Prompt #11

My Samskaras:

• BEHAVIORS:
• hitting the snooze button
• open the shade half way when I wake up
• touch the string to the attic when I pass
• procrastination
• positive thinking
• put on my seatbelt
• concentrating on breathing
• wishing on a star
• THOUGHTS:
• college
• school
• living the life I want
• what kind of person I want to be
• this was meant to be
• this feeling will pass

Prompt #10

How does “Indonesia” compare to “India”? Where is Gilbert psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually? How has the writing changed? Use textual evidence in your response.

In india Liz was able to really feel the things that she was trying to run away from. She was able to confront her internalized problems and come out with a new view on herself and life. Liz has now helped herself and is in a place to be able to help others. She has been able to let go of her relationships and learned to love herself. This allowed her to find love, let herself love and be loved in a heathy and mature way.

Prompt #8

Reread Richard from Texas' comment to Elizabeth Gilbert on the top of page 178 to the end of that chapter. Then, explain what he means in your own words and, just as Gilbert does, go into detail explaining a way that you can start to take control of your thoughts.

Richard means that we are the makers of our own negativity. He is saying that we need to master ourselves before we can take on other challenges. We have the power to control how we think and our response to our thoughts. It is really east to let negativity win, but it takes practice and constant attention to let positivity prevail. It is important that we recognize that were in control of ourselves and our thoughts. WIth this ability we can see things in new ways and overcome personal problems within ourselves.

Prompt #7

Reread the beginning of Chapter 56, bottom of p 171, starting with "Here's what I caught myself..." to the end of the second paragraph on page 172, ending with "right where you actually are". Think of a place or a moment in your life when you struggle being where you are. Then, go into it. What happens? Why do you struggle? How can you try to "be present" the next time this happens?

I tend to let my mind wander a lot. I find myself thinking about other things that are happening or things that have happened. I replay different way conversations could have gone or different outcomes of situations. I have to pull myself back and remind my self that things are in the past and there is nothing I can change now. I have to remember that I have to live in the present and concentrate on what I have happening in my life now. It is just a matter of staying focused on who I am and what I am doing right now.

Prompt #6

Reread the section on soul mates in the last paragraph on page 149. Then respond to the following three questions: what do you think of this definition? Have you had any soul mates that have entered (and possibly left) your life? How have they served as a mirror for you, as we discussed in class?

I think that this is a really great definition for soul mates. When thinking about soul mates it tends to have a romantic connotation but I think Richard is right in everything that he said. I have always felt that people come into our lives for a reason, whether it is someone you sat next to on a plane once, or someone you have known since kindergarden. Everyone has something to teach us about life and about ourselves. I have definitely had soul mates. One of my best friends who I have knows since kindergarden really showed me a lot about myself. She had a tough time with anxiety issues, and still does. Ever since I've known her I took it as my job to make her feel safe and like she could make it through everything. I re-arranged everything I did to make sure that it was best for her. As we've grown up she's changed and grown, and doesn't need me in the way she used to. Our relationship has changed and we aren't nearly as close, but we were meant to meet and help each other through that part of our lives. Other friends have just been there to show me different qualities of myself and to tell me when I'm doing something wrong, or need to make a change. Their honestly is my mirror.

Prompt #5

I really enjoyed yesterday. I had just had my first dance class since last october the night before and my body really needed the stretching and strengthening. I really liked the first pose we did with the block on our sacrums. It made my back feel awesome. Savasana at the end was great because I got to go back into the position that we started in. I was able to concentrate on my breathing and calm my thoughts. I definitely need to work on being aware of my breathing while doing the yoga practices and not just in savasana. After our yoga my body felt really good and the aches and pains from last nights dance class were smoothed out.

Prompt #4

So, I'm a dancer, and last year I hurt my hip and was unable to keep dancing. It was devastating. I pushed myself to keep going even when the pain was awful, until it was so bad that I had to stop. I went to the doctor and decided that surgery was the best option for me. This meant that I would have to stop dancing until I was fully recovered. Not dancing was really hard and was a big change. I was so used to being at the studio. It took time to reconcile the idea that this was the best decision in the long run. I had to battle myself to stay positive and look towards the time when I would be able to put my leotard back on.

ME: Ok, calm down, breathe, this is going to go just fine.

MIND: Of course, we love this doctor, he's going to do an amazing job.

ME: But what if I never dance agin?

MIND: That won't happen, I'm here to get you through this.

ME: I don't know what to do now.

MIND: Picture yourself in the dance studio.

ME: Ok, I miss that studio...What kind of dance am I doing?

MIND: You're doing ballet, right hand on the bar....Feel the music.

ME: Ok, I'm feeling it, I'm also feeling awful now knowing that I can't do it anymore.

MIND: Don't think like that...this is an image to aspire to. This WILL be you. You WILL dance again.

ME: I'm scared, this is going to be really hard.

MIND: I know, but I'm here for you, I love you. We will get through this together.

ME: Ok, I think I'm ready. Time to go to the hospital...

Prompt #3

Although I was only here for the last few minutes of todays meditation it was exactly what I needed. Having just had my wisdom teeth extracted two days ago, a healing meditation was perfect. I was nervous coming to school today because I am still really sore and not feeling 100%, but just having a few minutes to bring attention to the area of myself that needed healing and taking a few minutes to concentrate on my breathing and healing made me feel a lot better. I feel relaxed and am glad I got a chance to learn some techniques to help me through the healing process.

Prompt #2

What are your reactions to Eat, Pray, Love so far? If you've already heard of it or seen the movie, how does it compare to what you've heard/seen? If this is your first encounter, what do you think of it so far? What do you think of Elizabeth Gilbert's writing style? Do certain parts resonate with you? Titillate you? Make you laugh? If so, what parts? Include quotations and page numbers like so:

I really enjoyed reading Eat, Pray, Love but it was the kind of book that I couldn't read for too long at one time. I never felt really engulfed in the story. However, I really enjoyed her perspective on her experiences and the detail in her descriptions of her locations. I think her extreme honesty was refreshing and added a lot to the book, it made it even more personal. She was able to really express her emotions which made you really feel the changes in her as she went on her journey. I really admired her ability to go within herself to find the courage and strength to make a change. I loved her ability to not sound like she wanted pity but was just wanted to communicate her experience with her readers. She really immersed herself in each experience completely. I was really intrigued by the parts where she was searching for answers and found a voice in her journal. I am a huge fan of sarcasm and I enjoyed her ability to find humor in her experience while also gaining valuable lessons from them. I also really enjoyed meeting all her friends along with her. She met some amazing people and learning their stories and being inside their conversations.

I really liked Richard from Texas. He was a really good friend for her, he was able to steer her in the right direction in his own blunt but highly insightful way.

Prompt #1

What are your expectations for this course?

In this class I hope to learn new meditation and yoga techniques while also learning about the culture and stories that go along with both practices. I think it will be really interesting to be able to hear about other peoples experiences in the class and learn the different ways people respond to different breathing and poses. I'm excited to read the texts because I have never really read anything from that part of the world.