Yoga I
Professor: Tess Boone
|
Yoga lifelong wellness application.odt Size : 27.804 Kb Type : odt |
This assignment was designed to help us students realize the importance and the potential of using yoga as a means to keep our bodies and minds in healthy condition. There are three questions asked within the assignment and one must take the time to answer them thoroughly, not only for proper credit, but also because they pertain to the rest of our lives and our health for the future. I will also copy/paste it below this paragraph:
Zak Basta
HLAC 1057 – Yoga I
December 1st, 2011
Lifelong Wellness Application
What did you learn about “lifetime wellness” from taking this activity class?
In this class, not only did I learn a lot about yoga, but I learned the importance of proper breathing technique, as well as stretching. In regards to breathing, I had once stumbled upon the importance of exhaling in order to relax into a stretch, and this class reaffirmed that. In addition, I learned about how to use my breath to invigorate my body and mind for the rest of my day. This is a key product of my learning because – although I've always tried – I've never been one who has been able to exercise in the morning. But in taking a yoga class at the beginning of my day, I've been able to retrain myself.
Complimenting that, my stretching technique has improved dramatically. I've always known the importance of stretching – especially as I get really bad cramps in my calves from running – but I learned quite a few things about doing it properly that have really helped me gain more flexibility and endurance. One of the most important things I learned was not to bounce or do repetitions of a stretch. It seems obvious now that I've completed the class because, whereas I used to stretch in that way, I now have so much more flexibility in all of my problem areas, i.e. inner hips, outer hips, calves, hamstrings, obliques, shoulders, feet, and more. I definitely owe it all to taking this class.
But to really appreciate these benefits, I have to continue them throughout my lifetime. This insight comes from experience. I used to exercise a lot more frequently about five years ago. I never really appreciated my physical fitness, though. It was actually somewhat of a side effect of my relaxation. That's the main reason I went running all of the time. But as I let exercise fall out of my life, I began to notice a great deal of changes that I didn't like.
So, in terms of concepts pertaining to my general well-being, I've definitely learned that I need to keep up on my physical fitness levels in order to feel good about myself and to feel good in general. However, I would say that the concept that overshadows that one is the fact that I can enjoy the relaxation of yoga while also increasing my lifelong wellness.
How would you apply this information to your life?
I already use the stretching techniques in my daily life. In fact, I actually can't stand to go without stretching major muscle groups and joints at certain parts of my day. When I wake up, it is absolutely necessary that I stretch my back, shoulders, neck, legs, and hips. Otherwise I feel tight and restricted. These feelings might pop up again throughout the day, especially before aerobic exercise, and I'll definitely want to stretch again (easing myself into the stretch with proper breathing technique, as well).
At the end of the day – before getting ready for bed – I like to do the same stretching routine, but following that, I enjoy performing yoga poses that involve training in focus, balance, flexibility, endurance, etc. Basically, during my night time routine, I want to cover all areas of my personal well-being. So, in order to answer the question, I will always perform these daily stretches, as well as my nightly yoga flows in order to keep myself healthy in body and mind.
What is your intention to continue to exercise in your life, and why?
Well, as I outlined above, I enjoy doing yoga stretches in order to relieve tension and loosen tight muscle groups all throughout my day. I also enjoy doing more poses and flows at night in order to increase my focus, awareness, balance, flexibility, and endurance. These attributes are very important to me in life and I want to retain them.
So, my most honest intentions are to continue to do yoga on a daily basis in order to increase my grip on attentiveness throughout the day. Yoga will also help keep me from feeling sluggish or run-down and I can tackle more difficult tasks all day long. To compliment my yoga routine, I will also play tennis and go running two to three times per week. I enjoy all of these activities and I believe that enjoyment is an incredibly important factor in whether or not a person continues exercise in their life. I intend to enjoy my exercise for many years to come.
I really enjoyed this class, and assessing my own skills, goals, and insights for my future health is really important to me. I very much appreciate the seriousness of physical fitness, as well as mental fitness. Not only did this paper allow me to put my own thoughts down on paper, providing a nice outlet for my aspirations and concerns on this subject, but it also helped me to see quite a few concepts I wasn't necessarily aware I was thinking about until I saw them written before me.