meditative state. This idea creates these breathings exercises to be a great introduction in the Bikram practice to become focused and aware, and is the perfect cool down after a rigorous exercise that Bikram Yoga allows.

There is a clear connection between mind and body in Bikram Yoga. Practicing Bikram Yoga increases strength, flexibility, and balance in the physical body while energizing and awakening the mind. The workout gives a full body release, which in turn reduces stress and helps train the mind to focus and concentrate. (Pyman, 2)

“Connect your mind with your thigh” stated Rich during my first class as we stretched, tensed, lengthened, and then released the muscles in the thigh during on of the posture poses. Focusing the mind on each body part as it was tightened, loosened, and strengthened throughout the workout gave more intention to the practice and helped maintain focus and balance.

This connection of mind and body is something we have been discussing in class. “Since body and mind are intimately connected, physical flexibility contributes to an increasing freedom from a rigidity of the mind, which is at the base of all forms of fundamentalism.” (Ravindra, Intro xii) Ravi Ravindra discusses the connection between the mind, body, and spirit in The Spiritual Roots of Yoga. “The aim of yoga is the transformation of human beings from their natural form to a perfected form.” (Ravindra, 4) Seeing the sculpted, flexible bodies and the concentration and focus of all the students at Bikram Yoga supported this statement. “The undertaking of yoga concerns the entire person, resulting in a reshaping of mind, body, and emotions.” (Ravindra, 4) After leaving the Bikram Yoga studio I both my mind and body were relaxed and made me feel happy and uplifted. Along with Bikram Yoga, the studio offers Reiki and massage, which also furthers this sense of connection between mind, body, and emotions, like mentioned in Ravindra’s book.

The second class that I attended was more difficult for me than the first class. Heather, the instructor spoke to me about how Bikram Yoga is a great way to get into shape and stay in shape. Like Rich, she was very enthusiastic about new members and was very helpful in correcting our poses throughout the class session. Heather was also very helpful in directing me toward resources for researching further into Bikram Yoga.

Attending a class at Bikram Yoga has been the most positive experience that I have had thus far with yoga. I came into this Lesley University Yoga course with little excitement because the one time I attempted yoga, it wasn’t the most enjoyable experience for me. I love working out and lately I have been trying to be healthy and get back into shape. After two classes I can feel the reshaping of my body begin and I can feel an improvement in my mood and energy level after each class. I am interested in learning more about Bikram Yoga and am looking further into becoming a member at Bikram Yoga to continue attending future classes.

Works Cited

Despres, L. (2011). Yoga Lifestyle - Yoga's Bad Boy: Bikram Choudhury. Yoga Journal:

Yoga Poses, Classes, Meditation, and Life - On and Off the Mat - Namaste.

Retrieved February 21, 2011, from http://www.yogajournal.com/life

Muktibodhananda, S. (2009). Hatha Yoga Pradapika. Bihar, India: Yoga Publications

Trust.

Pyman, A. (2011). Bikram Yoga Boston & Bikram Yoga Harvard Square - Bikram

Choudhury & Bikram Yoga. Bikram Yoga Boston Back Bay, Financial District &

Bikram Yoga Harvard Square. Retrieved February 21, 2011, from

http://www.bikramyogaboston.com

Ravindra, R. (2006). The Spiritual Roots of Yoga: Royal Path to Freedom. Sandpoint, ID:

Morning Light Press.

Melissa Streffacio MidTerm Paper

Melissa Streffacio
Laura Douglass
CSOCS 3452
February 21, 2011
Physioyoga at Karma Yoga

