Due:    Weekly Practice Journals: Theme: What is the role of the body? How is the body approached and how is the body seen as a vehicle for experience of the divine?

In my practice space in particular I believe that the main focus is strictly on the body itself.  I believe that the theme isn't on how we can meditate while moving, but yet how we can push our bodies to our "edge" whatever that means.  I think what the studio means to convey is stop selling yourself short, stop putting limits on your abilities.  That then manifests in certain poses that are harder than others and are met with grumbles.  People like comfort, they don't like change especially when it physically hurts them.  I then think about the fact that we all literally either signed up online to take this class ahead of time, or we walked in the door willingly with our own two legs.  Why did we come all the way here and pay money to take a class if all we wanted to do is keep our bodies in the comfortable position that they've always been in? If we wanted to not "push ourselves to fulfill our potential" we could have stayed home in our pajamas and done comfortable yoga.  I believe that most people come to yoga studios for motivation and for instruction to do more than they would have challenged themselves to do.  The body is the vessel in which yoga is conducted and therefore having the ability to experience the divine.  I wouldn't say thats the focus at all of the studio that I go to.  I don't believe that I've ever heard the word enlightenment- but the word body or other manifestations of the word body are used constantly.  It's approached as a cloak that needs to be better and needs to be pushed by your mind because if not it will never become anything different.  The vessel will continue to walk along and simply age out.