You will be REQUIRED to practice AT LEAST once a week OUTSIDE OF CLASS. Free classes are available at Yoga Nine Ventnor, but there are many other options. After practices in class and on your own, please complete a REFLECTIVE JOURNAL after each practice.

Here are some general questions you might consider when doing your WEEKLY journaling. 

Journals are submitted via a BLOG that you create. Journal reflections are due every FRIDAY by midnight. Please CREATE YOUR. BLOG (blogger is fast and simple if you have gmail) and send the blog link to me. Make sure that I have access to read it!!! I will put a blog post with all your blogs on the class blog. 

Each week on your syllabus, you will be given a prompt which is reflective of the class topical material, but please feel free to comment on anything ELSE which is relevant or interesting to you. Here is a non-exhaustive list of ideas for your semester consideration:

Ritual and practice:

1. What ritual(s) is/are the teacher performing and what do you suppose are the intended effect(s) of these ritual(s)?

2. What is the tone/volume of the teacher? What effects does the tone/voice have on you?

3. What is the teacher TEACHING in the class? Is there a theme running throughout the class? How, if at all, did asana and/or pranayama relate to the theme?

4. Did the teacher set the intention for the class? Or, did they invite you to set your own? If the latter, what was your intention for class? Did you maintain the intention throughout?

Anatomy and Practice:

1. What anatomical calls were carried throughout postures in class?

2. Did the teacher make anatomical calls from the more proximal or distal parts of the body?

3. Did the teacher make anatomical calls from the base of the posture up? Or not?

4. What was the experience of the corrections you made in your body based on the teacher's anatomical calls and the way in which the teacher sequenced those calls?

Health benefits and Practice:

1. What health claims were made by the teacher as a part of class?

2. Were "healing stories" a part of the class or studio culture?

3. What "healing" properties/ physical benefits or effects were directives or claims as part of class, or as part of studio cultural beliefs?

4. Is Ayurveda practiced at your studio? If so, how are the principles presented in light of Western medicine?

Philosophy and Practice:

1.Is there a philosophical principle to the teaching at your studio? Describe it.

2. How are the philosophical principles of yoga presented as relating to practice?

3. Does the philosophy of your studio speak of the foundational yogic texts?

4. What is "yoga"? How is it understood as part of Western lifestyle?

Pop Culture and Practice:

1. What are the symbols/elements of popular culture found in your experience?

2. Is yoga commodified in consumer culture? How?

3. What makes yoga so popular?

4. Why do you practice /other practice yoga?

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