As a complete beginner to yoga my main focus in finding a studio was an easy class and a non-intimidating studio. I came upon Karma Yoga, which offered classes directed at “all levels” and focused on the physical and scientific- concepts I can wrap my brain around. The environment was friendly and inviting, the site was informative, the class seemed exciting and simple. Karma Yoga is a little of everything, it has classes of all types, and instructors that vary as much as their wide array of classes. The class that attracted me the most, however, was their physioyoga class, a combination of the spiritual and traditional hatha yoga, with a focus on physical and scientifically proven movements. Karma Yoga is a new studio that has already made an impression on its community and many of its patrons as it dedicates itself to green living, healthy choices, injury prevention, a spiritual mind, and most importantly a fun experience.
One of the best aspects of Karma Yoga, that I noticed right away was it was very open and inviting. It had a calming and friendly environment and there were many individuals who were willing to help me and direct me, as I was new. Because I seemed confused, a woman sitting next to me helped me with what I needed: telling me I'd need to pull my mat against the wall because we'd be using it, and helping me gather all the supplies I would need. The list included a mat, a blanket, a strap, two blocks, and a roller (a very menacing roller). I've never used any of this “stuff” and felt a bit intimidated, as such I began chatting with the more experienced woman. I asked her if it was a difficult class and if it was for beginners. She told me it was for all levels, and that she'd been to many different yoga classes, but this one was the best. She was clearly a regular who had gravitated to this particular class. She said it was a slow paced class, but you still got a deep workout and it really worked. She helped several other newcomers as well she appeared to be the experienced mother figure of the class.
I was very pleased with the welcome I was given, I immediately got the impression that the studio was very “community” oriented, and many of the regulars knew one another and treated each other like friends. They welcomed new comers and helped them out. My instructor introduced himself and even went around shaking the hands of all the new students, including me, and asked us to introduce ourselves. Everyone was very friendly and helpful, it was a very comfortable environment. The class was very diverse with both new and old members, young and old. They were all looking for different things in a class, and our instructor sought to accommodate them. This was truly the class for “all levels”.
Karma Yoga Studio is about bringing the East to meet the West, and involving the community. Yoga is an old Eastern practice, but at Karma it is mixed with science and athletics to get a very nice Western mix. Not only that, but they're very dedicated to the community and the environment. They offer many different types of yoga: traditional hatha yoga, various versions of vinyasa yoga, hot yoga, and a few non-yoga classes like Bollywood dancing, among others (Karma Yoga, Class Descriptions). They are a new and expanding line of yoga studios currently in three locations around the Boston/Cambridge area. It was founded by my classes instructor, Jesse Winder, in 2002 as a community outlet for practicing yoga and different styles of eastern fitness. Karma Yoga was founded on the principle that yoga should be for everyone and it has a basis for individual attention. Jesse Winder's physioyoga, the class I attended, is a combination of hatha yoga with evidence-based scientific research in biomechanics and sports medicine. It is very physical and focuses on proper anatomical alignment, joint protection and health, and effective body mechanics (Karma Yoga, Teachers).
When the instructor came in I was dazzled with how friendly and upbeat he was. He spoke about a thousand words a minute, all of them interesting and informative. I felt like I was in a class- with his lecture/demonstration/questioning style. He began the class by asking each of us what we wanted to do that day, and many people gave suggestions. He would begin each pose with a demonstration, an explanation of what the pose exercises, why it is a good pose, and the different ways it can be used. He would than have us perform the pose and go around helping us to adjust the pose, while asking questions and talking about the different benefits of yoga and the muscles used.
The class was very slow paced, the instructor joked with us and told us to hold the pose for “20 minutes” while he talked. He told us that the next day our muscles would be working at a 70% greater rate because we were stretching rarely used muscles. He taught us that by pulling our limbs in more slowly we can stretch them back further than we ever thought possible. He also told us that laying poses were really efficient, because we could achieve greater stretches with less risk of damaging muscles and joints. He warned us of sitting poses; they are the easiest to damage a joint. He appeared very knowledgable and enigmatic. Our instructor, Jesse Winder, is the founder of Karma Yoga Studios and the practice of physioyoga. He's been teaching yoga for over 15 years and founded the studio in 2002. He is a supporter of the scientific research behind yoga, and a major part of his instruction is focused on injury prevention and support of the limbs. He studied for 6 years with a physical therapist and Iyengar-trained yoga teacher, Kim Amlong to develop this new style (Karma Yoga, Teachers). I experienced the effects of this body alignment first hand at my site visit.
Jesse Winder's physioyoga style is ideal for anyone, because of its main focuses on proper anatomical alignment, joint protection and health, and effective body mechanics which can appeal to newbies, people with injuries, and hard core athletes looking for the ideal balance between strength and flexibility (Karma Yoga, Teachers). His innovative yoga style is well researched and well honored, and his enthusiasm is evident in his teaching. Throughout his lessons he often talks about how some poses were hard for him at first, and it is clear he has a lot of fun while also teaching the many benefits of yoga. The physioyoga class itself, as experienced by me, was very physically strenuous. Poses that would seem easy became quite difficult to hold for long periods of time. And for some of the poses I learnt I could bend my body in ways I never had. We used many different materials that I'd never had the experience of using before. I struggled greatly with the roller, as I would not roll when we were meant to roll, and when we weren't to roll all I could do was roll. One tool, that our instructor described as “the cheapest and most useful” was the strap; it became very handy for poses and was simple to use. I personally think the cheapest and most useful tool we used in that class was the wall itself. We did many laying poses where we used the wall to stretch our legs, including a lotus pose. One of the interesting questions the teacher asked the class was “why do you get pins and needles when your feet/hands fall asleep?” He wouldn't let any of the regulars answer, which tells me it was a question he liked to ask often, the answer was the nerves. He related his “lessons” to everyday effects to show us how these movements can help our circulation all the time.
Karma Yoga employes many different yoga instructors of various backgrounds, and it is truly a place for anyone. Their mission is to support different viewpoints: aiming at the scientific, physical, and spiritual aspects of yoga, as well as support the community, and show yoga as a fun experience (Karma Yoga, About Us). They create a light and upbeat atmosphere with enthusiastic and engaging instructors, and a selection of soothing and upbeat music. The Karma-Yoga experience is always developing, Jesse Winder is currently attending Harvard Medical School Clinical Training in Mind-Body Medicine to develop his classes further. Jesse Winder has taught yoga to clinicians at the Alternative Medicine Immersion Program at the Natural Standard Center, a fore front in Integrative Medicine. He has even had the honor of speaking at Harvard College for his entrepreneurship (Karma Yoga, Teachers). Karma Yoga exemplifies the American yoga experience because it illustrates our ideals, while also promoting health and relaxation that the busy American lifestyle often lacks. Karma Yoga particularly reflects the Cambridge community it is located within, by supporting its local charities (as well as developing its own), and supporting a green environment and healthy living within the community. Karma Yoga is about bringing a world experience, the various different aspects of their spiritual practice, to an americanized setting.
Karma Yoga also has a strong focus on all types of health. They have their own tea shop and emphasize the benefits of herbology and holistic nutrition. They are strong supporters of charity and a green environment, they donate 5% of their profits to environmental protection organizations and have an eco-boutique which offers yoga and wellness accessories and a selection of ecological-responsible and fair-trade items (Karma Yoga, About Us). They offer one class in which all of their profits go to their joint animal rescue project, and instructors for this particular class work pay free (Karma Yoga, Class Descriptions). C.A.R.E, the Community Animal Rescue and Education organization is co-founded by Jesse Winder, the founder of Karma Yoga, physioyoga, and an instructor. C.A.R.E. Is also the first and only Cambridge-based animal rescue non-profit organization (Karma Yoga, Teachers). From their goals, and the many activities of the instructors of Karma Yoga it is clear they are very community orientated and are focused on developing a greener planet, as well as providing spiritual and physical practices for their clients.
Before attending Karma Yoga I was expecting (hoping) the class would be like our Lesley classes: slow paced, easy going, focused on breathing and relaxation. The Karma Yoga class was a lot more physical than I anticipated. When looking for a class to attend I chose a class that was directed at beginners in the hopes that it would be more calm and easy going. The class did have an easy going nature, but I was a bit intimidated by the use of some of the yoga “props”. When faced with the pile of props before me, I had no idea what to do. I remember discussing the uses of a yoga strap within class, but never did I think I'd actually encounter one. With that said, I did enjoy the class, and I believe it was fairly slow paced (although I'm not sure how someone with “light injuries” might keep up with it). It was a lot more focused on the physical than the spiritual, as our Lesley class explores, which I liked because I felt I could relate to it more. I did miss the relaxation/deep breathing exercises of our class. Although the Karma Yoga class did end with a short period of meditation, I felt it was a bit rushed, and not very calming. My Karma Yoga instructors voice wasn't as calming as Laura Douglass'. In all I'd say the Karma Yoga class was a lot more energetic, although the poses were held for longer (you'd expect there to be less “movement”) the instructors fast talking and enthusiasm gave the class a certain energy. I understand why the texts mentioned that Hatha Yoga is sometimes thought of as a more physical form, from this class, but I understand the authors disagreement with such comments because the class is as spiritual as you interpret it. This concept is one of the ideas I like best about Karma Yoga, they take a great effort to incorporate the physical and the scientific while also showing how spiritual it can be perceived.

