The Yoga Web Series: A Quick and Dirty Guide
Nicole L. Mark
The “yoga industry” has reached multibillion-dollar status and the influence of “yoga culture”–a mashup of luxury yoga pants, Wanderlusty festivals, and a watered-down philosophy affirming how awesome we all are no matter how shitty we act–is undeniable. Like electronic dance music’s multiplicity of genres and subgenres–dubstep, hardstyle, bigroom, liquid, etcetera–yoga, ironically oft-translated as “union”, has spawned a bounty of sub-yogas over the last fifteen years or so, some not traceable to any original source. For better or worse, twenty-first century yoga in the west primarily defines itself by image rather than substance, and yoga-influenced art and culture (mostly) reflects this shift. A little over a year ago, I wrote a piece on the formulaic nature of yoga lit, the way that yoga memoir, fiction, and even journalism seemed to follow a prescribed narrative. In 2015, yoga web series replaced yoga books as the medium for defining yoga culture. Over the past year or so, new yoga web series crop up about as
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Weekly’s “the ‘Girls’ of Yoga”, even got a shout out from the New York Times. NB follows Sabine, a well-intentioned, technically proficient, cigarette-smoking yoga instructor from New York to Los Angeles, where she hopes to start a new life and continue teaching yoga. Radhe–surely her real name!–forms a composite of a number of studio owner stereotypes, concerned with “numbers” (of students), Instagram followers, and the studio’s image rather than the actual quality of instruction or adherence to the yamas and niyamas, the ethical guidelines for yoga practitioners outlined in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. “Gratitude!” she says disingenuously at the conclusion of her conversations. Unless you live under a yoga rock, you’ve seen–or at least heard about–this series. (Or maybe you were too busy actually doing your
Joan grew up on the northwest side of Chicago and began studying hatha yoga in the early '70s and has continued to do so ever since. She studied the science and philosophy of yoga at the Himalayan Institute for about 12 years and then later at the Temple of Kriya Yoga for approximately 11 years. Joan feels fortunate that she got started on this path at the right time because she had the opportunity to study under the great teachers that had come from India.
It is the most appropriate yoga for those who are more intellectually or philosophically inclined. This yoga can be broken into three distinct steps. The first step is to learn, this means seeking out teachers and gurus who can pass their knowledge unto you. The second step is to think; this step requires you to separate your true Self from the self you are currently occupying. The final step is to change, that is, to change your self-identification to your true Self. This step can often include referring to yourself in the third person to further drive a wedge between Self and self.
Originally from Japan, Soyen Shaku was the first Zen master to arrive in America. His followers urged him not to come to a nation that was so ill-mannered and uncultivated and that the Japanese were facing extreme discrimination. Shaku’s countrymen Hirai Ryuge Kinzo “offered pointed examples: the barring of a Japanese student from a university on the basis of his race; the exclusion of Japanese children from the San Francisco public schools; the processions of American citizens bearing placards saying ‘Japs Must Go!’” (Eck 185). After several decades, there was a Zen boom of the 1950s and that was how Buddhism affected western culture, especially in regards to entertainment. “‘Zen’ is “the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese character "chan," which is in turn the Chinese translation from the Indian Sanskrit term "dhyana," which means meditation’” (Lin).
The knowledge of dance is important in the field of Kinesiology. Dance is a topic that Kinesiology majors should learn about because it helps them understand the fundamentals of the sub-disciplines in the major. Kinesiology emphasizes the study of human movement, such as physical activities, exercise, and health; therefore, it is a field that definitely encourages the knowledge of dance.
This particularly yoga class was taught by a college student from State University named Kim. She stated that she is in training to become an official yoga instructor and that this class was the first one that she was teach at the Recreation Center. It is an exercise class that was intended to make your mind and body feel at peace as you stretch and do strength training. Yoga is meant to be very calming and spiritual. Everyone in the class appeared to be college student, there were mostly girls and few boys, only the instructor spoke during the class, and everyone made sure that they had their own personal space through the class to make sure they had enough room to move.
