How Software Is Helping Yoga Studios Keep Their Balance

Poornima Vijayashanker had practiced yoga for more than 6 years when she had a realization: Yoga studios weren’t using like they should. Regardless of the studio, she saw yogis who had entered the business thinking they’d be helping students perfect their poses, but were instead spending their time tracking attendance and chasing renewals to stay afloat.

Of course, Vijayashanker wasn’t just any yoga student. She was a budding software engineer who’d become one of the first employees at the online personal finance site and dropped out of Stanford’s computer science graduate program to do it. When the was acquired by financial management powerhouse Intuit, she struck out in search of a new business venture that would inspire her to “jump out of bed in the morning.”

From her tenure at Mint she knew that business owners have limited time and would “rather do anything than manage their finances.” In January of 2010, Vijayashanker launched her own company, , mostly through bootstrapping and $450,000 from angel investments. The simple, cloud-based service tracks membership, attendance and revenues for independent fitness businesses. The tool automates repetitive tasks such as billing and class reminders, saving instructors time and keeping all the company’s data in one place.

Poornima Vijayashanker launched BizeeBee, a software tool to help yoga studios run their businesses.

While similar tools such as and exist, BizeeBee is tailored to the specific needs of young and small businesses with a single location, modest enrollment and annual revenue of $100,000-200,000. Vijayashanker designed BizeeBee to be flexible and low cost: No contracts are required and monthly subscription rates are less than $70. With yoga on the rise — the number of yoga practitioners grew 29 percent to 20.4 million Americans from 2008 to 2012, according to Yoga Journal’s — Vijayashanker anticipates an increase in instructors who’ll potentially need management help when starting out.

In the two and a half years since its launch, Palo Alto, Calif.-based BizeeBee has built a client roster that includes personal trainers, instructors, and owners of yoga, dance and martial arts studios, whose 36,000 clients are currently tracked by the tool.

Feedback from its subscribers inspired Vijayashanker to add new features to the software in 2011, including an online storefront to sell supplies and class packages. BizeeBee Billing, designed to streamline payment collection at a cost of 4 percent per transaction, is currently being beta-tested.

Straightforward management software is especially important to growing small, community-driven businesses, according to Rob Schware, co-founder of the , a group that brings yoga to underserved communities and trains instructors who do the same. He explains, “[Management] tools that are simple to install and easy to implement help the beginning yoga studio owner or instructor to reach their communities more effectively.”

Vijayashanker says revenue is growing at a rate of 1-2 percent per month and reached break even at the end of 2012. The company is now run by Vijayashanker and her technical co-founder Alex Notov, with the help of two interns involved in marketing and development.

BizeeBee’s next step is to increase its online presence through Internet marketing via social media, email campaigns and search engine optimization. It will also expand its YouTube-hosted : short episodes that aim to give business owners tips and enhance BizeeBee’s credibility.

Inspired by her experiences in tech, Vijayashanker has also created , an ed-tech startup created to educate, encourage and empower women building tech products and businesses. The courses cover topics like product development and interview strategies and students are (naturally) scheduled and managed through the tool. Using BizeeBee as a case study in her curriculum, Vijayashanker encourages aspiring women in tech to be self-motivated, self-reliant and to take risks. She tell them: “Recognize you’re resourceful enough.”

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Yoga for Eye Sight

The great master Swami Vivekananda said that there are four main streams of yoga:Jnana Yoga, Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Karma Yoga. To use all these streams of yoga to build the personality. We are now going to focus on Eyesight Development or Eyesight Improvement. In late 60s the TV came afresh in Bangalore city and everybody was so fascinated, particularly the children glued themselves to TV forgetting all their sports outside. Went on watching 3 hours, 4 hours, 5 hours, 6 hours and movies after movies and as expected it started happening in 5 or 6 years, 1972-73 we started seeing most of these children wearing very thick glasses.

We felt too bad. We said can we solve this problem? Many people said that we are not going to allow our children to watch the TV. That is no solution. This is when we started developing yoga module. The specialised techniques that yoga prescribes for eyesight improvement were selected from various yoga techniques. The precautions we have to take, norms that we have to follow were taken care. So we developed this module, iintegrated yoga module for eyesight improvement. We started giving that in Yoga Camps.

One week camp, 15 days camp, one month camp and we started documenting the result whether really it is useful or not. The results were very fascinating. When we have an average of 1000 or 1500 sstudents, we have found that the eyesight can improve by one Diapter for short sight sstudents with a practice of every day half an hour for one month. This iintegrated yoga module can bring such wonderful results. Practice for half an hour every day for one month, one Diaptor is going to reduce. Yoga in Education for Total Personality Development SERIES – 2 8 | Yoga for Eye Sight Improvement

When we continued children with -5, -6, -7 children were able to normalise their eyesight. Then we started taking up this. Initially we have short theory and then we go for the practice and what is the whole basis for the eyesight improvement that we are talking? Many people think that the accommodation power of the lens is going to change. No. It is Eye Ball Curvature. In short sight the image is falling too far in front of the Fovea. But why is that distortion taking place in the eye ball? This is because of the differential pull of the rectie muscles of the eye ball.