Work Cited

"About Us." Karma Yoga. Karma Yoga, n.d. Web. 19 Feb 2011. .
Karma Yoga Studio. Karma Yoga, Web. 19 Feb 2011. Studio/213648025086>.

Back Bay Yoga Midterm Paper-Rachael. O

On behalf of my field assignment, I chose to participate in a Core Vinyasa class at the Back Bay studio. Vinyasa means “breath-synchronized movement,” which instructs one to move from one pose to the next on an inhale or an exhale also known as a Vinyasa flow (Pizer, 2010). This flow is a smooth transition into the different yoga poses that will run together to become in sync with one’s breathing (Pizer, 2010). While attending the studio, I was able to analyze this practice based on what I learned during class. This paper will discuss the yoga site, the meaning behind Vinyasa yoga and how this type of yoga influences culture the demographic, the teacher’s background and style, and the aesthetics of this type of practice.
As I was researching different yoga studio sites, I found that Core Vinyasa yoga was the most intriguing and best fit for me. I thought this type of yoga would suit me best, since I am an athlete here at Lesley and wanted to participate in a more vigorous and dynamic physical class. I felt I would benefit from a class that was livelier, rather than a slow meditation or chanting class. I am extremely energetic and feel when occupied with a fast pace activity, it helps to relax me and to distract me from thinking about my problems and other stressors. I dislike sitting still and do not perform well with slow pace activities. The slow and sluggish pace just becomes more challenging to me, since it makes me think more about my problems and therefore makes me more stressed. This ultimately makes it difficult for me to control my mind and be relaxed. Once I decided to take this class, I was quite interested, and then researched online to learn more about this studio and this type of yoga.
The Back Bay studio is a vibrant and friendly place that is clean, natural, and peaceful. This studio has two spacious yoga practice rooms (which have a statue of a Guru in the front of the room and candles), a supply of yoga accessories and apparel, and locker rooms with many accommodations (Backbayyogastudio, 2011). This yoga studio’s mission is to “provide a space completely dedicated to yoga.” They offer a wide variety of classes-including Ashtanga, Forrest, Vinyasa, Resorative, Yin, and Meditation-workshops, and healing therapies including acupuncture and massage (Backbayyogastudio, 2011). This studio believes that by offering a variety of yoga styles, everyone will be able to find a class that suits them, and believes in the statement “yoga is not one size fits all” (Backbayyogastudio, 2011). This studio makes attending class sessions very easy, and include drop ins, no previous experience, or pre-registration requirements. The Back Bay studio is high priced; it is 15 dollars a session, however do offer packages and give discounts to students.
The teachers at this studio seem very dedicated, caring, and helpful to the beginners and experts who attend the classes. My teacher’s name for this course was Peter Crowley. According to the Back Bay Yoga website, I was able to discover more about my teacher’s background. Peter teaches the dynamic core-centric Forrest and Vinyasa yoga. He believes in the healing power of a strong and nurtured body and believes that physical movement leads to freedom. As a child, Peter experienced a food addiction causing him to become overweight and was diagnosed with obesity at eight years of age. He used food as a coping mechanism to deal with abusive environment at home and at school. Peter eventually started to lose weight quickly with doctor’s orders and unfortunately became addicted to cigarettes. At age 21, he was confused and unhappy and immersed himself in the culture of dance and movement at night clubs to find freedom and escape from all his problems. In 2001, he was introduced to yoga, and within two years, his life turned around for the better. He spent two years practicing Ashtanga, Power Vinyasa, and Bikram yoga. He participated in Ashtanga training and began teaching in 2003. Peter then used Forrest yoga to help himself heal from pain and to help him confront his compulsive and addictive behaviors. He then fused the power of an embodied Forrest yoga practice with the freedom of movement and release found in ecstatic and uncontrolled dance with Freedom Joy yoga. Peter also went on to study several yoga systems including Ashtanga, Baptiste Power Vinyasa, and Forrest Yoga. Peter was a very caring and experienced instructor who I enjoyed listening to. I also got a chance to talk to him after class for a short period of time about the class and how he enjoys teaching and following the different yoga practices he followed.
The setting of this yoga studio was very different than I expected. It was very warm and comforting compared to wear it is located in Boston. Everyone was very nice and warm welcoming when I walked in. When I told them I was new and never been there before, they were very excited for my first experience. I liked the studio since it felt cozy and at home when I walked in. There were couches and very nice locker rooms for us to use. The temperature in the room was very warm and comfortable. I also noticed that the colors of the walls in the room were light Tuscany colors. It felt as if they were trying to make a setting that was warm, relaxing, and comfortable. I also observed the people who attended this studio. There were both men and women who participated in the classes, and I could see the different levels of experience among the participants. The style of clothing worn was a lot different to the clothing of those who carried out the Eastern yoga practices. The men were wearing mostly sporty cut off shirts and either lose shorts or spandex shorts, and the woman were wearing tight clothes-some being very revealing.
This Core Vinyasa class that was offered at the Back Bay studio integrates the strength, stability and alignment of core work (abdominals, lower back, and shoulders) with the fluid power of Vinyasa flow. Bringing one deeper each class that will be fused with music - including world, eastern and more (Backbayyogastudio, 2011). This class is also held in a warm room to promote detoxification and suppleness. For this specific Vinyasa class I took, the underlying philosophy was to teach one to cultivate an awareness that links each action to the next on the yoga matt and in our lives. The founder of Vinyasa Yoga was named Sri Krishna Pattabhi Jois. He was an Indian yoga teacher and a student of Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, who was one of a handful of true Hatha Yogis that existed at the turn of the 19th century (Roots of Vinyasa yoga? 2011). It was also said that he knew over 10,000 poses (Roots of Vinyasa yoga? 2011).
