After attending class last night I would just like to reflect on the mediation that we took part in. I myself have never practiced meditation, and the closest I've came to taking a yoga class is Wii in my living room!
Taking those 30 minutes of my day to forget about all of the other things going on, and really focus on the leaders instructions was so relaxing. I admit I may have dosed off at some point, but that absolute relaxation was truly amazing. Listening to other students describe their emotional experiences was different to me because the meditation didn't necessarily make me extremely happy or extremely sad, I came out feeling very mellow.
I'm sure it has the possibility to affect everyone differently, but I would like to try it again someday to see if my response is any different.
I really enjoyed the experimental learning, it was a nice change in the format of the class and I look forward to doing more of it! I am also looking forward to the coming weeks discussions as I glanced ahead in the syllabus!
I hope everyone has a nice spring break and tries to squeeze in that 1 hour of solitude!
I wasn't in this class, but I've taken yoga classes at various studios/gyms in Pittsburgh since last summer so I am slightly familiar with meditation. I can relate to the students who said the experience brought out emotion. The first few times I engaged in savasana (the 'final relaxation' pose in yoga) I was sure I was going to start crying. The heavy breathing, the idea of trying to come to some peace, of calming my body down. . .I think it just really heightened my awareness. As a nervous and busy (as in, always go-go-go'ing) person by nature, my anxiety level tends to be pretty high even when I don't FEEL anxious. So, the first few times I engaged in 'relaxing', I was able to recognize these emotions and almost release/calm them - I think that's what brought on the possible tears. After a while of practicing yoga, however, there was no longer a surprise element and I knew what to expect, so I was able to truly relax.
ReplyDeleteI have to say, I'm kind of jealous of the individuals on the 'extremely happy' side of the spectrum!