So when we do yoga in which we handle the eye excercises to see that the muscles co-ordinate so cohesively that the eye ball starts becoming normal. How do we know it is going to become normal? One of our Opthalimic specialist Dr. Upadhyay in England, measured the eye ball curvature and after 15 days, after one month of yogic practices the eye ball curvature started getting normal. Such results prove that yoga brings in normalisation and it is these techniques that we have used. Trataka is the specialised practice that yoga prescribes. It is one of the six kriyas.

Kriyas are essentially meant for clearnsing and to strengthen the nerves which connect the eyes to the brain which handles the different muscles and calming down of the mind, silencing of the mind, slowing down of the breath, does wonders. Therefore in this module we are going to use some Asanas, special breathing practices and mainly the Trataka and the meditation which help the people develop their eyesight. Yoga in Education for Total Personality Development SERIES – 2 Yoga for Eye Sight Improvement

Let us try to understand the structure and functions of the eye so that we can go ahead to understand how Yoga works in improving our eyesight. We all have two eyes. A resting eye is designed for distant vision. Near work always involve lot of work on the small, little muscles of the eye. Each eye is comparable to a pholographic camera. Just like the camera has a diaphragm and an aperture, our eye also has a dark highly pigmented diaphragm called Iris. This Iris cuts off all the light from entering into the eye ball and in the centre of the diaphragm is the little transparen’t hole called the Pupil.

The diaphragm is called the Iris, the apercher is called the pupil. Through this pupil only nature allows the light to pass through. What are the functions of a good camera? It should have a very good powerful lens so that it can have a very clear image at its focal point and it should be able to adjust very perfectly to the light conditions and also to the distance of the object from the film of the Yoga in Education for Total Personality Development SERIES – 2 10 | Yoga for Eye Sight Improvement camera. Our eye although is comparable to a camera, is not having a shape of a camera.

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Problem Solving for Yoga Teacher

What is a problem? A problem is a situation in which there is a goal, but it is not clear how to reach the goal. Main Problems faced by a Yoga teacher: 1. Classes with only a few students Yoga teachers may sometimes teach a small class, maybe less than 5 students, here brings a great challenge to a yoga teacher since you need to build up a good connection with your students to really look into the needs of each of the students rather than in generalized terms. This takes time for you to know more about each of his/her students. 2. Teaching classes in different locations

Being a yoga teacher, you may have to work in different locations for each class, this will involve a high travelling cost and frustration. 3. Problems on marketing your classes and workshops This is essential for you to be an effective marketer in order to grow your business. Even you are working in a large yoga school providing all the marketing collateral for you, you still have to clearly articulate. If you are not working in such a large company, you must be able to answer a question “Why students should chose you but not these in the large yoga school? 4. Not enough time to practice yoga for own self Many people may have a misunderstanding that when a yoga teacher is teaching yoga, he/she is practicing yoga as well, however, this is not true, and the yoga you are teaching in a class is never the one you are practicing on your own. You may find that you don’t have enough time to practice yoga. 5. Managing illness and scheduled day-off You must have a clear concept that if you don’t teach, you won’t be paid. This is very important to have a good time management on your working schedule. 6.

Thinking yourself is not good enough Teaching yoga is an on-going process, sometimes you may face a situation that the way you are teaching is unfamiliar with your colleague. This may make you think you are not better than the others. Lack of confidence in own teaching style is a big problem in teaching yoga. 7. A class with students in different cultures Sometimes a yoga class may not only have local students, but also students from all over the world. This may lead to a communication problem to these from other countries. Strategies to solve problems

Heuristic – Heuristic is a strategy in thinking under uncertainty. It is a solution strategy based on past experiences. Thinking with heuristic will give a quick answer, it may, however, lead an incorrect answer or even no answer, as past experiences may not be exactly the same to the current situation. Algorithm – Algorithm is a step by step problem solving procedure that guarantees a correct answer to a problem. Which Strategy should be chosen as being a yoga teacher? The answer is Heuristic. Although algorithm guarantees a correct, this is very time-consuming.

The most important thing is the problem you faced in being a yoga teacher is not a simple mathematics question with an exact answer. For example, you are facing a class with on more than 5 students, which teaching methods should be used? In this situation, you even have no time to take a step and step procedure to solve the problem, a quick action must be done! Also, there is no exactly correct answer to you which methods must be better, this is based on your past experience. To know more about your problem solving styles!

