Wellness Day Reflection

The first topic that came to mind immediately while we discussed the parameters of the Wellness Day project was yoga. When I am in a yoga class, I get some of the deepest, most effective stretches and workouts in my life. I stretch muscles I did not even know were in my body. When I leave the class, I feel an overwhelming sense of wholesomeness, a deeper knowledge and connection to the world around me. The mental and physical benefits of yoga have bettered my life for many years, and I felt it fitting to pay homage to an art that benefitted me in so many ways.

Some of the most interesting things I learned were about the history of yoga. I did not know what its origins were, and I found the 5 principles by Swami Sivananda to be resounding. These principles, proper relaxation, proper exercise, proper breathing, proper diet, and positive thinking and meditation, are the basis of what makes yoga so effective. When these principles are applied to all aspects of life, not just in the classroom, the lives we lead can become happier, healthier, lovelier.

The fun and unusual types of yoga were also very interesting. Like Doga, yoga with your dog. I would love to do downward dog with my little puppy, or aerial yoga nestled between silks suspended above the ceiling.

While researching the Sunrise Salutation, I learned about the reasons behind this specific sequence, the sequence I have been doing since I was eight years old. I did not know where the solar plexus is located, but now I know that it rests behind the navel in the central part of our bodies, and the Sunrise Salutation opens and extends the plexus to the sun’s embrace, feeling its warmth for the duration of the sequence. Knowing the story, the purpose behind the sequence makes it more than just a series of moves; it’s a moment of gratitude for something so much grander than us, yet that makes our lives possible.

Yoga is important for our mental and physical well-being because it emphasizes the importance of the self. While getting a vigorous aerobic workout or stretch, we internalize and focus on our thoughts. We regulate our breathing and bring a sense of structure to the mayhem of life. I have not practiced another form of exercise as effective as healing my mind and my body as yoga.

I would grade myself at an 8, because I did an equal amount of the preparation as my peers for the presentation. Kaitlin did a bulk of the research on the background, I was the creative mind in charge of the activity and poses, and Hayley did the benefits, bibliographies, a and other miscellaneous slides. We worked well as a group. Not one person did too much or too little. I think I got a little rambly during the presentation because I was nervous, but other than  that I thought the class was well engaged during the activity.