According to Yoga Journal “Consciousness in Motion,” by Shiva Rea, Vinyasa yoga includes a view called parinamavada, the idea that constant change is an inherent part of life. For that reason, to ensue skillfully with any action, we must first assess where we are starting from today, and not assume we are relatively the same person as we were in the past. This is the first step in reaching the Vinyasa philosophy, which is called the course of action. Once one followed the proper course of action, he or she can assess conditions and focus on the next phase of Vinyasa: building up one’s power, and the capacity for a given action (Rea, 2011). One of the primary teachings is to align and initiate action from our breath and our life force, in order to help open the natural flow and power of prana (the energy that sustains us all on a cellular level) (Rea, 2011). Therefore in Vinyasa yoga practice, expansive actions are initiated with the inhalation, and the contractive actions are associated with the exhalation.
This is similar to the text Hatha Yoga Pradipika, by Swami Mutibodhananda, because it talks about another type of yoga called Hatha yoga. The objective of Hatha yoga is similar to core Vinyasa yoga when it comes to the natural flow and poser of prana. The objective of Hatha yoga stated in the text: is to create an absolute balance of the interacting activities and processes of the physical body, mind and energy. When the balance is created, the impulse generated awakens the central force, which is responsible for the evolution of human consciousness. Breathing techniques are very crucial for the practice of any yoga. By becoming aware of the nature of breathe and by restraining it, the whole system becomes controlled. Mental discipline is accomplished allowing the body and mind to be one and being able to have control of the body. One is never working with the body alone, which is a huge distinction between traditional yoga and modern adaptation of yoga. The body is a vehicle by which it creates a mental and physical stability, which relates to the Core Vinyasa class. This is because we use both the body and mind and breath to accomplish the strength, stability and alignment of core work.
The next step in accomplishing the philosophy of core Vinyasa is to gain the art of completion. The art of completion is completing an action and then making the transition into the next, which is very important in determining whether one will receive the action's entire benefit (Rea, 2011). The last step is the pathway of transformation. During this step, we bring the techniques of Vinyasa to stand throughout our lives, which opens similar pathways of transformation, inner and outer-step by step and breath by breath (Rea, 2011). During these four sequences of actions, it awakens and sustains consciousness. In this way, Vinyasa connects with the meditative practice of nyasa within the Tantric Yoga traditions. In nyasa practice, it is designed to awaken our inherent divine energy, and practitioners bring awareness to different parts of the body, and then through mantra and visualization (Rea, 2011). This awakens the inner pathways for shakti (divine force) to flow through the entire field of their being (Rea, 2011).
Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga is considered to be a perspective on all yoga, rather than just one style. It was started because of the lack of focus on the core of all yoga poses on all levels: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and energetic (Sadie Nardini, 2011). Sardi Nardini core strength Vinyasa yoga’s principles and poses simplify how to access, comprehend, and use the core most efficiently to gain the maximum yoga benefits (calorie burn, strength, flexibility, focus, self-awareness, and confidence) in the least amount of time. By looking at this type of yoga, I was able to analyze how this practice influenced culture in America. It is very different from Eastern Yoga practices, but did share some similarities when it came to breathing, energy, and using the body and mind as one. By going to this class, I could see that westernized yoga practice in America is a lot different from eastern yoga practices. This class followed more of an Americanized yoga practice rather than an Eastern yoga practice because, it seemed as if the class was more of a work out and strength class.
The culture of Americanized yoga looked more at athleticism and being physically sustained compared to the Eastern everyday lifestyle of being more spiritual in body and mind. It appears to me as though people mostly look at and practice yoga in America to keep in shape and to become/stay “beautiful.” Our world now, is so caught up on appearance and being beautiful. Physical appearance in our society is a very big part of fitting in or being liked. Everyone wants to have the perfect body and to be attractive. The way people dressed for this yoga class also characterized American culture, because most of the clothes were very tight and revealing.
The Vinyasa yoga class is similar to Eastern yoga practice in the way we focused on breathing techniques when transitioning into different poses. The positions were very challenging and by using certain breathing techniques to accomplish the Vinyasa flow transition into each pose made it much easier to do. I also thought the warm room temperature helped get rid of toxins and wastes that needed to be released in turn purify the body and help clear the mind. By doing this, it would allow the mind, body and breathe to work as one and accomplish the pathway of transformation.
In conclusion, I thought this field assignment was a great learning and enjoyable experience to be a part of. By taking this class, I was able to look deeper into a different practice of Yoga called Core Vinyasa. I was able to take what I observed, my personal experiences, and research on the philosophy of Vinyasa yoga to another level of understanding. I was able to get a better understanding of westernized yoga and culture and was able to compare and contrast it to Eastern yoga practice. From taking this class, I was able to find a specific yoga class that fit me best and in which I wish to continue. I also was able to bond with some of the students and teacher in the class. I truly enjoyed the entire experience with them. I will continue to study and perform this type of yoga to help with my inner problems and stressors, in order to achieve the process of healing and to change myself for the better.