There are two kinds of problem solving styles: Representativeness Heuristic and Availability Heuristic Representativeness Heuristic is a heuristic for judging the probability of membership in a category by how well an object resembles (is representative of) that category. In general, the representativeness heuristic leads to a bias toward the belief that causes and effects will resemble one another. Availability Heuristic is a phenomenon in which people predict the frequency of an event, or a proportion within a population, based on how easily an example can be brought to mind.

An event may be prominent in our memories because it happened recently or because it is particularly striking or vivid. Questions: Which kinds of problem solving styles you are using?? Situation 1: When you are teaching a class with foreigners, let says students from USA, they are very aggressive and always ask a lots of questions, so you assume all the students from USA have that kind of culture. Next time when you teach USA students, you refer to your past experience to apply in this situation. Ans: Representativeness Heuristic Situation 2:

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Sri Bhagvad Gita by Eknath Easwaran

At the dawn, when first rays of Sun begin its daylong journey to encompass wide undulating Earth in its infinite divinity, we are beckoned to move into the journey of our lives with two attributes- “Karma”and “dharma. ” Karma means our tasks and Dharma means our duty. With this Karma and Dharma, we get Moksha. Moksha means salvation from this body after death. These attributes we adopt within the precincts of our birth and rights that we attain in the form of “jnana yoga”, “bhakti yoga”, “karma yoga”, “raja yoga and others.

Jnana yoga means attainment of self knowledge through the use of mind, Bhakti yoga means reaching divine through the path of spiritual devotion, Karma yoga means selfless service towards human race to purify your soul and Raja yoga means control of the human consciousness with the help of meditation. Yoga is a most important aspect of Indian culture, and is a part of Vedantic philosophy emerged from the Indian soils.

The importance of the yoga lies in the fact that they guide us towards the righteous path and are very well explained in a religious and most famous poem of India, Bhagavad Gita, (Song of the Lord), a part of the India’s largest and considered to be oldest epic Mahabharata. Bhagavat Gita is a lesson of philosophy of life told by Lord Krishna to Prince Arjuna during the battle of Mahabharata. This was the great battle fought between Kuravas and Pandavas to claim the right heir for the throne, but eventually it became more of the battle between right and wrong, between responsibilities towards family and between moral and ethical values.

Since the day, Bhagavad Gita verses touched the souls of people it became the biggest source of inspiration and a spiritual guide not only for Hindus but also for whole human race, spreading intense depth of its golden verses into the daily lives of people. Values so enshrined in verses of this Sanskrit poem are beyond the confinement of the limitation of time, in other words they are timeless. By translating Bhagavad Gita into English, Eknath Easwaran brought the whole world enter into its divine verses and make people themselves adopt its ideals and values, so invaluable, priceless and serene.

Prince Arjuna, was a brave man possessed with all qualities that a prince should have. He was known for his skills in the art of warfare and intelligence, yet when he saw he had to engage himself into battle with his own brothers, and relations, his nerves broke down. At this time, Lord Krishna as a charioteer of Prince Arjuna and his spiritual guide not just infused in him spirit to enter into war but also reincarnated him with the new hope and enlightenment with moral philosophy of Karma and from his verses immerse very basic meaning of our existence on this Earth.

As said by Easwaran, “The Gita does not present a system of philosophy. It offers something to every seeker after God, of whatever temperament, by whatever path. The reason for this universal appeal is that it is basically practical: it is a handbook for self-realization and a guide to action. ” (Easwaran 48) For Lord Krishna, Jnana, bhakti and karma yoga, are not the three different ways of following the spiritual path but rather are the three aspects of an ideal life.

Choice of Prince Arjuna is not merely his choice of entering into war but it is choice between right and wrong. It is also not the choice of gaining revelatory knowledge but it is rather a choice of taking action out of wisdom and ignorance. Finally, the necessity is performing Karma (action) that attributes to one’s own nature (svadharma), and is acted upon with enlightenment from inside, that means jnana and with deep devotion in the form of bhakti towards Brahman (holy men). In other words, all the actions of man are performed in combination of three yogas.

Therefore, in Chapter 2, when Arjuna fell at the Lord Krishna’s feet Sri Krishna says, “In such a crisis, whence comes upon thee, O Arjuna, this dejection, un-Aryan-like, disgraceful, and contrary to the attainment of heaven? ” “Yield not to unmanliness, O son of Kunti! Ill doth it become thee. Cast off this mean faint-heartedness and arise, O scorcher of thine enemies. ” (“2:2-3”) . In other words, why infatuation has overpowered your duty at this hour and why you gave yourself to cowardice and unmanliness.

