January 18

I don't even remember what todays entry was supposed to be on. I think it might be about what

you need to do in order to make sure that you get to yoga on time. Something that I can

definitely do is just get up earlier. I can get more done that way and not stress. Also: set my

clothes up the night before.

January 23

Negative statements, letting go, balance. In order to find balance it is important that I prioritize

better. I need to make sure that Im not over indulging. I think a lot of people want to improve

several aspects of their life, but they struggle with the self discipline part. I remember a

communications professor telling me once that if you are angry or are lashing out that it;s an

underlying fear that is doing the communicating. Being negative in general can be cancelled out

if we prepare instead of stress and work instead of complain or wallow in self-pity. This is

something that I really need to get through my head!

January 25

Breathing. It's starting to become more natural in my practice and exercise. But I am noticing

that its not present in my normal routine. When I walk around I notice that if I concentrate on

my breathing that my posture is improved and I can think more clearly. I calm down easier and

its easier to concentrate instead of get wrapped up in distractions or emotions. If I can breathe

right, my whole attitude can change.

February 1

Ahimsa (kindness). For some reason this is a hard one for me to grasp/comprehend/remember

but being kind is supposed to start with yourself. Its about general non-violence and youre

supposed to start with yourself. I dont Know I think Im pretty nice to people. I practice non

violence but I dont go out of my way. Also, I think I might be a little extreme with myself. I beat
myself up a lot. I think I deserve it. Im really internal but my thoughts are kind of harsh. Im

really emotional. I think somehow thats how I justify my indulgences and sins, I just tell myself

in my head that Im trash. As long as I make myself bad, I wont get desensitized. I could work

on not getting so angry. Even though Im not particularly violent or even aggressive, I could work

on harnessing my emotions and not get offended so easily or being so emotional.

February 6

Satya. The second ahimsa is being honest. I think this is a very good one. Being honest and

clear is a relaxing way to live. You dont have to worry about the consequences of having

someone find out about you and you dont have to live up to any unrealistic expectations. You

have the freedom of not trying to prove yourself if you have honesty in your life. Im going to

practice this ahimsa by not lying to myself to begin with! Im no longer going to say Ill do it

later or other stuff like that. Honesty gives you power.

February 8

Asteya: not stealing. I need to practice not stealing from myself by being more focused and

present and not distracting myself. I can practice asteya more in the form of giving my sister gas

money. She never asks for it but she drives me everywhere and I need to be more aware of it. I

could prepare more and anticipate certain events instead of waiting till the last minute and

stealing other peoples or my own time. I could put my phone away more to practice being with

people.

February 13

Today we tried the stability ball. It smelled a little bit, but it was a really good workout. Im glad

we tried it for a change. It was fun in a different way. It took a lot from my legs. I realized that I

have a hard time hinging at the hip. I dont exactly know what that means in terms of my

flexibility --maybe that I need to work on it. I think my hamstrings are just a little tight. I like what
she said today about how balance changes. We are always having to prioritize and rebalance

every time something happens.

February 15

Today we talked about breathing and just exhaling negativity in general. Thats what I

remember. I tried taking yoga to get me into shape and I didnt realize that the practice of yoga

is supposed to make you a better person --not just a relaxed person or anything (a person who

makes the things and people around them better than how they were before). Aparigrapha

(non-coveting) --this is hard. I believe that it takes very mindful practice. If you dont think not

doing it you might just give into it. Being competitive is part of our nature.

March 1

Practicing not eating past your fill is pretty hard. I think I overestimated my fill one night because

I was over-conscious about it and I stopped eating when I should have had a little more

because I was starting later. But I was at work! Also, not being distracted while you eat is a big

issue. I was so tempted to check my phone while I was eating my burrito, then I realized the

benefits of letting it go for a few minutes. You dont take as long to eat when you are simply

eating. Also, your head clears up and you realize whether or not you actually like what youre

eating at the moment. You think of other people as well --people who are real and around you. I

remember realizing that I either didnt like my burrito or that I didnt want it anymore and so I

gave it to my brother. If I had been on my phone I would have mindlessly eaten the whole thing.

