So I Had To Talk About Yoga...

I think this may be the first time I was excited to do a research project.
For my "Intro To New Media" class (the one I created this blog for) I had to write an "Ethnography" of a particular online community. I detailed out how I found the yoga community in my website/paper here at The Yoga Community.But I got a cool chance to talk to a fellow yoga-lover who volunteers at a Yoga studio in the area!

Her name is Jo Ellen! 

Q. How has yoga influenced your life?

A. I've practiced yoga since mid high school and ever since it has served as my stress reliever. I have been very involved academically, in extracurriculars, as well as working throughout high school and college so I used yoga as a time to escape all of that and focus on myself. The focused and calm mindset I developed while practicing yoga became applicable to all areas of my life giving me the ability to become a more productive student and worker.

Q. How often do you "do" yoga

A. When I am actively practicing yoga I go twice a week to class but always try to stretch / do a few poses at least once a day. However I have been very busy this year and haven't regularly gone to class since January :(

Q. how did you get started in yoga

A. I had some friends in my sophomore year of high school who actively practiced and told me I would like it. So I gave it a try and have been hooked ever since!

Q. what benefits do you find being a part of the yoga community

A. I love meeting fellow yogis and yoginis who share the appreciation of yoga with me. I find being a part of this community an even further reliever of my stress since I am surrounding myself with people who have also found peace of mind and are only interested in each other's well-being. It is truly very beneficial to my motivation to find my best self and live it.

Q. do you participate in any of the "online" yoga communities (forums/blogs/social media)

A. I follow a number of active yogis on Instagram and am active in my home studio's social media but that is all. I also like to find a lot of yoga inspiration on Pinterest

Q. do you find that the yoga community has a strong support? (like between members)

A. Yes, definitely! As I said earlier, everyone cares about your well-being. They are always genuinely interested in your life endeavors and love to assist in helping you reach your goals.

Thanks Jo Ellen!

We've Got the Whole World in Our Hands

Social Activism.
It's an interesting thing to comprehend.
It's defined as "the use of direct, often confrontational action, such as a demonstration or strike, in opposition to or support of a cause", but if you go on any type of social media site, the definition seems to change a bit.

Yes, there are still protests and sit-ins and demonstrations with signs, but it seems today's younger generation has turned towards social media to show their political views or support of certain causes.

It's funny now how we can have so much power in participating in activism right in our cell phones. But as they say, "with great power"...

Maybe because it's easier to click a link that says "like this page" or press a button that says "sign here to support this cause" than to actually take the time out of your day to do something about the cause, but it seems people are gravitating towards social media for their "social activism"

I know I am already speaking from experience about how I have seen social activism, but I too have participated in this way. I have shared and liked many posts for causes I support (St.Judes, Human Rights Activism posts, LGBTQ causes, Animal Rights groups, etc..) The list goes on but I do see why people have turned towards social media to get their word out there. It spreads fast and can be seen by so many different people (and that helps the cause even more).

Although this is a good thing, I have witnessed an argument (or twenty) over posts made or shared that contained political views or "controversial" ideas that led towards some tempers flared and/or friendships broken. I have seen (and maybe participated in) my fair share of Facebook political drama but nothing compares to when someone shares a strong view or gets deeply involved in social activism on social media.

I believe that social media has done great for many groups or organizations (in terms of support) for their causes, but I feel some people take things too personally on social media sometimes. Of course we all have our convictions and views, but I believe that if we open our minds - we will be alot happier of a world.

You Don't Love Your Mom Until You Post It On Social Media

#BestMomEver
#HappyMothersDay
#Mom
#Blessed
#loveyou

As you couldn't have missed, Mother's Day was this past Sunday.

Over this past weekend, I noticed and influx of posting on social media. Like most holidays, Mother's Day is no exception. People sharing cute pictures of them and their mom from various stages in their lives or maybe a picture of their mom when she was young.

From your friends to your favorite news or gossip blog site, It seemed like every post on Sunday was about our great #moms .

Don't get me wrong. I love my mother and I too joined in on the posting about my awesome mom.

I just thought it was such an interesting thing this has become. I remember a time when the only "captions" I wrote for these types of holidays were in a real Mother's Day card and my mom was the ONLY one to read it.

Now these posts have been sort of like digital cards that everyone can read ( that is if you set your privacy to that setting.)

 I love the fact that (if your mother is on facebook, she can comment and see the post). Maybe some mom's like it even more because their children are kind of "showing them off" to their friends now rather than pretending their parents don't exist on social media. Is this us becoming more accepting of older generations on the internet? Maybe its just a competition to see who gets more likes on the pictures?

I feel that this is just another way we as a social community are embracing social media.