Prompt: Practice as Ritual-Based on the article by Nevrin, How might your practice be analyzed as a "ritual"? How does this ritual function to change the nature, impact or intensity of your practice experience?

Response: Yoga practice is a ritual in its environment, the behavior of those who practice it, and the sequence practitioners of yoga go through in the duration of the class that both challenge our social norms and then reinforce them. The setting of a yoga studio is set up as a ritualistic space. There is usually an altar of sorts with crystals, incense, and hindu statues (usually Shiva or Ganesh) at the front of the studio. Everyone removes their shoes before entering the space, something typically not done outside the home. No one speaks, and all students move through a sequence of poses and postures in a particular order. In real life, it would be against the norm for a stranger to touch your body, and yet students not only allow but welcome the adjustments of their instructors as they move body parts into the correct positions. Almost always, the practice begins with an intention setting and ends with some form of meditation and the word "Namaste", signaling that the ritual has been completed and normal life may resume.