Course Description

BIC CAPSTONE 4389: EXAMINED LIFE III

Yoga Practice and Philosophy in Contemporary American Culture

Morrison 100

Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:30- 4:45 PM.

Instructor: Anne-Marie Schultz, PhD

Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor and Director of the BIC.

“Now begins the practice of yoga.” Patanjali

“Practice. All is coming.” Pattabhi Jois

“My body is my temple. My asanas are my prayers.” B.K.S Iyengar

“When you want to be soothed, go to the Bhagavad Gita and drink it like nectar.” Patricia Walden.

Course Description: In this practice-based class, we will explore some aspects of classical yoga philosophy and how it informs contemporary yoga. Hatha yoga practice is an aspect of self-care for millions of Americans. As such, it provides a concrete model of how we might live the examined life. We will examine the benefits of this model over the course of the semester.

In each class, we will discuss yoga philosophy for 15-20 minutes and do n asana practice for 45-50 minutes.

A couple words about the asana part of class:

Buy own yoga mat and bring it to class each day. All other yoga props are provided for your use during class by the BIC. I encourage you to buy your own set of props for home practice if your budget allows for it.

Please come to class prepared to practice yoga. You will need to take off your shoes as you enter the classroom as yoga is practiced barefoot. For the asana practice, wear comfortable clothing. Shorts and a t-shirt are best. There are bathrooms for changing right next to the classroom.

 Yoga is best practiced on an empty stomach. Please do not eat right before class. Some juice or fruit is okay just before class. Please eat a light lunch early in the day. If you eat right before class, you will find asana more difficult to perform, it may even make you dizzy or nauseous.

 There are some poses that we will practice that are not suitable for women on their menstrual cycle, if that is the case for you on any given day, let me know and I will give you alternate poses to do. Similarly, if you have particular physical injuries or other limitations that might hinder your ability to practice asana, please let me know and we can adapt poses to suit your particular needs.

I encourage you to find time to practice asana when we are not in class. I will give you specific poses and breathing exercises (pranayama) to work with outside of class. There are also many books that give yoga sequences. Bear Aerobics offers yoga classes as do some health clubs around town. My sister, Christina Sell, also offers classes online at an affordable rate. There are many other  yoga teachers  that offer online  instruction of various sorts.  I'll compile a list of them soon.

Also, there may be a few faculty members and other yoga practitioners joining us for the asana practices and one or two students auditing the course. Please welcome them to our classroom community.

A few words about the philosophy part of the course:

Over the course of the semester, we will read The Bhagavad Gita and many of Patanjali’s famous aphorisms about yoga, from The Yoga Sutras. Michael Roach and Christie McNally’s, engaging novelistic account of the Sutras in action, How Yoga Works, will guide or discussion of this text. Our class discussion will focus primarily on the Sutras and the Gita, though we will also draw upon other readings. We will also read two memoirs by a contemporary yogi and a contemporary yogini (male and female people who practice yoga). The books are Waking and Yoga from the Inside Out.

Just as I hope you will practice yoga outside of our classroom experience, I hope you will apply the insights you gain from reading these texts to your everyday life experience. Just as you get better at asana through practice, you get better at philosophy through practice.