Robert Foley
Professor Douglas
Yoga Culture Theory and Practice
Fall 2012
Samara Yoga
The
Venue I chose to conduct my yoga project on was called Samara Yoga
located in Somerville Massachusetts. It is a beautiful yoga studio with
windows that let the sun come in at the perfect angel to brighten up the
room. It is 1,500 square feet, warm and calming with mellow golden
painted walls and shining hardwood floors. The studio has classes
ranging from vinyasa, anasura, dynamic flow, meditation, yoga of energy,
and yin yoga. They also have an area for massages and acupuncture.
Finally they have many specific services throughout the week that are
seminars which help to become a better person. One example I can think
of specifically is they have a workshop for personal development which
is called “Radical self acceptance.” It is a class where it teaches
people to become more loving of themselves using meditation and many
other methods. The university of Loyola Marymount says that “The Yogic
ideal is to achieve complete freedom and authenticity by transcending
the limiting structures of the ego-personality and discovering the true
spiritual Self within.” I am very glad I chose this particular Yoga
Studio to do my project on.
The Samara Yoga studio was named after Samara which is the fruit of
the elm tree. The name was inspired by the location of the studio on elm
street in davis square. The yoga that is practiced at this studio is
conducted by an eclectic group of creative teachers with unique
backgrounds making it a special place in the heart of the diverse Davis
Square. I attended the Vinayasa yoga class. According to Smith Body mind
and Spirit “This focus brings a deepening of attention into the pose, the muscles and the breath” (Smith, 2007, p.26.)
The Samara Yoga center is a relatively new studio it has been around
for seven years. It was established in 2005. Nicoline Valkenberg the
owner told me how excited she was to be able to open up a new yoga
studio in her hometown of Somerville Massachusetts. Her goal is to
create a space where people can find steadiness within impermanence and
by doing so on the mat, she has found that “We can learn to ride the
waves of life with composure and grace and enjoy the ride!” She is an
amazing person to meet I felt truly blessed to meet such a great person.
She told me that “Our inner and outer worlds are in constant flux, as
our thoughts, needs and impulses react to the ever changing river of
circumstances that surround us. We often resist and try to control the
natural flow of life within and around us and become stagnant in our
bodies, minds, and spirits.” JUst speaking to her was an enlightening
experience because she really emphasized the fact to trust the inner
world. The inner world she said was the most important thing in our life
and that the subjective needs to be in balance with the objective. I
feel lucky that I was able to have this experience.
Samara Yoga center serves people from all ages, genders, and races.
There were people who just tried Yoga for the first time and there were
experienced people in the class as well. The attitude in the room was
very positive and upbeat. I suggest people who have self esteem issues
attend this class because it was quite calming One thing I did notice
was that the yoga practiced in the class I took led by Nicoline was that
she was great at combining the flow of each different practice. It was
an hour and a 15 minute class which seemed like it ended way to quickly.
The class would help people who do not like to be constantly nagged on
how correct their form is. The teacher Nicoline I thought did a
phenomenal job in having each person learn at their own speed. If you
had a question she was more than willing to answer with a caring and
benevolent attitude. Vinyasa Yoga which was the class I attended is for
people who enjoy diversity. What is great about vinyasa is that there is
no concrete, rigid way to practice. According to fittoday.com they say
that “Vinyasa yoga is
a discipline that utilizes postures and breathing techniques. This form
of yoga offers a range of health benefits to those who practice it, as
it encompasses all areas of mind, body and spirit.” If people like an
unprecedented style where there is freedom with flow then this is class
to take. This class encumbers many different styles and theories which
is a great sequence to learn. Fittoday.com also writes that “Vinyasa is a
Sanskrit word that translates as "variations within parameters." I
personally enjoy learning through empirical data instead of somebody
telling me that this is a certain way to do something. I find learning
by doing is much better because not everyone is the same so that you can
cater the practice to your certain learning style. Once the process has
been catered to your style this will accelerate your learning. The
people who learn by doing instead of being told what to do are the
people who should take this class. There were a lot of experienced
people who were at the class I went to. I thought that this was good
because then you can learn from them faster than being around only
beginners.
