Questions about the Culture and Challenges of Yoga? :)

Balletbunhead96

Hello, I thought this would be a good spot to ask these questions
I have an assignment for uni ( which is kind of strange but I have to do it lol) I have to ask people opinions on

1)the culture of Yoga that they have experienced and what they find good/bad about it

2)And what challenges they find themselves experiences within the practice i.e. for me it is calming my thoughts.

Thanks guys your answers would be much appreciated!

nikkit321

1. I don't like the guided meditations, it makes me uncomfortable.
2. Calming my thoughts; relaxing; not expecting perfect poses.

Gamliela

I like the peace.

debrakgoogins

1) I find that the cultures change at different studios. Some I have been to have been ultra respectful with only quiet talking before and after class but silence except breathing during. Another was yoga to eighties heavy metal - not relaxing but mildly entertaining. One I went to at a climbing gym was like an olympic event with everyone in the class but me in amazing shape and doing super complimented poses. I like classes that are a little of all of these where you are challenged but no one is taking it so seriously that you feel like a complete failure if you fall out of tree pose or look like a baby elephant tipping over when you do child's pose.

2) I have a very difficult time shutting off my inner voices and thoughts. When I do manage to do it, I fall asleep and snore during class.

tulips_and_tea

I agree with @debrakgoogins that it varies per studio.

1. The studio I go to is very conscious of proper yoga etiquette: complete quiet during class, no cell phones, complete acceptance of every age, shape, size and skill level, etc. The emphasize modification of poses per each persons comfort level but still making it challenging.

2. The challenge for me is balance. I struggle with one-leg poses but I've found if I fully commit to the quiet and the meditation mentally then the benefits afterwards are much greater.

k8eekins

Balletbunhead96 wrote: »

Hello, I thought this would be a good spot to ask these questions
I have an assignment for uni ( which is kind of strange but I have to do it lol) I have to ask people opinions on

1)the culture of Yoga that they have experienced and what they find good/bad about it

2)And what challenges they find themselves experiences within the practice i.e. for me it is calming my thoughts.

Thanks guys your answers would be much appreciated!

• InterFaith advocacy was prioritised in the family, so the culture of yoga I was introduced to, was through our local Ashrams from my early years. What was good about it from my vantage point, was that it aroused enough curiosity on the parts of some to integrate on some level, softening the political tensions between 2 very different cultures. At the time, what was bad about it was, when anyone who was not of the primary community like us, broached select events, some assumed we were "investigating" likely Hawala practices, which we were not. We were simply making a point as a family, that integration in part, was harmless; That it wouldn't hurt to learn off and from each other, less the religious rhetoric. The opposing opinion from our fellow natives, who'd disfavoured our participation@the Ashrams for early morning yoga, misinterpreted our efforts as an abandonment of our heritage and our faith, embracing that of "The Visitors."
• I too mind the guided meditations, much like nikkit321, for I prefer to focus on taking myself to zero, emptying everything out, and am raw and bare, before I'll begin my manifestations as my personal meditational focus. What is challenging oftentimes are environmental disruptions, for I do meditational yoga outdoors.

Balletbunhead96

Thanks everyone this has been very helpful!

Machka9

My yoga class was essentially an hour of stretching exercises. It was good. If I were to do a yoga class again, that's the kind I'd like.