Olivia DeBow: Yoga East Meets West

 The Studio as Ritual Space       This week I decided to do a practice after work and before bed to allow myself to decide a perfect time to practice yoga. The last practice for class was done in the morning and that allowed me start my day. However, I have yet to try a yoga class right before bed. The opportunity has changed due to the pandemic, because we are kind of forced to go online/virtual. This was a shorter class because I did not get home till late so I squeezed it in. This practice was by MadFit on Youtube, her video was "20 min Full Body STRETCH/YOGA  for STRESS & ANXIETY Relief".     This practice felt way too short, 20 min. is not a long enough time for a yoga class. After doing this class, I prefer a longer session. This class felt more like stretching with a little yoga background. Though, Maddie had a studio set up so it felt a little more normal than just taking a class via Youtube. After work I was feeling tense and sore, so I am happy I decided to do t

       The first yoga class taken for these journals is a metaphor for a few firsts. One being that this is the first class I have taken since being globally quarantined since February. Another first is taking the class completely virtual via Zoom. For this being the first yoga class taken virtually it was an overall good experience. I am happy it was a good experience, because I will now look forward to taking future classes online, though I prefer in-person classes.      The people who attended this class seemed experienced and were all women. The women were older than me and closer in age to my mom, who also attended. The physical environment was a little different than other classes I have attended before. It being online created a different learning environment to get used to. It was a good experience, yet I felt out of place. I did not feel like I could focus on my movement or breath, because I was at home. It may have been a few different aspects that made it hard to focus, but