Beyond the Mat

The full title for the Yoga Winterim is "Yoga Beyond the Mat."  The "Beyond the Mat" part takes various forms.  They have had speakers come to them here at LA to talk about nutrition and meditation, they have taken field trips off campus and attended various workshops off campus.

For example, yesterday the Yoga group went to Groton Wellness and participated in a three-hour cooking workshop. They learned to cook with fresh and organic foods.  On another day earlier this week, they also learned about shopping for organic foods at the nearby Groton Natural Market.

Today, Thursday, the group traveled to Hollis, NH where they learned a different form of yoga called Kundalini. This afternoon they did Ashtanga Yoga and tomorrow they will visit Durga Yoga Studio in Harvard, MA to learn Prana Flow, a form of yoga centered around the universal rhythms of life.  Two other forms they have learned over these two weeks are Baptiste Yoga and Hath/Vinyasa Yoga.

The students in Yoga have definitely gone "beyond the mat" these two weeks.

Mind, Body and Spirit Interconnected

The Yoga Beyond the Mat Winterim is quite interesting. (I'm trying to imagine being that relaxed all through Winterim!)

They spent the first week learning about the techniques of Yoga.  They had speakers come to LA to teach them about nutrition, martial arts, and breathing as well.  They visited Nashua Community College to learn about massage therapy, a degree program they offer. They planned to visit Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Stockbridge, MA on Friday, but the snow day cancelled this visit.  In the first week, they also set goals with their instructor, Kim Johnson, who has been a yoga practitioner for over 12 years.

Yesterday, Monday, Peter Dolan, a meditation and yoga expert, came to speak with them about meditation techniques and benefits. He said meditation will allow us to feel more a part of relationships with our personal self, others and nature.  It is about opening yourself up to the connectedness of everything in life. Once you become more aware of your thoughts and connections, you will be more in control of these things, as well. He says you should be relaxed, in a quiet place, be stretched out or warmed up, use breathing techniques for focus and don't "force" the conscious awareness.  Mr. Dolan also said that meditation is cumulative - you get more from it the more you do it. So it's best to meditate for a short time each day than try to meditate only once a week or month for longer durations.