Yoga is influenced by the diverse creative area of Davis Square.
There is quite a liberal welcoming vibe in the studio. The culture
tended to be much more americanized. There were a lot of women who
looked as if they were mothers. If I had to choose a demographic that
frequents this studio I would say it is young professional women. The
predominant group of people who frequent here are educated middle class
white late 20’s to early 30’s women. There are outliers obviously who
frequent here as well. The practice of Yoga I would say is influenced by
three factors that are imperative in American culture. The three
factors I noticed in the yoga studio that were influenced by our
American culture was doing yoga to increase sexual attraction, yoga for
anti american culture, and finally for therapeutic reasons. The first
factor I noticed was that people who attended the Vinyasa Yoga session
was that there a lot of girls who did it to look attractive. I have no
problem with this concept I personally think it is intelligent to try
and better yourself. Many believe this is superficial but that is taking
a positive thing that is beautiful and turning it into a negative one.
Another factor that I noticed at the Yoga studio is that it was quite a
liberal experience. Many people at this studio made it obvious that they
were far left on the political spectrum. I don’t think there were many
Romney voters in this company. The people were warm and welcoming, they
were very interested in what my goals were for studying this Vinyasa
Yoga class.
A lot of the students in the class were anti American culture and
were much more interested in esoteric concepts of higher spiritual
thought. The ironic part was that they were all young professionals
working for major corporations. It was the old Claim “I’m not religious
I’m spiritual.” I find this comical because saying your religious and
not spiritual is fighting the same idea. The idea that is being fought
is the thought that groups destroy people, by segregating ourselves into
groups it makes us lose connection to one another. The final thought
that was influenced in our culture was doing Yoga for therapeutic
reasons. I believe this is the reason why Yoga is becoming such a renown
practice in our culture today. Yoga helps the mind body and spirit.
Since we live such stressful lives with long hours and have to take care
of others. It is difficult to constantly have to compartmentalize our
lives balancing work, family, friends, and everyday life obligations.
Our culture I believe could reap a large reward if everyone did yoga.
Yoga helps people heal holistically. Vinyasa Yoga especially helps
because it involves breathing practices. Our society could benefit
heartily if we could take a step back from the excruciating struggle of
lifes everyday minutiae and take a deep breath.
The theories of Vinyasa Yoga that are the basis for the practice are
controlled breathing through movement. Vinyasa Yoga can be called “Flow
Yoga” and it emphasizes being in the flow of the practice. I thoroughly
enjoyed Nicoline’s style of Vinyasa because she would let you know when
to inhale and then exhale. I felt an exhilarating sense of calmness
practicing Vinyasa Yoga. After the first class I was so relaxed and at
peace with everything it was truly a spiritual experience. I highly
suggest to people who have been stressed in life or want to focus on
something positive to take a Vinyasa Yoga class. It is a relaxing life
changing experience at the same time. focusing on your breath makes your
attention become centered and humbled. It teaches that there is more to
life than trying to compete with others. Life should not be about
competition it should be about creation. The breath has such a healthy
factor that many people unconsciously have no idea about. The breath can
help people realize that they are much more in life than just who their
resume says they are or what the society says about their body.
Breathing centers people and can make you realize that there is more to
life. I firmly believe that Vinyasa Yoga is a practice that everyone
should attempt in order to improve their life holistically. Forget the
idea of taking a pill if you are sad or nervous. Try focusing on your
breath and using that to your advantage. That is the most powerful
practice a person can focus on. There is nothing more powerful than
being focused on breathing. Breathing consciously can help you come into
a state of mind that is not judgemental or having issues concerning
being stuck in the past or future. The conscious breathing practices
that are instituted in the practice of Vinyasa Yoga bring people into
the present. They can help our species calm down and find the truth in
life instead of worrying about material possessions or social status. I
am extremely thankful that I had the opportunity to learn and experience
a practice that is so healthy where it can improve the mind, body, and
spirit.
Works Cited
Smith Body, Mind, and Spirit?
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