Which one would you take?

1. Energy and Interactions (EDUC 1580): It's physics, but for future elementary-school teachers.

2. America Through Baseball (HIST 2516): The history of America's pastime, and how world events have affected it. 

3. Geology of 欧美口爆视频 (GEOL 1040): A geological history of the state that's sure to impress.

4. Yoga, Ancient and Modern (RLST 2612): In sum: Yoga's been around for a long time. 

5. Wild West Soundscapes (MUEL 2742): From hymns to folk to Hollywood soundtracks, a musical overview.  

6. Trash and Treasure, Temples and Tombs: Art and Archaeology of the Ancient World (ARTH 1509): It's all in the title.

7. Stars and Galaxies (ASTR 1200): Includes lectures at Fiske Planetarium, and a nighttime obesrvation at Sommers-Basuch Obervatory.

8. Biology and Society (EBIO 1100): Exploration of social issues such as reproduction and population.

9. Mapping a Changing World (GEOG 2053): Map-reading for better awareness of nature and society.

10. DNCE (1000, 1100, 1200, 1301, 2501): Exercise for credit: 欧美口爆视频 offers Modern, Ballet, Jazz, Hip-Hop and African Dance. 

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It was springtime, and 欧美口爆视频 students were showing off their downwardfacing dogs for a group of four-legged friends.

Welcome to goat yoga.

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Inquiry: Lori Hunter 

In spring 2016 欧美口爆视频 Boulder sociologist Lori Hunter introduced a course on the sociology of yoga. Here she discusses the commercialization of yoga in the U.S., its cultural impact and mastering the art of mindfulness.

What motivated you to create a class on yoga and society? 

I鈥檝e long been a committed yoga practitioner and, about two years ago, became certified to be a yoga teacher. It was during this training that I began thinking about a sociology course on yoga as practiced in our modern culture. As a sociologist, I always look at the world around us with a critical lens and I鈥檇 thought about the obvious increase in the commercialization of yoga in our culture 鈥� with the proliferation of chain studios, increasingly high-priced yoga 鈥榞ear鈥� and more athletic companies getting into the yoga game. During teacher training I realized my teaching  expertise isn鈥檛 actually in the yoga classroom, it鈥檚 in the sociology classroom. I鈥檝e been teaching sociology for more than 20 years. 

Much of your class focused on how yoga has manifested in the West. What should we know about yoga in the U.S. today? 

There is so much about yoga in the U.S. today that is fascinating! For example, it鈥檚 widely practiced, female-dominated, privileged and crosses age boundaries. Yoga is now over a $10 billion industry. All of these facts raise questions related to its appeal 鈥� Why so popular? Is it a respite from our busy lives? 鈥� its gendered nature 鈥� Do modern male gender roles make yoga less appealing for men? 鈥� and its privilege 鈥� In what ways is this privilege perpetuated by commercialization? One discussion point we visited a lot in class relates to authenticity. Since yoga in modern Western culture emerged primarily as a physical fitness pursuit, is this version of yoga 鈥榓uthentic鈥�? Does it matter? It鈥檚 also interesting to me that the physical practice is what comes to mind when people hear/use the word 鈥榶oga鈥� 鈥� although yoga actually encompasses much more. 

Your students kept a yoga journal throughout the course. What sort of things did they start to notice in their yoga practices?  

All of the students kept journals, although they didn鈥檛 necessarily engage in a physical practice like we think of as 鈥榶oga.鈥� Yoga is historically an 鈥榚ight-limbed鈥� practice which includes 鈥榓sana鈥� 鈥� the physical practice our culture mostly considers 鈥榶oga鈥欌�� but yoga is broader and includes compassion, truthfulness, contentment 鈥� in general, mindfulness. I asked students to spend at least five minutes daily, six days a week, engaged in a mindfulness activity. For many students, this simply meant taking off their headphones while walking to class to be more attentive to their surroundings. For some students who practice yoga in studios, they took notice of the demographics of their fellow students, what they were wearing, and they began reflecting on the privilege associated with studio practice 鈥� for instance, the price of memberships. All of these insights reflect students鈥� use of critical thinking skills to reflect on the world around them. To be honest, the students were the most engaged of any class I鈥檝e taught during my time at 欧美口爆视频 Boulder! 

Will you teach the course again? 

Possibly in spring 2017.

How often do you practice yoga? 

My practice has been up and down over the past decade due to personal circumstances 鈥� but at the most, I practiced five days a week, although I鈥檝e also had months where I鈥檝e not practiced at all. Typically, I try to practice two to three times weekly in a studio and at least another day at home. 

What role does yoga play in your personal life? 

I鈥檓 fortunate to travel a lot for work, as my research on climate change, migration and natural resource-based livelihoods is of interest and importance to a variety of organizations across the globe. During my travels, I often try to practice yoga at local studios to get a flavor for local culture and differences (and similarities) in yoga practices across contexts. 

What other things are you interested in?

I鈥檓 also a gardener, and I find tremendous joy in crafting lovely combinations of colors and textures in my flower beds, and growing yummy produce in my fruit and vegetable beds. I have a great raspberry patch! 

Condensed and edited by Christie Sounart (闯辞耻谤鈥�12).&苍产蝉辫;

Photo by Glenn Asakawa

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