Respond in detail to both of the two reflection questions below:
Please discuss at least one connection you've made between what you've studied in this LW course and what you’ve learned from other courses you have taken at SLCC (or other institution) or have learned before taking this class? Make specific references to your work in this class and in other courses. How did what you learned in other courses enhance what you learned here, and vice versa?
I learned a lot about how disability and lifelong wellness go hand in hand. I found that yoga challenged me to make changes in my life to support my challenges and promote my strengths. Yoga makes room for all types to be welcome at the mat, and that makes a big difference to me.
Reflect on what you thought about fitness and lifelong wellness before you took this course and how you think about it now that you have completed the course. Have any of your assumptions or understandings changed? Why? What assignments/activities/readings were influential in this process? How will you approach what influenced you differently in the future?
I found that yoga was an interesting way for me to approach fitness, as it is a bit out of the norm, and it challenged me to find new ways of working my body. I also think that I found a better way to practice by listening to my own needs and rising to the challenge of finding a flow that worked for who I am. I hope to carry this insight forward in the future in crafting my own fitness routine, so that I can best cater to my own well-being.
Personal Yoga Practice:
I would begin with seated breathing focus, with a mental game of noticing expansion between each rib and a deep pull down into belly. I would do a good wiggle, finding the happiest place in my seat. I would then crawl my hand out in front of me, then to the right and left, feeling the rib stretch. Then a seated twist, and then reaching sky high, bending to the right and left.
I would then move to a standing pose. I would take particular care to align my feet, and tuck my tailbone, aligning head, heart and hips. Feeling the pull out through the top of my head, I would focus on sinking into all 4 corners of my feet. I would deepen my breath here, and focus on being more present. Raise the arms, rolling out the tension of my shoulders, and come into a forward fold.
From the forward fold, I would shift back and forth, wiggling out the kinks, taking my time.
Expand arms out the the side, and then back, expanding the chest, lifting up. Hands back to heart, repeat 3 times. Remember to keep hips tucked and balanced.
As I have the goal of building a practice to stay elbow pain-free, Ill be focusing on moves that help me meet this goal.
I would do table shoulder openers: Tabletop position, stretch arms to the sky, alternate sides.
Plank to Childs pose, which helps increase blood flow to my elbows without too much pressure.
Frog pose to wide leg forward fold.
From there, I would move into a wide legged flow, which rocks between legs, right to left. Take time to deepen into each side, then sinking each knee down into a good groin stretch. From each side, reach arms up to the sky and down to the earth, for good rotation.
Then take a crescent pose on either side, with high lunge with arms, to a low lunge with arms, really working the inner thighs.
I've been feeling that corpse pose doesn't work for me. I have a tendency to get cold and stiff in that time period, so I personally would end my practice with a short walk and some water. It also sets me up for the rest of my day, especially if I am going off to tackle lots of things. I can bring my brain back online and get my mind ready for new perspectives.
Signature Reflection:
I had to do lots of personal research on how to build this flow. I have health issues related to mobility in my wrists nd hands, and I needed to find a way to work my body while also taking pressure off my hands. This was challenging as much of yoga IS on your hands! I had to eliminate core poses that much of the yoga world uses, like downward dog. I found some great resources, though, and was able to glean good ideas.
In working on what I wanted to include, I chose to try all of these moves together. I had to take into account that I can sometimes have good hand days, and also bad hand days, so I needed to have room to ass and subtract as needed. I love standing poses, and found that it worked well for who I am. I also like to focus on pelvic health, and found that these poses did just that.
I enjoyed making my own flow, which I think is still a work in progress. I hope to perfect it as I continue to practice myself!