Yoga Journal #5

October 14, 2021

Yoga Journal #5

For this week's practice, I decided to take another Iyengar yoga class via YouTube. Although it is a more fast-paced style of yoga, I enjoyed it and felt very relaxed after the practice. Because I took this class via YouTube, there was no sense of community in my practice. 

In regards to yoga community involves like-minded people such as the teacher, practitioners, and other staff. Community releases the burden of individuality through "collective sensibility". Having a community is like having a group of accountability partners who can provide emotional support through the practice.

The purpose of a community is to have a group of like-minded people to help you stay motivated. Through community or social empowerment, the practitioner can build self-confidence. In addition, the community impacts the practitioner's experience of yoga through their interactions with each other and their shared "emotional energy."

Compared to the Iyengar practice we did this week, ashtanga yogas asana sequences are more structured and focus more on their breathing. Ashtanga yoga also offers modification poses so you can ease your way into each stretch or pose. The breathing exercises made the practice feel a lot more intense, where Iyengar yoga was intense due to the fast-paced transition of movements or poses.