By taking renunciation and receding back from War, people will only think you as coward and for centuries to come you will be blamed for your cowardice disposition you are showing. Every generation people will only mock at you. (Dr. Shah, Online Edition). Lord Krishna encourages Arjuna to follow ones Karma without thinking of consequence. He says in Gita, “Your duty is, and you have right only, to fight; you do not have control over the outcome. ” (Dr. Shah, Online Edition) Duty of a human being is to carry on with his work assigned to him in a Nishkam way, in other words without selfishness.

Only selfless action can take you towards the path of realization of truth. Further he enlightens us to the fact that we all work not only to meet our physical or material needs but also for our emotional satisfaction. But if we feel that our actions and work that we perform are bondage it only leads us towards eternal sufferings. In our moving wheel of samsara (world), we all have been assigned with our particular duties and we are all as actors in the dramas of this world and are performing these duties, and if we deviate from these duties, we ought to suffer.

The work that is done without any selfish motive rejuvenates our life and gives it new meaning. Through our intuitive powers and our selfless work, we spread the world with light of love, knowledge and peace but the basic doctrine of Karma as found in Chapter 3 lies in the fact that every action of ours in our daily lives will automatically gives results and it has a link to our past. What ever good happens to us, it is the deed of our past actions and what ever bad happens to us is results of the action of our past deeds and it depends on the basic moral law, “we reap what we sow”.

And if work selflessly then we will not only enjoy this world but also next world. Once we attain freedom from his past actions, we can achieve Moksha, in other words we can attain salvation. With this he confined within Arjuna, his Dharma or his duty to fight for spiritual struggle; its not a struggle to win over the throne and not just a struggle to gain what is right but it is also a struggle to attach oneself to divinity. Lord Krishna says, “The self realized man or woman is not motivated by personal desires – in other words, in any desire for Kama, personal satisfaction”.

(Easwaran 86),. This aspect of life is a basic idea of Gita but align to modern ways, (Easwaran 86), yet so true and real. Before understanding the need for Karma, first we have to understand the physicality and spiritual purpose of our life. Facing the battlefield, Prince Arjuna is forced to ask the question about the very existence of our life and life after death. To this Lord Krishna says, while life is uncertain, death is certainty for every one, and can come at any time, but soul never dies.

Like we throw the garment when it is old in the same way soul takes another body when old body dies out. Just as death is truth in the same way, rebirth is also truth. But no one can realize this truth unless we all virtually look beyond the both pleasure and pain, success and failure, or even heat or cold. But here Krishna is not trying to tell Arjuna to leave the worldly affairs and lead the life of saint or monk but if Arjuna can adopt his self into yogic life or into the adherent principles of yoga then “he will be more effective in the realm of action”.

(Easwaran 85) and can better make judgments of all the complexities of life. Within the precincts of these complexities we are also engulfed in the Raja Yoga and Lord Krishna bewares Arjuna from Rajas, because a person succumbed himself in Raja Yoga can attain anger and selfishness. If a person cannot detach himself from the Gunas of Raj Yoga then he will find himself caught in the “entanglement of passion ‘(rajas), or the “quagmire of inertia”(tamas).

In short, Bhagvad Gita inspires us to keep on performing our duties selflessly, with wisdom(Janan) and with worship (Bhakti). In this lies only our Mokhsa,that is salvation. Inspired by these lessons, Arjuna plunged into war that led to the gravest battle known as Mahabharata.

WORKS CITED

Easwaran, Eknath. “The Bhagavad Gita” Tomales”. CA. Nilgiri Press, 2007. Dr. Shah, C S. “Sri Krishna Tells The Gita” Boloji. Com. Internet (July 8, 2001) Available: http://www. boloji. com/mahabharata/17. htm, February 19, 2008

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Benefits of a Yoga Practice

The exact history and origins of yoga is uncertain; however, there are pieces that have been connected and allow some conclusions. Stone carvings depicting figures in Yoga positions have been found in archeological sites in the Indus Valley dating back 5,000 years or more. In ancient times, the desire for greater personal freedom, health and long life, and heightened self-understanding gave birth to this system of physical and mental exercise which has since spread throughout the world. The word Yoga means “to join or yoke together,” and it brings the body and mind together into one harmonious experience.

One of the earliest texts about Yoga was compiled by a scholar named Patanjali, who talked about the most common Yoga theories and practices of his time in a book called Yoga Sutras as early and the 1st and 2nd century B. C. or as late as the 5th century A. D. The system that he wrote is known as “Ashtanga Yoga” or the eight limbs of Yoga, generally known as Classical Yoga today. The eight steps include yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyhara, dharana, dhyana, and Samadhi. Yoga arrived to the United States somewhere around the late 1800s, but hadn’t become commonly known until the 1960s.

