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Mason Slingluff
Professor Goldstein
LBST 2101
11/23/2015
Yoga Class Reflection
What I experienced when I went to the Gotta Yoga yoga studio is an environment that
was very calm and very relaxing. The way the instructor spoke was in a very calm and positive
manner. She encouraged inner evaluation and positive thoughts during the entire class period. I
felt like the experience was just as much mental as it was physical. The quietness and relaxing
atmosphere helped me think about important things in my life and the physical stretching was
strenuous but then relieving once the movement was complete. Something that I understood
better about yoga after participating in the class is how yoga can help achieve a relaxed and
blank mind. This helped me have a better understanding of what monkey mind is and why it is
good to try to get rid of it. Some questions that arose while taking the class were how dedicated
are most instructors to the mental and spiritual teaching of yoga and how many instructors are
just using yoga as a way to improve their physical state of body. As the multi-billion dollar
yoga industry continues to grow with studios becoming as prevalent as Starbucks and $120 yoga
pants, the mass commercialization of this ancient practice, rooted in Hindu thought, has become
concerning (Hindu American Foundation). I feel as though the Gotta Yoga yoga studio is one of
the yoga studios that the Hindu American Foundation is concerned about. Although the class had
a mental element to it, it was not consistent with the teachings that we have been learning about
in class. Some 16 million Americans do some form of yoga, primarily as a part of their exercise
and fitness routine (Nanda). I think that most yoga classes now are for the physical benefits.
The traditional part of yoga has been lost in the west. Also I think that the commercialization of
yoga will make it impossible for yoga to return to its ancient and meaningful roots. The
companies that are making a lot of money from these yoga studios and yoga apparel stores will

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keep the public in the dark to what it really is. I think they will keep the illusion that the yoga
that is being practiced today is somehow spiritual but in reality it is all a smoke and mirrors act
to try to make consumers spend their money. The people at Gotta Yoga were very nice and
supportive but I do not think they supported and practiced the traditional meaning of yoga.