Lifelong Wellness (LW) 

Lifelong Wellness (LW): HLAC-1057-408-Sp22- Yoga

This course emphasizes movement and reviews current topics and best practices that encourage behaviors which promote an improvement in quality of life for a stronger, more resilient and healthier individual, family and community. This course will fulfill the General Education requirements for LW.

1. What connections have you had from what you’ve studied in this LW course with what you’ve learned from other courses you have taken at SLCC or have learned before taking this class? Make specific references to your work in this class and in other courses. How did what you learned in other courses enhance what you learned here, and vice versa?

There were several teachings in this class that related to other courses I've taken at SLCC. For instance, I also took scientific foundations of nutrition this semester which had a lot of overlapping themes in regard to your overall health. Nutrition delved a lot more into the science and physiological processes of nutrition in the human body, but both classes talked about the benefit of physical activity and different restorative practices. I also found some connections between this class and the psychology course I took a few semesters ago. I recall learning in one section of the psychology course about the benefit physical health can have on your mental wellbeing. It only makes sense that the two go hand in hand.

Taking nutrition at the same time as this class has really enhanced my overall experience for both. I feel like I was able to learn more in depth about the scientific benefits to the exercise and mindfulness I was practicing in yoga. I felt like I was living what I was learning throughout this semester which was a great way to really drive home a new resolve for achieving lifelong wellness.

2.Reflect on what you thought about fitness and lifelong wellness before you took this course and how you think about it now that you have completed the course. Have any of your assumptions or understandings changed? Why? What assignments/activities/readings were influential in this process? How will you approach what influenced you differently in the future?

Before taking this course I understood the importance of fitness, but I hadn't found a clear form of consistent physical activity that I enjoyed. I was really hoping to go into this class and find a new passion for my wellbeing, which is exactly what happened. Yoga's method of combing physical movement with meditation and self-awareness was really eye opening to me. There were multiple times throughout our Saturday classes that I felt something extremely profound while practicing yoga. Specifically, there was one class where we focused on the crown chakra and allowing ourselves to be open-minded. Towards the end of our session for that day we took a walk around campus split into three, five-minute sessions. For the firsts five minutes we were to focus our thoughts on where we are at in life and if we were happy with the path that we're on. For the second, we were to focus on what life might've been like had we decided to make a different decision affecting our life path in the past. For example, if we had picked a different major, moved to a different city, ended a relationship, etc. This segment was supposed to be focused on a decision/chance we decided not to take for whatever reason whether that be peer-pressure or lack of self confidence, etc. The last 5 minutes of our walk were devoted to opening up our mind to contemplate a different possibility for our life, to try and find inspiration in something we hadn't considered before. I was really moved by the end of the class and I even shed a few tears during our ending meditation because I felt it was perfect timing for me to experience that walk at the time. I felt the activity really solidified the power of yoga and how it is so much more than just stretching, but developing awareness of self and a deeper connection to a higher power, whether that be a god or the energy of the universe, and unlocking your full potential. I started to feel like yoga was more like therapy than class by the end of the semester. I will definitely continue my study of yoga and meditation after this wonderful experience.