References
Back Bay Yoga Studio (2011). In Back Bay Yoga Studio. Retrieved February 16, 2011, from http://www.backbayyoga.com/
Muktibodhananda,S. (1993). Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Bihar, India: Bihar School of Yoga.
Nardini, S. (2011). What is core strength Vinyasa yoga?. In Sadi Nardini. Retrieved February 16, 2011, from http://www.sadienardini.com/core-strength-vinyasa-yoga.html
Pizer, A. (2010, May 14). Vinyasa Yoga-Flow Yoga. In About.com Yoga. Retrieved February 16, 2011, from http://yoga.about.com/od/typesofyoga/a/vinyasa.htm
Rea, S. (2011). Consciousness in Motion. In Yoga Journal. Retrieved February 16, 2011, from http://www.yogajournal.com/wisdom/909
Roots of Vinyasa yoga? (2011). In Learning tools yoga cards. Retrieved February 16, 2011, from http://www.yogacards.com/vinyasa_yoga/history-of-vinyasa-yoga.html

Bryant Itonyo Back Bay Yoga Studio Experience

Yoga is a practice in which the mind, body and emotions are all used to help create a sense of freedom to lead to unstressed body, mind and emotional reactions. Yoga has been practiced for centuries and according to Hatha Yoga Pradipika, some form of yoga has been practiced in between the 6^th and 15^th centuries A.D. Since the 6^th century, cultures have changed and helped transform yoga into a new way of dealing with life struggles. For instance, Americans have modernized yoga and created a business market for which people can pay for yoga classes to help them deal with miscellaneous problems in life. Classes can range from various prices and with new styles, people have options to choose from. Yoga businesses offer different yoga styles like Ashtanga, Forrest, Vinyasa, Restorative, Yin, and meditation. These styles offer variation to yoga customers and give people a chance to decide which style fits best. Yoga creates interest in multiple groups such as athletes, workers, teens and parents. Each group may benefit differently from yoga depending on the style and the persons goal for joining a class.

