experience story
| Title |  |
A nice oasis of calm, hongik yoga | ||||||||||||
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Writer | |
Deborah Ranger | |
Date | |
1999-12-05 | |
Count | |
1543 | |||
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| Now that I'm getting ready to leave Korea, I have been thinking about what I will miss when I return home to Britain. The Hong-ik Yoga Institute is certainly on my list. I have really enjoyed coming to Institute to practice yoga and I hope I will be able to find somewhere that is as open and welcoming so that I can continue practising when I am back at home. First began coming to the Institute in October 1998 because I wanted to do some kind of exercise to keep my body healthy. I had tried yoga once before in Britain, and although it was difficult, I had enjoyed it. So, when I found the Hong-ik Yoga Institute, I thought it would be a great place to come and try to reach my goal of keeping fit. Coming to the Institute has been a constant in my otherwise hectic and changeable lifestyle here in Korea. When I first started yoga I was studying at the Graduate School of International Studies at Yonsei University, Taking Korean classes, and various other things. My life was very busy, and the yoga institute was a nice oasis of calm where I could come to forget about my exams or papers and just breathe and stretch! It was also a great place for me to practice Korean, especially my listening skills. When I first started yoga I was a little worried by the fact that my Korean language ability was so poor. I thought that I would not be able to follow the instructions and would do some damage to a muscle by stretching or bending the wrong way. However, with the assistance of the yoga instructors and by following the other people in the class, I soon got the hang of it. Now, after more that a year, I am happy to find that I understand a lot of the instructions. I returned to the Institute after a 3 and a half month break in September 1999. Since that time I have been making every effort to come at least twice a week. And also, since that time, I have become more aware of the benefits of practising yoga to my personal health and mental well-being. In terms of my health, yoga has helped me to stay fit. I have also found that my body has gained more definition as the exercises are now beginning to reshape my waist, hips and legs. Although I still have difficulty doing some of the poses, I think I have become more flexible and can do a lot more of the stretches than when I first began. These days I have to deal with a lot of stress because I am now in my final semester a Yonsei and have to write my graduate thesis. Yoga has helped me to stay calm and focused during this stressful time, for which I am very grateful. So, to all of the yoga instructors at the Institute, thank you for your teaching and your kindness. I think that you are all very caring and considerate people, and I have really enjoyed taking yoga classes at your Institute. I will take away good memories of practising yoga in Korea. I wish you all continued happiness and success in the future. *Deborah Ranger : She majored in international management and business administration in Yonsei University and went back to the Great Britain. |
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