Looking at Smith and building on Nevrin, does your practice space promote a sense of community? DEFINE this community and discuss its PURPOSE for both the studio and you. How much do you feel part of this community?

I believe that my practice space at one point for me did produce a sense of community.  When I first started going to the studio, which has been about 2 years ago there was a sense of practitioners being acquainted with each other.  Before the start of the class you were to get up off your mat and meet at least 2 new people, as well as those you are practicing / sweating next to.  I enjoyed this because I feel it's important when you're in the same room with other people frequently that you should be able to recognize faces and names, maybe a fun fact they told you about themselves.  This creates belonging and the ability to be seen.  So often I feel as though humans forget what it's like to be human.  We all know that we would love the person next to us to say hi and introduce themselves to break what ever nervous tension you may be feeling- but we won't.  We are too often afraid of rejection or feelings of inadequacy or weirdness.  No no we can't be thought of as weird.  Also before class started they would ask if anyone had never done yoga before, or this specific style.  This wasn't to single them out (although maybe it did) but to ensure that this space cared about your well being and wanted to make sure that your yoga abilities were accounted for.  It's purpose for the studio is to encourage people to come back, and bring new people.  It starts a conversation that yoga is a place where you can have friends outside of work.  Basic human American needs are met- working out, relaxation, and social interaction.  Yoga when looked at this way sounds practically perfect in every way.  For me this used to be important because I wanted to be a part of a group.  I had been on sports teams my whole life, I wanted a team to push me and know me for who I am as a person.  This community was in my life when I needed it to be, now I belong elsewhere and am much more comfortable and confident with myself.  I don't feel it necessary anymore to belong to this community, but if others feel they need it I hope they are satisfied.  The studio no longer asks these questions, or allows us to get off our mats and force healthy interaction with others.  I guess that's what happens when people get comfortable- they stop doing the positive things they did in the beginning.  

Weekly Practice Journals: Theme: Practice as Ritual-Based on the article by Nevrin, How might your practice be analyzed as a "ritual"? How does this ritual function to change the nature, impact or intensity of your practice experience? 

I genuinely had a difficult time understanding this question and how to answer it in an educated way.  I was confused on the word ritual, even after reading the article and Dr. Greene's notes on Nevrin.  I looked up the definition of ritual - a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order. This now made a little more sense to me, because when I think of the word ritual- as I would believe most would- I think of a religious act.  So when I was trying to relate this to the yoga practice that I partake in- I don't consider any part of it religious for me.  To be able to focus on this journal I had to erase the religious connotations from my mind.  Nevrin speaks of the way we are moving throughout yoga class, how it opens up different parts of our body and mind that usually are neglected.  It is an embodied experience, it is not solely thought of or performed- but both of those elements intertwined simultaneously.  Each of the postures are carried out with "a particular quality of attention and precision".  In the following sentence he goes further to say that it is "Meditation in action".  I personally really love this definition, this is what I feel I experience when I am practicing yoga.  The teacher will speak about emptying your mind and focus on the poses and breathing into the spaces of discomfort.  It's amazing that when you "try" to think of nothing, it's not easy at first.  As humans and particularly Americans we are always thinking of something.  This something is usually an event that hasn't happened yet and we are stressed about it.  This ritual of training your mind to think of nothing except breathing does intensify my practice.  This enables me to realize how I never think about breathing at all throughout my day.  How amazing, right?  The very thing that is keeping me alive and attached to this earth just happens without me ever noticing.  It even happens when I'm asleep, in control of no part of my body.  We are interconnected with the environment that we practice in, and the mindset we receive while we are there becomes accustomed.  In this way that we are to focus on our poses it "keep(s) the practitioner particularly focused and attentive".  So while we believe we are thinking about nothing, we are actually just not thinking about the things that don't matter.  We are focused on this pose in this moment because it's the present, and we can control it with our breath.  Another huge element Nevrin speaks on is the preconceived notions we have carried with us into the studio space.  Every piece of us defines our experience, yet the ritual is supposed to more or less strip those biases away to reveal the poses as they are meant to be experienced.  

Weelky Practice Journals: Theme: Yoga as Physical Culture- Is yoga framed as more than exercise? In what ways is it suggested at your practice space that yoga can "empower" you? Why not run, or do zumba?

Yoga is framed as more than exercise, people would just run if it wasn't because running is free.  I believe that people want to feel part of a community when they are in a yoga studio or at any place of fitness. They want to believe they belong, and that they aren't alone in this journey we call life.  Yoga is promoted as a way to get in touch with your mind and inner spirit, as well as getting in a great sweat.  Teachers will always talk you up saying how proud they are of you for choosing to wake up early and take care of yourself.  They'll speak on how this hour of yoga will translate across your mat and allow you to have a great day.  Yoga is about clearing your mind they tell you, trying to focus solely on your practice and your breath.  In a soft tone they'll say "If thought pop up in your mind, acknowledge them and let them go". Yoga empowers you because you aren't only strengthening your body but also your mind.  Focusing on yourself will give you confidence that others will be able to detect in you.  With yoga you can flow and move through your problems. Running might be having bad or motivating thoughts on your mind to get you to run faster and farther.  Yoga is meant to be about forgiving and forgetting those things and using your own positive energy to create a better future for yourself.  

Weekly Practice Journals: Theme: The Studio as Ritual Space-What makes your practice space a "sacred space"? Consider the sounds, decorations, rules, behaviors and other aspects of the practice space that create an opportunity for ritual experience.  

I don't know if I believe that my practice space is a "sacred space".  Because I feel that yoga in America has become the latest and greatest exercise fad, my studio space doesn't scream sacred space.  There is always soft acoustic music playing when you walk in the building, as well as in the studio itself before practice starts.  If you weren't listening closely enough, I don't think you'd be able to hear it playing.  There is also always some sort of incense or essential oil burning.  They will have the incense in between the space where you sign in and where you leave your things in the cubby wall.  They also have an essential oil diffuser that is switched out when the incense aren't burning.  I believe this is for aesthetics, making the studio feel as relaxed and tranquil as possible.  I also believe this is because the studio I most often attend is a power yoga studio where the room is heated at 90 degrees or above.  Therefore, everyone is very sweaty and consequentially smell like gym socks.  I believe the incense provide a duel purpose without telling everyone that they smell.  I can't think of any specific rules there are to follow in the space.  In the studio itself everyone practices barefoot, so we take our shoes off before we enter.  That feels sacred to me, or has respectful roots just as in you walk in barefoot to religious temples.  Another aspect that could be considered ritualistic is how the practice begins and ends the same way each time.  There are 3 ohms before we start and finishing after shavasana.  I would describe the studio as more of a tranquil or relaxing space.  That is the vibe the room is trying to omit, like a spa or retreat of some sort.