In class we have discussed the difference in yoga through eastern and western philosophies. The fire yogi was a great way to see how yoga is practiced in another society. Within the documentary was a yogi by the name of Rambhausuami, who is 63 years of age and has been practicing yoga for a long basis of his life. Rambhausuami has an ability to mesh with fire and not get burned. He demonstrates his devotion, dedication, and will to practice yoga by giving up certain portions of his life such as his food intake. The fire yogi demonstrates a different perspective of yoga and how it is used to in his case be almost immortal to fire. This example of the fire yogi shows a significant difference in the attitude and approach between western and eastern societies when involving yoga.

At the Back Bay yoga studio in Boston, yoga was not viewed as a way to tame fire it was simply a one hour class that demonstrated different poses and breathing techniques to help relax the body and clear the mind. The whole view on yoga seemed to be different the interior of the place was set to the likings of a yoga theme. The colors were imprinted to match the tone and style of yoga classes that this studio presented. The class cost ten dollars and a mat rental was three dollars, which brought the total to thirteen bucks.  There was a place to put sneakers and a place for both genders to change into yoga attire. This studio attracted many types of people from different physiques, ethnicities and genders. There were hand outs for people to read about upcoming classes and magazines to help people understand new trends in yoga. The atmosphere had a bunch of friendly and respectful people.

After the brief introduction to the people and the studio’s atmosphere, the class was about to start. The name of this class was Vinyasa yoga and the room had a bunch of accessories for participants to use just to make things easier when performing poses and positions. By definition Vinyasa yoga is “steady flow of connected yoga postures linked with breath work in a continuous movement.”(Yoga Movement, 2011). This class was straightforward with the description because we did a lot of poses and started off with proper breathing techniques. In this studio the heat was on high volume, which made it harder to consistently do poses right after another. Lesley’s yoga class and Back Bay studios classes are totally different because the instructor’s methods had to do with more breathing techniques and poses than chants. With the yoga class at Lesley chants, positions and breathing are relevant. The instructors had a very different point of view of yoga because the room temperature was up and the class was easier going. For example the class had advanced and inexperienced yoga participants because some of the poses were very hard to perform without a proper yoga background. In this class having proper attire was not a problem because there was a woman with jeans and she was very flexible. In most instances having proper attire would help a participant perform poses at an easier rate. This was interesting to me because out of everyone in the class she was probably the most flexible.

The poses were hard and the heat did not help me maintain poses consecutively. Examples of the poses done are the dolphin pose, padangustasana, downward dog, utkatasana, malasana, high lunge, natarajasana, low lunge, triangle pose, full boat pose, all warrior poses and pasasana. These poses required us to breathe correct and be relaxed because if tense injury could occur. The heat did help with loosening the muscle to help people perform certain positions. Not having adequate experience with yoga made me stand out from the rest because in my mind I was the least flexible person there. Also not having a water bottle made it difficult to stay hydrated and perform all the poses. The instructor was well mannered and helped everyone with poses and did a good job of keeping everyone focused and ready to perform multiple poses. Some difficult poses for me was the pasasana, warrior three pose, and the crane pose. The pasasana was very hard at first because it requires a high level of focus to on wrapping your arms in between your legs while squatting and keeping your hands folded behind your back. I had a hard time performing this pose because I was not able to picture myself completing it but after a couple tries I performed it. The second pose I had trouble with was the warrior three pose because it required you to balance your torso by having it parallel to the ground and arms straight while balancing on one leg and hold the other leg straight back. This pose basically had me performing an upper case “T” with my one leg being the straight line vertical and my torso, arms and other leg being horizontal to the ground I struggled with keeping my body balanced. Lastly the third pose I had trouble with was the crane pose in which your body is held up with both hands to the ground with your arms straight and knees tucked into your elbows. This pose was the hardest pose for me because it challenged my strength and breathing technique. All of the poses during the class were even harder to do without proper hydration and focus.

