Connecting through Yoga

I have been experimenting with yoga sporadically over the past couple of years. I would try a yoga class every so often while I was at GWU or practice at home the few poses I could remember. My senior year, I took a yoga class for credit, which, when paired with my Yoga and the Meaning of Life class (about the philosophies behind yoga lifestyle), really sparked my enthusiasm for yoga. Recently, I have been attending classes at Westside Yoga Studio here in Lakewood, which has been incredible and rewarding.

As much as I loved my yoga classes at GW, the classes here in Lakewood have been inspirational. I believe there are a few reasons for this. First, I’m happier in Lakewood than I was during my last semester in D.C. Second, I have more interest in and more time to devote to a yoga lifestyle, including meditation and a healthier habits (like considering becoming a vegetarian!). Finally, the classes are smaller.

For me, smaller classes have led to more and closer connections to fellow classmates. I have even had two private lessons, as no one else showed up to a particular class that I attended these past two weeks. Through the one-on-one time with my instructors, I got to know them personally. We discussed everything from our diet, challenges in having a home practice, our favorite things to do  in Cleveland, our hobbies, how we have secret dreams to buy a hippie van and just drive, etc. One teacher and I didn’t even have a formal class; we just did yoga poses as we talked. We went almost 2 hours over the specified time talking and moving!

These connections in yoga are important because yoga is not just a great way to stay active, but a way to connect mind and body. It can be a very spiritual experience and having these moments with strangers can be weird. It is especially nice to feel so comfortable talking to the instructors because I am more open to talking about more personal issues with them and have learned a lot through our discussions.

I encourage everyone to explore their local studios and find a class that’s small, cozy, and open that facilitates the physical, mental, and spiritual growth that a yoga practice is meant for!

A directory of yoga studios can be found here: http://www.yogajournal.com/directory/

Peace and Love!

Why I still love Buffy (and Cordelia)

In the late 90’s and early 2000’s, many people discussed how Buffy was a positive role model for girls. She is the antithesis of many female characters we saw, and still see, on TV. She is independent, smart, funny, and strong. Not only is Buffy a great role model, but the series features a wide range of women in its primarily female cast (thus defying the Smurfette Principle, which is defined here by Feminist Frequency‘s Anita Sarkeesian) who often act as role models and challenge many stereotypes.

This is one of the main reasons I love the show: Joss Whedon will stereotype a character like Cordelia as the “popular girl”, then give her an opportunity to talk back to and challenge her stereotype.

A prime example of this is in the Buffy episode “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered” (2.16), where Xander tries to put a love spell on Cordelia after she dumps him on Valentine’s Day in an effort to rejoin the popular crowd. By the end of the episode, Cordelia realizes that she cares for Xander and that she wants to date him, so she gives this awesome speech:

Cordelia: (interrupts) Harmony, shut up. Do you know what you are, Harmony? You’re a sheep.

Harmony: I’m not a sheep.

Cordelia: You’re a sheep. All you ever do is what everyone else does just so you can say you did it first. And here I am, scrambling for your approval, when I’m *way* cooler than you are ’cause I’m *not* a sheep. I do what I wanna do, and I wear what I wanna wear. And you know what? I’ll date whoever the hell I wanna date. No matter how lame he is.

(Transcript courtesy of http://www.buffyworld.com/buffy/transcripts/028_tran.html)

Even though Cordelia often still acts like a selfish brat throughout the rest of her time on Buffy, in this moment she defies the “popular girl” stereotype and stops acting like a “sheep,” so she can think for herself and do what she wants to do.

This is  message of independence that girls desperately need to hear and see modeled, especially in their middle school and high school years. The media is an excellent way to reach middle school and high school girls because they are constantly being bombarded with negative stereotypes of girls and women in advertising, television, and movies.

This is one reason why Geena Davis and Deborah Taylor Tate, a former FCC chair, launched the Healthy MEdia Commission, which includes a lot of important people in the media industry. The point of the commission is to address the negative and harmful stereotypes of girls and women that are so pervasive in the media and promote positive images and role models for young girls in the media. They are currently lobbying for a bill to address this issue. They are doing this in conjunction with the Girl Scout‘s “Watch What You Watch” campaign.

In summary, I love Cordelia because she talks back to her stereotype as the popular girl and challenges the notion that following the crowd makes one cool. She acts as a positive role model for young girls who are constantly pressured by their peers to look and act a certain way in order to be popular.

So, let’s channel our inner Cordelias, break from the herd, and talk to the young girls in our lives about what they are seeing in the media, whether it’s to reaffirm positive images or to downplay negative ones. And we should all support the Healthy MEdia Commission and the Girl Scouts in their efforts to promote positive role models in the media.

Peace and Love.

(Picture courtesy of http://buffy.wikia.com/wiki/Cordelia_Chase)

You’re missing the point people

So, I read about this yesterday in The Daily (as I can’t find the original article, here is a similar one:  http://dailycaller.com/2011/07/15/us-navy-poster-advises-dont-assault-people-seriously/) and my blood boiled.

Basically, the U.S. Navy put up the poster pictured here (originally from TumblinFeminist) on their Facebook page and people went bonkers, saying that it was stupid, that the information is useless, etc, etc. The reason I got worked up over this is simple.

The people who are complaining about and criticizing the U.S. Navy for posting this don’t get the purpose of the poster. The poster addresses the rape prevention tips so often given to women that place the onus of prevention on the victim, such as dress appropriately, carry a whistle, don’t go anywhere alone. The poster points out that this responsibility for preventing rape should not be on the victim, but on the assailant.And it shows that no matter what a person was doing, wearing, or whatever when s/he was attacked, we should never blame the victim for not doing XYZ to prevent a sexual assault or rape.

The Navy’s response was spot on. They wrote: “Navy fans, we’re appreciative of the interest on a topic that doesn’t get enough serious scrutiny. A few things we’d offer: 1) This is not a Navy-generated poster, but we extended it to get your attention; 2) As sad as it is, you’d be surprised how many people need to be told these seemingly basic things; 3) It’s everyone’s responsibility to stop sexual assault. Let’s get to it,” the Navy wrote. Seeing how rape and sexual assault are terribly common occurrences within the military (check out this post on the About Face blog, which acts as an advocate for servicewomen. This post features a DoD report on the prevalence of sexual assault and rape in the military), I am just happy that the Navy is addressing this issue.

So, instead of complaining about a poster that the Navy put on it’s Facebook page, let’s have an honest discussion about how we can support (not blame) victims of rape and sexual assault and work to end rape and sexual assault.

hello world!

So, this is my first blog post, so I figured that introductions are in order.

I am starting a blog so I have an outlet for all of the random thoughts that I have throughout the day. Since I have such a wide range of interests (women’s issues, media analysis, crocheting, reading, etc.), the topics on the blog will vary quite a bit. That is why I named my blog kaleidoscope. I hope that all of my musings will come together to form a collage of awesomeness that people can enjoy. I added the peace and love because peace and love are eternal, as John Lennon once noted.

I am the girl with my head in the clouds. I crochet, read, daydream, meditate, and do yoga. I love analyzing television shows (I even wrote my senior thesis on LOST). I am feminist hippie who is much to liberal for my parents’ likings. I wear my cowboy boots just about everywhere I go.

That’s about it.

I sincerely hope that you enjoy the blog!

Peace and love, dudes.