It is well known that the techniques of Yoga can contribute to general health and well-being. Many physicians recommend Yoga to patients who suffer from heart disease, back pains, depression, arthritis, insomnia, asthma, and other chronic conditions. Philosophical Roots and Principles The philosophy of yoga has been passed on from teacher to student for many generations over the last 5,000 years. There is no true definition on what yoga really is. Some may say it is only a way to relax, others say it is a form of excersice, and others say it is a way of life.

In essence, yoga practice aims to align the body with the mind through fluid movement and controlled breathing. At the base of the yoga practice, there are five basic principles: exercise, breathing, relaxation, diet, and meditation. Exercise: This principle revolves around the idea that our physical body is meant to move and exercise. One’s spiritual health begins with physical health. Yoga benefits every part of your body – joints, muscles, blood circulation, digestion, etc. Practicing Yoga makes your body relaxed, gives you more strength and energy, and rejuvenates the various systems of the body.

Breathing: Yoga’s lifestyle is centered around breathing. Yoga emphasizes attention to breath, and taking long, deep inhalations, making use of all the parts of your Lungs to increase your oxygen intake. Proper Breathing should be deep, slow and rhythmical. This increases lung capacity and oxygen flow throughout the body, which clears and cleanses the mind. Relaxation: One achieves inner peace through proper relaxation. Relaxation begins in the physical body, losing all tension within the muscles. This then extends to the mind, and positively affects one’s actions throughout the day.

Diet: A proper diet should accompany a yoga practice to maintain a healthy physical body. Improper diet results to mental inefficiency and blocks spiritual awareness. A proper diet should nourish both mind and body. It should consist of eating only natural foods, and only when one is hungry. Meditation: The most important aspect of yoga is positive thinking and meditation. Everything in the physical body is controlled through the mind. Meditation allows ones self to control the mind to channel positive thinking and spiritual health. This allowing a more relaxing Yoga practice, which leads to a calm and positive day,

Why is nutrition important in yoga? The basic principle of nutrition in yoga is to eat small quantities of high quality foods without producing toxins. It is easy to result to heavily processed, nutrition poor, calorie dense foods within a normal life that’s full of stress. Eating unhealthy puts you at more risks of diseases, while a well-nourished body makes it easier to cope better, while also reducing your possibility of disease and reducing your stress levels. The body requires food to supply energy to function normally. It also needs it to repair tissue and organs. The perfect balance in diet is different for ach person. To find balance, it is important to know one’s own individual needs, the best preparation methods, the properties of foods, and to choose a broad range of high quality foods. When a good attitude and ample exercise are combined, one finds no limit to total health of the mind, body, and spirit. Five Yoga Poses Downward facing dog: Come to your hands and knees with the wrists underneath the shoulders and the knees . Curl the toes under and push back raising the hips and straightening the legs. Spread the fingers and ground down from the forearms into the fingertips.

Outwardly rotate the upper arms broadening the collarbones. Let the head hang, move the shoulder blades away from the ears towards the hips. Engage the quadriceps strongly to take the weight off the arms, making this a resting pose. Rotate the thighs inward, keep the tail high and sink your heels towards the floor. Dragonfly Pose: Begin standing in mountain pose. Shift your weight into your right leg and bring the left ankle to cross your right thigh just above the knee. Your shin will be parallel to the floor. This is same position from which you enter flying crow.

Come into a forward bend, bringing the palms of the hands to the floor. Bend the right leg (the standing leg) and twist your torso to the right, walking your hands over until your palms come in front of the right foot. This is a similar arm position to side crow. Bend your elbows down to chaturanga position and bring the sole of your left foot onto the shelf created by your left upper arm. Try to get the foot as high up your arm as possible. Bring the right thigh to rest on the left upper arm as well. Tip forward, bringing your weight into your arms as the right leg straightens out to the side and right foot leaves the floor.

To come out, bend the right knee and bring the right foot back to the floor. Half Moon Pose – Ardha Chandrasana: From Trikonasana, soften the right knee and bring the left hand to your hip. Bring the right hand to the floor about a foot in front of the right foot with the fingertips on the floor. Begin to straighten the right leg while simultaneously raising the left leg. Open the hips, stacking the left hip on top of the right hip. Bring the left leg straight and parallel to the floor, flexing the left foot with the toes facing forward.

When you feel balanced on the right leg, reach the left arm up toward the ceiling, opening the chest and making a straight line with the right and left arms. Finally, bring the gaze up toward the left fingertips. Child’s Pose – Balasana: From Downward Facing Dog, drop the knees to the floor. Spread the knees as wide as the mat, keeping the big toes touching. Bring the belly to rest between the thighs and the forehead to the floor. There are two possible arm variations: Either stretch the arms in front of you with the palms toward the floor or bring the arms back alongside the thighs with the palms facing upwards.