The Back Bay yoga studio is located in Boston and can be conveniently accessed by subway or car. The location of the studio is in the city and around restaurants and businesses making it easy for people to go to yoga during a break or after work. Their mission statement is to “provide a space completely dedicated to yoga. Offering a wide variety of classes… and they believe that by offering a variety of yoga styles, everyone will be able to find a class that suits them.” () this is a brief synopsis of their mission statement and explains what they offer and how they plan to suit all consumers from different demographics. After being inside the studio their mission statement proceeds to follow all of their guarantees to satisfy the customer’s needs for yoga. They offer a drop in classes making it easier for people with hectic schedules to also participate. On the back of the brochure they state rules to abide by when participating in any of their yoga classes. One of the rules is to arrive 15 minutes prior to the start time of your class. This gives the instructor and also the participant time to get relaxed and set up to begin a class. If someone arrives ten minutes beyond the time of class they are not admitted into the class. This studio gives customers the ability to know what the rules and proper attire is when attending and showing up for each class. The interior seemed to be new because everything was nicely placed and the floors were clean and shinny. Charges vary and depending on how many classes someone wants to attend it can become expensive. When accommodating for the people they serve, Back Bay does a good job because it gives discounts for full-time students and the military. This makes it easier for the Back Bay studio to offer specials to everyone from different economical backgrounds. There were a lot of people in the studio during the time I went to the class and I noticed people of all descents and ages. The yoga at Back Bay is influenced by the American culture because there are added prerequisites within the class to help enhance a newer way of doing yoga. For example they offered yoga straps and blocks for stability.  This influenced the way this studio introduced yoga to its customers, also having the heater on a high temperature gave me and also others a different view of this yoga class. The view I had for it was that we were going to do poses and chants but since there were no chants we used silence and heaat to focus and complete positions. Overall back bays techniques for yoga would be totally different from the fire yogi of India’s practice. Culture plays a vital role in how people may practice yoga. The theory of yoga that was used for the class was Vinyasa which focused a lot on poses and proper breathing. At the start we used breathing to help soothe the mind and body and towards the end we followed up with the same routine as the beginning. This class had a lot of moderately difficult poses and breathing techniques to help people complete the poses. The Back Bay yoga studio offered me hands on experience of how a yoga class can be directed and how some instructors may add little changes in to the class to help people benefit from the poses in another way. This was a great class and I would recommend this to people who are interested in learning new poses and proper breathing techniques.

Iyengar Yoga by Maureen Ryan

Maureen Ryan

CSOCS 3452 Yoga: Theory, culture and Practice

Lesley College

Spring 2011

February 21, 2011

Mid-Term Project

For my Mid-term Project and Presentation I chose a yoga studio that is within walking distance from my home. I had heard about the Iyengar yoga classes being offered by Patricia Walden at St. Mary’s Church on Inman Street in Cambridge and thought that this would be the perfect opportunity for me to explore and experience her style of Iyengar yoga. I knew that Patricia Walden has been teaching yoga for a long time, in Massachusetts and that she is a popular and much loved yoga teacher. However, I had no Idea how much she has contributed to the yoga community and how well respected she is.

Patricia’s own history with yoga began when she met Mr. Iyengar at his yoga class during his second North American Tour in 1976. Instead of feeling frightened or intimidated by Mr. Iyengar, as others sometimes were during the class, she felt “seen” and hence accepted by him. This was a profound experience for Patricia . She made her first trip to Pune, India just months after meeting Mr. Iyengar and has continued to visit every year since then. (www.yogajournal.com/wisdom/2515) Patricia states in an article in the Yoga Journal that “Under Iyengar’s guidance she made peace with her self-perceived shortcomings and learned a new way of being in the world—and sharing it with others.” (http://life.gaiam.com/article/patricia-walden-bio-yoga-saved-her-life) She is one of the most well respected yoga teachers in the United States and was honored by Yoga Journal in 2004 as one of the “25 American Yoga Originals who are shaping yoga today”. She has also co-authored several books and created many DVDs. Her most popular DVD being Yoga for Beginners, the best class you’ll ever take is now on video.

In 2003 Patricia Walden opened the BKS Iyengar Yogamala center at St. Mary’s Church in Cambridge. The yoga center (without walls) is for people with different levels of physical ability and belief systems and is dedicated to the work and teachings of Sri B.K.S. Iyengar. Iyengar himself learned hatha yoga from his brother-in-law and yoga master Sri T. Krishnamacharya. He was very rigorous and hard on Iyengar, who was a weak and sickly young man, because he did not want to teach him. He agreed to take him on as a student only because his wife, Iyengar’s sister, asked him to. Krishnamacharya forced Iyengar to perfect each pose in order to improve his physical health. After eight years of intense study of the physical poses with Sri T. Krishnamacharya, in 1936 Iyengar began teaching yoga.

