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Testimonials
Sylvia R.
Yoga Paper 2008
I took a class for over a year that contained a mixture of yoga,
Pilates, and tai-chi. At the time, I was fifteen and had never had any
experience with this sort of exercise. I couldn’t touch my toes or do
anything that required upper arm strength. After taking the class for a
year or so, I found myself really happy knowing that I was improving in
flexibility and strength. When I moved away and tried finding a form of
exercise, I found that the one best suited for me was yoga. I tried
tai-chi on its own, but it proved to be too much about flow without any
big emphasis on gaining physical strength. I tried Pilates on its own,
but that proved to be no flow and too much emphasis on strength. Yoga
seems to me to be the best balance of the two.
After the first time I tried yoga, I did not practice
it again until this past winter semester. The first class proved to be
really hard: I had forgotten how inflexible I had become over the years
and how easily I could tire when I tried “too many” push-ups. Part of me
wanted to give up after the first class because it seemed too hard. I
thought about it and went to the store to buy a nice yoga mat, feeling
that if I bought the mat I would have to force myself to go to the
class. I figured that it would be really sad if I ran away from
something because it was hard and I also figured that I would probably
be happy at the end if I made it through. Luckily, as time went by the
class got easier. I found the flow I had been looking for again and I
started developing some strength. I liked the feeling I had after class:
tired, but a good kind of tired. I also liked learning about what the
human body could accomplish if you gave it enough time –the girl next to
me was already flexible enough to pretty much bend in half and yet there
was still more she could learn to do to push her body to the limit. Most
of all, I liked the feeling of learning to communicate with my body,
learning that certain positions are made for breathing a certain way and
that if you fight it, you might really pass out. Overall, I’m happy I
went through with the class and I hope to find more time in the future
to continue to explore what yoga can do for me. |
How Yoga has Changed My Life
Before I took Ashtanga Yoga I was out of shape, stressed out, and felt
unhealthy. I was not energetic as I am now before I took Yoga. I have
tried everything prior to yoga, all of which I stopped doing after a
week. This was so because nothing kept me wanting to come back and the
prior activities were not fun at all. Since I have taken yoga my body
feels relaxed and my mind feels stress free. Yoga not only improved the
appearance of my body, kept me toned, and at a size 5 but it also gave
me a sense of peace.
Yoga has brought me to a place where I can just relax and not worry
about anything. While I was taking yoga, I was able to be in tune with
my body by observing what types of foods I put into my body and how my
body responds to the food. I have noticed how I cut back on the junk
food and how much better I feel when I feed my body healthy foods that
contain all the nutrients that my body needs. I have also noticed how I
now can sleep throughout the night and wake up in the morning feeling
refreshed. Since I have taken yoga, I have not only gained upper body
strength but strength throughout my entire body. In addition, I have
become very flexible and could not believe that I did a lot of those
postures that I did not ever think I would be able to do.
Yoga has definitely improved the appearance of my entire body. My arms
and legs are more toned and defined and I actually look stronger. It has
toned up my stomach more allowing my abs to appear and I am very happy
with my overall appearance. I will definitely continue to do the sun
salutations everyday because I do not want to loose this great body that
I have now. I would recommend yoga to anyone who wants to strengthen and
tone their body, become more flexible, or simply just drop a few pounds.
It even helps to play some soft relaxing music while you are doing yoga
in your home. Yoga definitely works and anyone can do it because it
gradually prepares your body for different postures as you go further
into yoga." "Kristian T - July 10, 2007 |
| "When I walked to Hot Yoga (at Lifetime Fitness) from
Total Conditioning 1 1/4 hour class I (had) burned 560 calories (but) my
back and ankles were hurting. After yoga I was refreshed; my back (pain)
was relieved and I had burned almost the same number of calories!"
Ghashang Mahjouri 6/18/07 Teacher's note:
Ghashang often wears a Polar heartrate monitor which measures calories
burned as well as heartrate; one must input basic information in order
for this to be read, and Polar has tested its equipment for reliability. |
| “The UMBC Power Yoga class helped me improve my
ballroom dance technique. Particularly in the smooth dances,
such as Tango and FoxTrot, you’re supposed to elongate your spine and to
maintain perfect posture, with your weight placed most often on the
inner ball of your foot. Yoga taught me how to feel when my spine is
aligned, and it gave me a better sense of balance and control over my
abdominal muscles. Furthermore, yoga has made my hips more supple, which
has greatly improved my Latin hip action. Truly, I have a better
understanding of my body since taking the Ashtanga course.” -
Michelle G, UMBC Summer Session 2006 |
| “Despite the lack of extended volumes of work
citing the proven benefits of yoga, I have become a believer in the
benefits a yoga practice can bring to the body, mind, and spirit.
Perhaps the greatest testaments to yoga’s benefits are the
widespread “anecdotes” touting the wonderful benefits of yoga and
its mass popularity. Yoga has enjoyed a long standing popularity,
outlasting most fad exercise. In fact, the best evidence for yoga is
to meet someone who practices and to see not only the physical
health and shape they possess, but the sense of calm and kindness
that emanates from them. In fact, I myself
have experienced some of the same “anecdotal” evidence over the
short period of time that I have been practicing. For instance, my
friend has noticed that my stomach and legs appear to be more
muscular and even I have noticed a reduction in the appearance of
pesky cellulite. But even more noticeably, I’ve noticed how much
calmer I have been. I have to admit, I have never been one for
meditation or yoga. In all honesty I have always deemed myself
someone for whom eastern practice is lost on. However, through the
course of this practice I have noticed that my ability to focus, not
only during the course of the class, but outside of class as well,
has greatly improved. I find that I have more patience for
activities that would have normally frustrated me. In fact, all my
previous attempts at yoga had ended with my frustration at not being
able to perform a specific pose and the limitations of my body. I
now have a greater understanding and acceptance of the limitations
of my body, but also my ability to expand beyond those limitations.”
- Shanna K, UMBC Summer Session 2006 |
| “This was my first experience in Ashtanga Yoga. I
have taken a couple of Pilates classes before, but it was not on a
regular basis. Being an ex-cheerleader and gymnast I thought the
class would be easy because I stretch all the time and I keep in
shape. The first day I did this class I was sore, and realized that
I have bad posture. No matter how flexible I thought I was I was
doing it all wrong. I think the class is good and I have recommended
it for my sister because she is pregnant. I will continue to do Yoga
with the correct postures. When I did the yoga class I was always
stressed out before I came to class because I had a class before,
and I was always driving in traffic. After I was finished the yoga
class I would feel a lot better and a lot calmer….
While taking this class I lost about five pounds just
by stretching the limbs on my body. I lost the most weight in my
stomach…My thighs have gotten tighter and lot more muscular than it
was before. I really liked the class it was a good experience for me
and I hope that I will continue to keep in shape and take a yoga
class.” - Latoya P, UMBC Summer Session 2006 |
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