Yoga I Alternative Final Project
This project is a written alternative to the original final project, designing a customized 60 minute yoga practice. For this alternative, you will write a 1 page reflection (single spaced) on your experience in this class including ALL of the following: how often you practiced; your favorite poses; your areas of strength, weakness, flexibility, and tightness; your experience with breath work (pranayama) and meditation; and your goals for your yoga practice in the future. ADDITIONALLY, you must choose 4 of your favorite postures from Posture Journals 1 and 2 to explain in detail, as if you were the yoga teacher. Explain in detail how to practice the posture as well as its benefits. Feel free to do some research and cite your sources. I will provide an example explaning the pose Tadasana. Because this example explains Tadasana, you may NOT use Tadasana in your project.
Tadasana: Tadasana is a standing posture practiced at the beginning of Sun Salutation A, Sun Salutation B, and many other yoga flows. In order to practice Tadasana, the student should stand at the top of their mat. Their feet may be together or they may be about hips width distance apart. The student should ground down through all points on the foot, making sure that the weight is evenly distributed through the whole foot. All joints should be unlocked, particularly the knees. The tailbone should be tucked gently to avoid over-bending the low back, and the core should be engaged to keep the spine long. The shoulders should be stacked directly over the hips. The arms should be by the sides with the palms facing forward. The shoulders should be relaxed away from the ears. The head should be balanced directly over the shoulders with a slight tuck of the chin to keep the back of the neck long. The face should be soft and the gaze should be gently forward. Tadasanas benefits include improving posture, focusing awareness, and gently strengthening the core to help the student maintain good posture while standing.