Before describing my class experience at the Yogamala Center, I wanted to add some of the history of St. Mary’s church to give a sense of the heritage and unique energy of the Center. In my research I found St. Mary's acquired the church, home to the First Universalist Church, in 1954. It is the second oldest church building in Cambridge. St. Mary's Parish is currently located at 8 Inman Street in Cambridge. However, the church building originally graced the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Main Street, approximately one half-mile from its current location. In the latter decades of the nineteenth century, The Universalist congregation had the entire building moved from its original location. The reason for this move is lost in the mists of history. But the moving process which was quite extraordinary for the time drew reporters from far and wide and was recorded for history. The original building was cut into two pieces, front and back. The pieces were levered onto two huge flat-bed carts and hitched to a long train of draft horses. The caravan proceeded at a slow pace one half mile down Massachusetts Avenue to its current location on 8 Inman Street. Along the way, newly strung telegraph cables had to be cut to allow for the passage of the tall structures. A basement foundation a level-and-a -half deep had been excavated and the church was reassembled atop the stone preparations. Sometime before St. Mary’s acquisition of the church, hurricane winds had toppled the landmark steeple and the cost of its replacement was prohibitive. That, coupled with the fact that by 1954 the Universalist congregation had dwindled to a few individuals, provided the opportunity for the parish of St. Mary’s to acquire the church and use it to service in the Orthodox worship of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit which it continues to do today.

As I set out to walk to class, I was imagining the serene and peaceful setting that I would be walking into. I was anticipating a blissful experience of flowing, relaxing asana poses and breathing exercises. However, as soon as I walked through the front door and into the room, I quickly realized that the class was not what I had imagined it would be. Although I had arrived early, there was already a large group of people in the room. Along the sides of the room there was some pre-class instruction and demonstration taking place between Patricia and her student assistants and the energy pace was bustling and high. I watched as people busily gathered the various props that they would need for the class and then, following their lead, I gathered my own set of props. I chose two blocks, a strap, two blankets and a bolster pillow thinking surely this would be enough. I observed that the large groups of people attending class were made up of various age groups, fitness levels and sizes. The females outnumbered the males. The yoga outfits were just as varied but primarily simple yoga pants or shorts and tee shirts, nothing fancy. As I sat and watched the action happening around me, I found myself wondering when quiet would finally come into the room so we could begin. The yoga room is large and simple yet manages to be warm and inviting at the same time. The warmth of the wooden floor and the natural light streaming in through the windows contributed to the comfort of the room.

My first view of Patricia Walden was when she came to the front of the room to begin class. She is a tall, slender woman with a matter-of-fact energetic personality and a great sense of humor. Patricia began the class by discussing the focus of our physical work together for the evening. The theme for this first class was working through what she called inertia of the body and mind by doing “tapas”. Tapa means doing something with zeal or lots of energy. She instructed us to keep asking ourselves with each pose “can I do this without too much aggression or without overworking myself”? She reminded us of two ways to warm the body at the beginning of our practice. Heat is created by pressing the hands together and also by focusing on the inhalation of the breath. The class started with the invocation chants of Om and after that we were instructed to go to the wall for dog pose. We used the props to assist us in the proper alignment of the pose. It was a challenge for me to incorporate the use of these props in the poses since I have not done so in the past. Throughout the practice that evening the props were used as an aid in obtaining the proper alignment in the pose. I have never used yoga props before in a class and even though I know they are helpful they just felt like they were in the way. Yet I did feel drawn to Iyengar yoga’s approach to working with the poses to develop physical strength and stamina. I felt a sense of empowerment in trying to create a strong and flexible body by trying to perfect a pose instead of just flowing into the next asana pose. Our culture in the United States promotes the idea of strength and power of the body through various forms of media and the idea that fit strong bodies are the ideal bodies are engrained in my mind. Therefore, I could feel the urge to join in the quest for the perfect alignment of a pose and to develop the physical body.

In important discovery for me about the Iyengar style of yoga is that there is no or very little flow. For example, flow is defined as moving from one pose to another without pausing to perfect each pose or using a fluid transition from one pose to the next in conjunction with either an inhale or exhale of breath. In Iyengar style yoga the poses are held for a long period of time while the alignment is perfected. My research confirmed that the focus in Iyengar yoga is on perfecting the proper alignment of each asana to obtain physical and curative effects. Even though the cardiovascular experience is less intense, the poses are strenuous and do build body strength, and increase flexibility. Iyengar yoga practice can bring yoga within the reach of a broader population and it can be a great place to start for people who are not physically fit enough to do a flow style practice. Perhaps that is one of the reasons Iyengar continues to be one of the most popular styles of yoga.

Although the practice room is in a church, I found this type of yoga practice was lacking a spiritual focus. The meditative, soothing and relaxing quality that I had experience in other classes did not seem to be present. The church itself is a very pleasing, soothing structure and I was expecting that when I went into the building.

Culturally, Iyengar style yoga is a more acceptable form of yoga because of its physical athletic poses and because the spiritual part is not promoted. It seems to me from my experience of the two classes I have attended with Patricia Walden that Iyengar yoga is more physical rather than spiritual. In fact in the article the Analysis of Yoga Practice: BR. Smith (2007) he states that “most of the metaphysical doctrine, even the ethical assumptions of Iyengar’s teaching, are found in his publications and not taught overtly in classes.” (Smith, B.R., p. 307) In conclusion, I think that the theories of yoga and the manner in which Sri T. Krishnamacharya taught Iyengar resulted in the the curative and physical nature of Iyenger’s teaching style.