Also, not being distracted by your phone gives new eyes. At work I could see that I depended

on my phone like crutch during lunch break. Its like a little buddy you can take anywhere. You

look less interactive and less approachable when you have a device on you. And somehow

eating without one is actually a lot less awkward than eating with one. I dont know how that

works, but it works.

March 6

In a nice way, being more conscious of what I eat has made me aware of other things --how

much time I spend on my phone, how much I eat and shouldnt, how much I just wait around

until I get hungry, how selfish I am when it comes to food, etc.

March 8

We used the bosu today. It was alright. It was kinda hard. I didnt realize that I was working so

hard until I was walking to my next class because my legs hurt so much --particularly the

muscles around the knees. And I was shaking so much! Is that because I dont have good

enough muscles to keep my balance? Some of the things I love is the energy and flexibility I feel

like I have hours after yoga. I usually feel exhausted afterwards --I need some downtime, but its

so rewarding. I feel like I can do things later in the day and I go to sleep better, too.

March 20

Spring cleaning. Negativity in general. I need to get rid of that. Especially thoughts that are

really distracting. I really shouldnt daydream, but for some reason I do it even more when there

is reason not too. I just get overwhelmed and my mechanism is to take my mind off it. In fact,

the better the reason to not get distracted, the more I get distracted. This takes me away from

connecting with the moment and people around me. Also, the more distracted I let myself get

the less good I let in my life.

March 22

Partner yoga is fun! Its kind of hard just because you dont want to hurt the other person or

stretch yourself out too much. I did it with my sister so it wasnt awkward but I bet it was hard for

other people who were with strangers. The natural connectedness you feel, even during

savasana is really cool.

March 27

I have definitely noticed some bad habits I have. I have the normal thoughts of someone who

beats himself up a lot. I make it a big deal when I mess up or I just cut myself down. I realize

that this is because I expect too much from myself, which is a form or cockiness. Its not relaxing

to think of how youre going to fail or how youre going to perform all the time. Also, when Im

bored I dont even pay attention to anybody --even when theyre talking to me. I just tune out

and let myself get distracted. Being around of this has made a big difference. Recognizing when

my thoughts wander is a huge step.

March 29

Breathing most certainly has improved. It is much easier now for me to breathe deeply. Its

easier to feel like Im breathing naturally. I usually pop my back when I take a big sigh simply

from my bad posture, but I can sigh deeply now without worrying about that cracking sound.

April 3

Iron Yoga --No likey. I think I just have something against the band altogether. But the stretching

was just uncomfortable to me even though some of them felt good. I had a difficult time feeling

natural and just couldnt get into it. It might have just been that I was cramping or that it was

Monday but I felt like my breathing was difficult, too. I remembered to deepen my breathing,

though that makes all the difference sometimes.

April 5

Chakras. We did the orange one today. I forgot what the actual name was but we did it and it

was really cool. We were supposed to connect with the Earth as much as possible and it was

really relaxing. There is a warm peace associated with this Chakra. I felt really calm. I didnt

really realize how much influence your mind has on the body. Imagining the orange ball on my
back made my spine different and changed my posture. I could feel the effects for the rest of the

day.

April 10

Today we did a walking meditation. It was really calming, I enjoyed it even though it required

more focus than I realized. Its an easy way to calm down --mostly just pacing, but it was hard to

concentrate. This was something I could easily do by myself at home. I realize that I think I go at

a slower pace --but Its hard to concentrate when you go slower. Sometimes going faster helps

you concentrate.

April 12

We came up with a yoga routine ourselves. I was kinda nervous at first because i was thinking

about how intricate a yoga routine is supposed to be. I realize that as long as you have a goal or

something to focus on, then it will come naturally because your desire will carry you through. It

was really fun, also. You realize how much youve learned and how much you can remember

after a semester. It was a good day. Something else I realized is the importance of the warm

ups and the cool down. No matter what your intention is in flexibility or intensity, you have to

prioritize making time for that. Seriously savasana is so important.

April 17

Something that Ive always wanted to do is go on a mission. It was really cool to imagine how I

felt after I had completed one. It kind of messed with my conscious a little. We were supposed

to think about the confidence we would feel after completing what we wanted to do and I felt

weird and guilty about feeling good about something I havent done yet.