Do whichever feel more comfortable to you. Bridge Pose – Setu Bandha Sarvangasana: Come to lie on the back. Bend the knees, bringing the soles of the feet parallel on the mat close to the buttocks. Lift the hips up towards the ceiling. Interlace the fingers behind your back and straighten the arms, pressing them down into the mat. Roll one shoulder under and then the other. Lift the hips higher. Draw the chest toward the chin, but do not move the chin toward the chest. Make sure the feet stay parallel. Release the hands and bring the upper, middle, and then lower back down. Rest, allowing the knees to knock together.

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Ethnography on People Who Do Hot Yoga

Yogis For many people with hectic, stressful lives, relaxation means zoning out in front of the TV at the end of the day or getting some extra sleep at the end of the weekend, but for a certain group of people relaxing does not include this. These people are called yogis; those who achieve relaxation through the art of meditation, breathing, stretching, and finding inner peace. In today’s fast paced society it is hard to find a way to fully relax because people are constantly being forced to push their minds and bodies to the limit, which can result in high levels of stress.

Rather than fighting against life’s hardships, people who practice yoga value deep relaxation in order to be free of stress and live each day in peace and harmony without being thrown out of balance by the ups and downs life may bring. As a college student living in today’s fast-paced society life’s obstacles frequently challenge me, which usually leads to great amounts of stress. Watching TV, sleeping, and working out are all ways to help me cope, but these activities never seem to fully get the job done. I never thought that this horrible sequence of stress would find and ending, until I experienced my first hot yoga class.

I decided to do my ethnography on the subculture of yogis to find out how these people step out of society’s craziness and enter into a world of relaxation by connecting their bodies and minds. Lucky for me, one of my close friends, Jamie Mack, is someone who takes immense pride in yoga. I was able to talk to her about how yoga helps her free her stress and also get a first hand experience of a yoga session myself. It was like any other Sunday here in Lawrence; I woke up around 12:30 PM exhausted from the night before, and automatically thought of all the homework I had to complete.

One of the assignments I needed to get done by the end of the day was going to observe my subculture for my ethnography essay. In the interview I conducted with my friend Jamie, she explained to me, “Yoga I s the best remedy for stress. A part of the practice in yoga is clearing your mind, and it is a great stress relief. ” (Jamie Mack, interview) Like other yogi’s, Jamie practices yoga in order to be free from stress, and that was exactly what I needed. What could be a better day to relieve my stress than a Sunday? So, I picked up my phone to call Jamie and find out the name and directions to the place where she practices her yoga.

She told me that the yoga place was named “Bikram Yoga”, which is another name for hot yoga. She also told me that I should arrive to the class about fifteen minutes before the session started in order to stretch and relax my mind. Yogis feel that it is key to relax their minds before a session begins because it helps them later when they are trying to achieve their inner peace. At 2:30 PM, my friend Caroline and I left our dorm to go see what this whole “yoga” thing was about. We arrived at Bikram Yoga fifteen minutes before three just like Jamie told us, and saw that it was a small little place pushed into the corner of the shopping strip.

Caroline and I ran out of the car, and into the studio. We got in there and were automatically welcomed with big smiles and greetings from the two women standing behind a desk in the little room. One of the women asked us if we had ever been there before or if we had ever done a hot yoga class, but it was quite obvious that it was our first time since we both showed up with no mats or towels and everyone else who walked in seemed to have both of these items with them. When we explained to her that it was our first time, she introduced herself as Kimbo and handed us two forms to read and fill out.

One of the forms was asking who recommended us to Bikram Yoga, and the other was asking us to initial statements that proved we would be respectful throughout the session by not talking and not bringing in our cell phones, which are both actions that would interrupt the peace. The reason that we weren’t allowed to talk and bring our cell phones in is because yogis believe that one must forget about what is going on in the world outside of the room they are practicing and relaxing in. Also, the use of cell phones is a big contributor to high levels of stress in people. In an article, “ Stress of Cell Phone Use Disturbs Sleep, Mood,” Dr.

Z writes about the effects of cell phone usage and how it increases people’s stress. He explains, “A major prospective study over a period of one year of young adults who used their cell phones frequently reveals significant disturbances to sleep patterns, increased stress symptoms, and an increased incidence of clinical depression. ” (Dr. Z) A cell phone is something that pushes people to use their minds and can cause a lot of problems. People who do yoga don’t want this fast-paced society to get to their heads, so they choose to exclude anything that will stop them from achieving peace and relaxation.