There are many aspects on the study and meaning of kinesiology. Some of these ways are; applied kinesiology, kinesiology medicine research, and specialized and energy kinesiology. The study kinesiology and massage therapy is believed to go hand and hand. Many will say that without the proper knowledge of kinesiology and muscle movements, you can not provide a patent with all that is needed for a proper massage. As we approach new years, many individuals are increasing their concern in health. With the healing arts increasing in popularity, individuals don’t understand the need for well-rounded therapist. Who are trained in the science of kinesiology, which includes the technique of massage to enable them to be proficient in their field.
Increased awareness of yoga as a healing method along with high-profile celebrity endorsements have contributed to the growing numbers of yoga users recently. Madonna and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are some famous yogis that have been students of Bikram Choudhury, who founded his own style of hot yoga in India.
Yoga is a discipline both involving physical and mental control that originated in India. The word Yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word, "yug", meaning union and it means the joining of the individual spirit with the universal spirit. The type of yoga known as Hatha Yoga, ("Ha"- sun, "tha"-moon) is what is most commonly practiced and this yoga involves the path of the mind and body and is the most physical. There are eight limbs or steps of Hatha Yoga, the first step being the five Yamas. There are five yamas and these concern your behavior to the world.
The Pre-Classical Period introduced spiritual writings called the Upanishads. The Upanishads contained more discussions of yoga than the Vedas (Being and Becoming). Karma and Jnana Yoga originated from this time period and were developed in the Upanishads (History of Yoga). Karma Yoga is described as being related to selfless actions. It li...
I walk into class expecting an easy workout, relaxing music, and an easy-A. Instead, my teacher starts to explain what yoga is and what the class is going to be. “Yoga is not only exercise, but is a journey you must take to get in tune with your body and spirit,” he tells us. We begin class by learning to become mindful, focus exclusively on our breathing, and take a step back – away from our lives – to look at it on a grand scale. Looking at the “big-picture” I realize just how self-conscious I am about my body. I remember moments of my life hiding from the public, ashamed of my own appearance. I could see how unattainable my beauty standards have become, and how unhealthy I was being. By not eating, barely sleeping, and not being able to accept myself, I was destroying my body. Waves of emotion flood my mind and it shocks me to realize how poorly I had been treating myself. I started to see this class as both a blessing and a curse because I can now identify my insecurities and find a way to fix
DAIVASURA-SAMPADA-VIBHYANA YOGA: It refers to the human traits of divine and demoniac natures. One must give up anger, lust and greed, and discern between right and wrong.
"Yoga. Mar. 2014: 24-25. pp. 78-78. Print.
A unique style of yoga, called Bikram yoga, focuses on breathing and concentrating, and it re...
The goal of this study was to identify the ways in which engaging in yoga practices would alter psychological well being, and allow people to engage more fully in their lives and flourish in health and happiness. The pre and post test set up of this study allowed the researchers to see the ways in which students had been affected by their participation in the yoga teacher training. Yoga training students were engaged in a four week program. They were administered tests and the beginning of the study, prior to engaging in the program, at the end of the program, after completion, and then again at a 3 month follow up. Multiple factors were assessed, however the significant and important ones which relate directly to our understanding of healthy, happiness and wellness and the course content are extremely
This week’s analysis is associated with the yoga class provided online to help with stress reduction. The first term that I came across was psychophysiology and how this principle is based on the mind and body being one and how our thinking affects all physiology. This principle was the perfect definition of yoga because yoga focuses on how the mind and body connects with each other. It gives you a sense of relaxation throughout your mind and body together. Furthermore, the yoga that was in the video was a yoga style called hatha. Which practices asana (yoga postures) and pranayama (breathing exercises). According to the book, this practices helps bring peace to the mind and body and prepare our body to do deeper exercises. The art of breathing was mentioned during the exercise and in the book. Breathing is very important when trying to unite the mind, body, and spirit. So, having slow, deep breathes was a main focused during the exercise. Another term that was used in the video was the art of stretching, which allows us to become aware of our flexibility of our muscle while moving. Lastly, the art of balance is significant because it allows us to move into the next form of position on both sides of our body. Some of the workouts pose that was mention in the textbook that I did was two knees to the chest, cobra, and head of cow. Overall, hatha