Journal 1

Week 1: 1) Guided relaxation Time: 7/5 and 7/8 at noon. Location: home. At first, it was hard for me to stop my mind from diverging to another thing and to focus on imagining a smile and relaxation, as I am more of a visual person. Nonetheless, I got a bit relaxed and refreshed. My breath was deepening gradually by itself as I preformed this practice. 2) Meditation on the breath Time: 7/4 and 7/6 at noon. Location: home. In this exercise, I found it hard to focus my attention on the breath for more than a minute; I was just thinking of jumping ahead to the next exercise. Also, having to guide myself through the exercise made it harder to concentrate. Moreover, at first it was hard for me to balance my breaths and I lost count a couple of times. Nonetheless, there was no pain in any part of my body during the practice. And the exercise was overall comfortable. 3) Breathing assessment Time: 7/6 and 7/7 at noon. Location: home. I felt a bit dull after performing this exercise, as it required me to lie on my back. However, this practice helped me to be aware of my breath as I was

able to trace the air flux through my abdomen, and by observing the floatation and contraction of the belly each time. 4) Belly breathing. Time: 7/5 and 7/7 at noon. Location: home. This exercise gave me much more relaxation than the breathing assessment one, and I felt more comfortable doing it in the sitting position. The exercise leaves you in a cooler and more relaxed mood. Week 2: 1) Palming exercise Time: 7/10 and 7/11 at midnight and afternoon. Location: home, Library. At first, there were colored spots that continued to occur for half a minute. Then, I began to feel the warmth and relaxation in my facial muscles. This practice was really helpful in removing the tension around the eyes as warmth softened them. 2) Eyes on the sides of your head Time: 7/10 and 7/11 at afternoon. Location: home. At first, no images were created in my mind, and having my eyes open made it harder for my imagination to work; my mind started wandering and it was hard for me to stop it without doing the exercise over again. After this practice, I felt a little bit of relaxation. 3) Relaxation (savasana) Time: 7/9-7/11 at noon and at the end of every yoga class. home and class. Location:

At first, I always wanted to open my eyes and take a look, but with time I learned to relax. I used this posture to cool down after doing aerobic and resistance exercises, and it helped me to cool down and soften the tension in the muscles. 4) Legs-up-the-wall pose (viparita karani) Time: 7/9 and 7/10 at afternoon. Location: home. This posture was very relaxing when I did it for five minutes. Though my head was a bit dull at the end. Moreover, this practice helped me to get over the sleepy feeling I get in the afternoon. 5) So ham meditation. Time: 7/9 and 7/10 at afternoon. Location: home. I found this exercise similar to the belly breathing one as both use the diaphragmatic breathing technique. I could keep my concentration on the breath for approximately fifteen minutes. Also, adding the three eye gave a more relaxed feeling.