We sat down on a colorful little bench to fill out our forms, and we both agreed to be respectful during the session. While Caroline was still filling out her forms I took a look around the entrance room. There were a lot of peace signs, Buddha’s, and flowers, which made the scenery calm and peaceful. These types of decorations are all a part of achieving inner peace. Peace signs stand for peace, Buddha’s are looking to achieve peace, and flowers are always peaceful and welcoming.

Yogis value peace because they are people who are always striving for harmony and balance to reach inner peace. When we were finished paying her for the session, we were given a mat and a towel so that we could properly participate. People who do hot yoga value their mats and their towels because these are two things that serve as artifacts that the value as a subculture. Without the mats their feet would slip al over the place since the heat makes their feet sweat and it would make it a lot harder for one to reach a level of relaxation that will help relieve stress.

The towel is necessary to have by their sides at all times in case they need to wipe their faces off when their sweat gets out of control. As we walked down the narrow hallway to the room Kimbo had directed us to go to we heard he shout, “don’t forget to leave your shoes, coats, and any other belongings outside of the room. Oh and go in with as little clothing as you feel comfortable in. ” I looked at Caroline and we both didn’t understand what she meant by that. As little clothing as possible? But why?

We knew it was going be hot in the room since it was called “hot yoga”, but I guess we just didn’t understand exactly how hot this room was about to get. We opened the door to the room, and right away I thought I was going to pass out from the smell of dirty gym socks and sweat that circulated around it. The room was bright orange. Not the kind of orange that would make me sick looking at it for the ninety minutes I was going to be in there for, but the kind of orange that made me feel like I should be lying out in a tropical island.

A very relaxing room besides the smell, but no one else seemed to care about it so I just chose to ignore it. The people didn’t care about the smell because they were there for one reason and one reason only; to relax their minds and become free from any stress they were having. It didn’t matter to them that this building was small and ugly, or that the room was hot and smelly because when they go there they are doing something that most people don’t, and that is not letting society’s fast-pace get to their heads. There were so many people in his small room. There were both men and women, tall, short, skinny, fat, eighteen or sixty with just one thing in common besides the fact that they all love yoga; they were all wearing very minimal clothing. Caroline and I were the two with the most clothing on and all we were wearing was pdex shorts and tank tops. This was a place where no one was judged on what their body looked like and every single person was respected for why they were there, not what they looked like. Everyone was talking to each other as if they had known each other for a while.

Caroline and I placed our mats down close to the door we had walked through and the looks we received were nothing but nice. This made us feel welcome in a place where we knew no one. I loved it there already, and couldn’t wait for the instructor to come in, and for the session to start. After about ten minutes of waiting for the instructor she had finally arrived. It turned out that Kimbo, the nice lady from the front desk, was the instructor for that day’s hot yoga session. She opened up the door to the room and shouted, “hello my lovely people! I was amazed by the spirit this woman had running through her because it gave off a positive vibe. It is important to stay positive throughout a yoga session because people who do yoga feel that the positive energy is another way to relieve stress and bring harmony. Everyone in the room turned towards the front and smiled back to her as she walked up there to lead the class. Caroline and I just followed everyone else’s lead by also turning to the front. Kimbo started off by asking Caroline and I to move to different spots of the room so that we would be surrounded by people knew what they were doing.

We moved our things and ended up on opposite sides of the room. My new neighbors all introduced themselves and smiled to me. Their positive attitudes towards me made it clear that they wanted me to succeed in my first session. These people are all very caring and would be happy for anyone who gives yoga a chance. They are a rather inclusive group of people as the want everyone to experience the goodness of letting not letting stress get to the head. Kimbo raised her arms high up in the first position, and everyone knew to stand up; the session had started.

We began by reaching up for the sky, exhaling and inhaling deep breathes. These are the breathing routines that start off each session to get the body relaxed and ready to start. It is crucial in yoga that one keeps breathing and knows how to control their breathe because it is key to connecting the body to the mind, which results in high relaxation. I was now ready to go, and so was everyone else in the room. There were many positions that we covered, and for each one there were two sets which helped because I was able to watch the experienced yogis do the first one and then join in on the second set.

From the book written by the creator of Bikram Yoga, Bikram Choudhury write, “Through the practice of yoga, you integrate your body and mind in a perfect union. ” (Bikram, 32) He created these specific positions so that people who practice yoga will use their bodies as a way to connect to their inner self. These positions we were doing required a lot of flexibility. In my interview with Jamie, I asked if this yoga class required flexibility, and she responded by telling me, “You don’t have to be anything to do yoga, you just have to be willing to try it. I didn’t quite agree with her statement because I thought that the positions would be very hard to do if one isn’t flexible enough. What I came to find out was that even though these positions required flexibility, it was something that one would have to work on. In yoga you aren’t pushed to the limit like you are in our fast-paced society, rather you are told to preform everything to your own comfort zone, and that helps people who do yoga free their stress.

