Blog 14: Independent Component 1

L:
1. I, Jordan Lim, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30 hours of work.
2. I used a dvd called "Kabbalah yoga, Ambitious Beginners" to practice at home and I did the rest of my hours at local 24 hour fitness yoga classes.
3. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AuuWFXRsQf2ndHBTQmlRVFoxVUZ5c09YbW54ZUcxNGc#gid=0
4. What I completed was 30 hours of taking yoga classes. I was able to improve my balance on both legs when executing poses like "tree" and "eagle". Before the 30 hours I would barely be able to maintain the stance for 2 seconds, but now I can maintain both sides a minimum of 10 seconds each. I feel as if my lung capacity has increased over the course of the 30 hours. I completed 30 hours of classes which means my form and technique have been refined as well. I can enter into a deeper stretch with "Downward pull" and the "warrior"poses. My body feels more flexible as well.

I:
Balance takes time, so I would like to say that my balance on both of my legs is an indicator of inserted time and practice into my posture. When taking classes, instructors help teach you breathing techniques and those helped throughout the classes. I was taught diaphragmatic rib cage breathing which is difficult, but now it is relatively easy for me and quite relaxing. My flexibility is increased. I can do 3/4 of a full split now, whereas prior to the 30 hours I could only do about 1/2. In regards to showing "pictures", I will be unable to show them since when my phone was lost 2 weeks ago and returned to the lost and found, the person that returned it kept my sd card as well. The sd card contained all my pictures. If this impacts my grade drastically, then I totally understand.

A:
This component helped me understand my topic better by helping me get deeper into my practice. I found times where my practice was really personal and intimate, whereas others were just going through the motions. I developed a deeper understanding as to what yoga is and what it teaches. For example, a simple balancing pose...the poses are designed for people to be off balanced for a reason. The ideology is that if you can accept imbalance and imperfection on the mat, then you can do it in the real world. It is such a simple concept, but it truly has a deep meaning.