Final Reflection

I've learned a lot throughout the 20% project process. At the beginning stages of the project, I went into it with excitement and interest because it is one of my many hobbies. The desire to learn for me heightens when it's about something that I love. The only information I knew about yoga is the information I learned throughout the classes I've taken and the experiences I've had with it. One of the biggest learning takeaways occurred in the beginning stages of this project because we had to come up with a driving question. It incorporated the idea of critical thinking by starting with one thought and advancing that thought into a problem and the critical part comes from developing a solution or an answer. I learned to not focus on myself because we had to make the decision of choosing our target audience. I chose middle-aged adults because that particular age group sparked my interest when I took a class taught by these middle-aged adults who looked extremely fit. How are they so fit? What are the different exercises that strengthen their upper body and lower body? Do they come across any physical problems? These were several questions I asked myself to get to my final driving question. I learned a lot through intense research via search engines, like Google. The most memorable learning experience I had occurred during the moments leading up to the presentation week. It was about analyzing my audience and how to present my topic in the most retainable yet interesting manner in order for my audience to learn from my project. Throughout all my research, it was about using the most straightforward yet interesting information to display on my website. I ended up creating a Weebly which is a website creation tool. Some of my difficulties, like I said previously, occurred at the beginning stages when I was coming up with my driving question. Additionally, I came across a challenge when I was creating my website and figuring out what was important to put on the site in terms of my audience. After the showcase, I think my product was received in a positive way because I felt as though I taught my audience something new which is what I felt was my overall goal for this 20% project. Here is my final product for my 20% project:

http://namasteforall.weebly.com/

Progress Check

(Progress Check) In these past few weeks, I've learned several things about my 20% project topic. As a yoga enthusiast, I have partaken in several classes in the last month or so. One of the biggest takeaways I learned from my instructor is something that benefits all yoga participants. The fact is if you are able to lay in the "corpse pose" for twenty minutes, it is more beneficial for you than a full eight hours worth of sleep. The corpse pose is one of many yoga poses but this one in particular is self explanatory. You lay on the ground with your arms and hands by your side, palms up, eyes looking up to the sky. The trick is to keep your eyes open for the duration of the twenty minutes in order to benefit from it entirely. It's a pose that exercises concentration, focus, and stillness. I would like to incorporate this fun fact within my presentation and work backwards. Basically, I will introduce the idea and then from there, go into the details of the benefits of yoga for middle-aged adults. I document most of my ideas in my mind or in my notebook, but a lot of my sources have stemmed from Twitter. I started following numerous Yogis, fitness groups, and yoga studios, or even yoga enthusiasts like myself. They provide very insightful and helpful information in order to supplement my project. I need to learn more about the specific health advantages yoga has on the specific age group I have chosen. I need to go beyond the information I already have. This relates to what we have learned in class because I'm taking on creativity by stepping outside of the conventional topics and choosing a hobby of mine to then focus my attention solely on yoga and middle-aged adults, but to also use creativity in the presentation itself. 

(Target Audience) Quite frankly, my target audience may be middle aged adults but in actuality, it can affect everyone. I would like to think that yoga would be beneficial for all age groups not just middle aged because I participate in yoga and can immediately feel the effects of it after one class. Imagine dedicating a fitness routine with yoga class at least once a week. The advantages could be long lasting and that is one of the things I still need to figure out. It's an easy hobby to pick up which is why I would like everyone in my audience to benefit from this, not just the middle aged adults. There are plenty of ways to get involved and active in the yoga world. I will provide those resources as well within my presentation. The main characteristics of my focus audience would be middle-aged, average income (since some yoga classes can be expensive), and both male/female are included. I should also consider any possible medical conditions the adult would have that would either hinder or enhance their physical state. 

(Product) I would like to use a display board to effectively show certain poses that are the most advantageous for middle-aged adults. In addition, I was planning on demonstrating the poses as well in order to effectively show the pose and its effects. I would like to use an online poster if I will not be able to use a physical poster. It will contain somewhat of a venn diagram, including the advantages/disadvantages and the ways middle-aged adults can participate in yoga.