La importancia de las experiencias interculturales / interesting intercultural experiences: attendin

As some of you may know already, while I am studying abroad, I am conducting research for my senior thesis here. The official title is Pursuing health and spirituality through hatha yoga in Spain. This is something really exciting and unique for me to do. For those who don’t know, I’ve been practicing yoga for about seven years now, but not daily until the last two and a half years. My yoga practice is very dear to me. Don’t ask me to do all crazy poses though because I guarantee I’m not at that level yet haha. Anyways, I wanted to share what my experience was like attending my first yoga class in Sevilla. Kind of mind-blowing. Kind of awesome. Definitely hurt the next day.

It is kind of easy to search online and find yoga classes. The yoga community in Sevilla is relatively small. It’s still new and fresh here. Sure, you’ll find studios, but it’s not like in the States where you’ll find a studio in literally every town. I was lucky enough to find a place called Good Yoga, where classes are taught in Spanish by an American woman. Michelle, the instructor, was kind enough to repeat instructions in English for my still-learning-Spanish self.

We did a variety of passive asanas (Sanskrit for poses) and pranayama (Sanskrit for breathing). Normally, I’m not a fan of attending classes because, in the United States at least, there is a focus on strengthening the body which tends to neglect the most important part: the mind! However, Michelle does a wonderful job incorporating both, which I loved.

Back to the actual experience of doing yoga… woah. I would venture to say that it was certainly confusing. Prior to this class, I had never done a yoga class in Spanish nor had I officially learned all the parts of the body in a class before. You can imagine me standing there on my mat secretly trying to glance at my neighbors to see what to do. It was certainly a challenge to keep up.

Even though I was confused for 65% of the time, I loved every moment because I was 1) practicing Spanish, 2) doing yoga, something I’m passionate about, and 3) meeting new people. From this experience, I learned the importance of putting myself in new situations (alone, I might add).

Two weekends ago, I also went puenting, aka bridge jumping. You can guess the word to describe it: LOCO! I went with my roommate’s intercambio (exchange partner) and his friends. We drove a little outside of Sevilla to a place called Aznalcóllar, where the bridge was located. As soon as I saw the bridge, I tried to tell myself, “Yes, today I jump off this bridge,” but honestly, I was so terrified. I questioned myself. I went back and forth. Do it. No, don’t do it. Do it. Okay. I reflected deeply. I asked, if I die, am I satisfied with my life? My dog will miss me. In all funniness, it was very safe, and I had no reason to worry haha. The people there were professionals and super nice.

When I jumped off the bridge, I felt the sensation where your stomach drops, and I had no idea where my body was, and my hands were just grasping for something to hold on to. A few seconds later, you’re swinging like a pendulum underneath the bridge, and you’re like, “Oh. No biggie.” Meanwhile, my heart’s still pounding like a drum. Then, you drop into the water, and you swim to the edge to dry off later.

It was an experience that I enjoyed, but I’m probably never going to do it again. I wouldn’t call myself an adrenaline junkie whatsoever. I’m satisfied with one jump that only cost me 20 euros, and it’s a cool story to tell the grandchildren.

Overall, I’m happy that I got to experience these two things that I’ve never done before. I don’t have anything profound to say about either experience, but I feel that I’m pushing myself more to do more challenges daily like say hello to that waiter I pass by every morning or get to know my Spanish professors more personally. Soon enough, I won’t be afraid of anything ;)

P.S. I have a video of me jumping off the bridge, but for some reason can't upload it directly online. You may find it here on my Facebook page.