As we would reach our arms up high, Kimbo would peacefully repeat, “You are a flower blossoming in the midst of a beautiful summer,” which kept everyone happy and in the mind state of peace. As I mentioned before, positivity is key in yoga. These words that Kimbo kept repeating kept the positive energy flowing throughout the room. This kind of language is what gives yogis the strength to balance out their down sides in life. The heat in the room was getting higher and higher, and I wasn’t sure if my body could handle it.

I plopped down on my mat to take a quick breather, ripped off my tank top, and joined the rest of the women in the class who were wearing only a sports bra and pdex shorts. The scorching heat made it clear to me why people weren’t wearing a lot of clothes in the beginning of the session, and it seemed to me as if sweating was the main goal of this class. I looked around the room and noticed that everyone else was also dripping sweat. There were times where I would look around the room and see people raising their arms for a position, and sweat would drip down from them just like a shower head drips water after you turn it off.

Every time I would sit down on my mat to take a break and wipe off my sweat, Kimbo would look at me, smile, and say, “You’re doing great! ” She was one of the greatest motivators I had ever met because she did it in such a peaceful manner. Though my face was beat red, my eyes were basically tearing from the heat, and I thought I was going to faint, her positive attitude is what kept me going and even though I wanted to bee-line straight out that of that door, she gave me the strength to stay and finish the session.

It was finally 4:45 and though it had felt like I had been in that room for hours, it had only been for ninety minutes. Kimbo turned off the lights and told us to lay straight on our backs with our eyes closed. Two minutes later she left the room and said, “Namaste,” and everyone replied back in unison, “Namaste. ” Unaware of what this word meant, I just decided to go along with it, but didn’t say anything. In an article titled “The Meaning of Namaste” Aadil Palkhivala writes about and explains the deeper meaning of the gesture Namaste.

He let his readers know that, “Usually, it is done at the end of class because the mind is less active and the energy in the room is more peaceful. The teacher initiates Namaste as a symbol of gratitude and respect toward her students and her own teachers and in return invites the students to connect with their lineage, thereby allowing the truth to flow—the truth that we are all one when we live from the heart. ” (Palkhivala) Basically, this gesture ends the session and creates the final connection of peace to the mind while the mind is fully relaxed.

While everyone was still lying there, I immediately sprinted out of the room to grasp a breathe of any kind of air besides the air in that room. Never in my life has room temperature air felt so good, and I was able to breathe normally again. As I waited for Caroline to come out of the room many people who had just left the session approached me, telling me that I did a great job for my first time and that I should definitely consider coming back because yoga is one of the best things that has ever happened to them.

These people enjoy yoga because they are able to step away from their hectic lives, and go into a place where they can fully relax their minds and not think about anything that would be getting was one of the most challenging, yet relaxing and peaceful activities I have ever experienced. In my interview with Jamie I asked her what one could expect in a typical yoga class. She told me, “Expect to sweat, but mostly expect to doubt yourself during the session and to feel absolutely incredible once your done. (Jamie Mack, interview) It turned out that she was exactly correct. In a short period of time I was able to achieve inner peace and full relaxation by doing yoga and trying to connect my mind and body. All of the stress that I had when I woke up earlier that morning had quickly vanished as I felt like I was on top of the world. Homework usually brings me down and puts me under a great amount of stress, but the yoga class took that negativity away. At that point I was living stress free, just like a yogi.

People who practice yoga live life to the fullest while not letting their negative stress get to their heads. Most people in this fast-paced modern world we live in would appreciate time to fully relax their minds and bodies that are constantly being pushed to exceed their limits, the only problem is they don’t know what the real meaning of relaxation is. Yogis understand the concept of relaxation and value it as they strive everyday to be free of stress to live life in harmony. Works Cited: Choudhury, Bikram.

Bikram Yoga: The Guru behind Hot Yoga Shows the Way to Radiant Health and Personal Fulfillment. New York: Collins, 2007. Print. “Stress of Cell Phone Use Disturbs Sleep, Mood. ” Stresshacker. Web. 09 May 2012. <http://www. stresshacker. com/2011/04/stress-of-cell-phone-use-disturbs-sleep-mood/>. “The Meaning of “Namaste”” The Meaning of Namaste. Web. 09 May 2012. <http://www. yogajournal. com/basics/822>. “Why Practice Yoga? ” Why Practice Yoga? Web. 09 May 2012. <http://www. abc-of-yoga. com/info/why-practice-yoga. asp>.

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