Epstein

Name: Hannah Epstein

Guiding Question: Would practicing Vinyasa yoga every day help me to balance the stresses of a busy life working in a professional ballet company?

(optional) Use this space to list possible activities, tasks, experiences. Remember everything you do should help you answer your Guiding Question.

(Required) This plan is a “best guess” as to what you and your mentor think you will be doing. It is not meant to be a hard and fast schedule for your Exploration. The plan should illustrate how you intend to complete a minimum of 80 hours.


 * = Date ||= Location/Activity ||= Number of Hours ||
 * = Monday ||= Yoga U/ Vinyasa yoga ||= 1.25 ||
 * = Monday ||= FSBT/ Ballet ||= 2.5 ||
 * = Tuesday ||= Yoga U/ Vinyasa yoga ||= 1.25 ||
 * = Tuesday ||= FSBT/ Ballet ||= 2.5 ||
 * = Wednesday ||= Yoga U/ Vinyasa Yoga ||= 1.25 ||
 * = Thursday ||= Yoga U/ Vinyasa Yoga ||= 1.25 ||
 * = Thursday ||= FSBT/ Ballet ||= 2.5 ||
 * = Friday ||= Yoga U/ Ashtanga based Vinyasa Yoga ||= 1.25 ||
 * = Friday ||= FSBT/ Ballet ||= 2.5 ||
 * = Saturday ||= Yoga U/ Vinyasa Yoga ||= 1.25 ||
 * = Saturday ||= FSBT/ Ballet ||= 3 ||
 * = Sunday ||= Yoga U/ Vinyasa Yoga ||= 1.25 ||
 * =  ||= Hours of research on yoga origins and practice ||= 3 per week ||
 * =  ||= Note: this is a weekly schedule. It will not change by week, except to accomodate AP and IB exams. ||=   ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= ~123.75 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= ~123.75 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= ~123.75 ||

Journal: Journal 1: I have been able to follow my schedule fairly well so far, except I have had some conflicts on the weekends. I have done 6 hours and fifteen minutes of yoga this week, and 13 hours of ballet. I researched yoga for about 4 hours, because I found a very interesting book on the subject. I am decently close to answering my guiding question, because I have certainly noticed that I am calmer and less stressed, as have those around me. My conversation with my mentor was about why people do yoga. She got into it because she was a runner and really needed to stretch, and fell in love with it. She told me a few stories from other people as well, all of which were extremely interesting. Thus far, I am really enjoying my exploration. I have noticed that I am in better shape. At the end of practice every day, as well as feeling physically better, I also feel better about the world. It is really helping me to understand why people do yoga.

Journal 2: I have been following my schedule fairly well once again, except for the weekends. I had some family conflicts. I have done seven and a half hours of yoga this week and 13 hours of ballet. I researched yoga for 3 hours this week, this time by speaking with my instructors. My conversation with my mentor was about different types of yoga. I learned that there are many different types, all intended for specific functions. I feel I can successfully answer my guiding question at this point, and the answer is yes, yoga helps. I have had more clarity of mind in the last few weeks than in the previous months. I am still enjoying the exploration, and plan to continue my practice of yoga even after exploration ends.

Journal 3: I have greatly enjoyed my exploration. I learned a lot about the practice of yoga, especially why people practice. I feel that my practice has helped me a lot in keeping my head cool and organized, and helping me to de-stress. I plan to continue my practice even after exploration because I enjoy it so much. Including my hours of research, I had 102.5 hours of exploration. I spent some of that time in a ballet studio, some in a yoga studio, and some on the couch reading, but I enjoyed all of it.