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Midterm Assignment for EPSY 5473 Psychology of Adult Learning

Kristin L. ODell

Oklahoma State University

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What Happened

A friend of mine is a yoga instructor in addition to her regular full-time job. Ive been

curious about yoga for a few years, but have been hesitant to try it. I have rheumatoid arthritis

and very limited mobility in my knees, wrists, and shoulders. I become easily frustrated when I

am unable to do something due to physical ability. This assignment gave me the push to reach

out to my friend, Liz, and request a private yoga session.

We met on a Sunday afternoon, October 30th around 4:00pm. We had intended to meet at

Guthrie Green in downtown Tulsa, but found it swarming with trick-or-treaters. We ended up on

the roof of the Main Classroom Building on the OSU-Tulsa campus. It was secluded, quiet, and

gave us a nice view of downtown. It was a nice autumn afternoon with a light breeze and just

under 70 degrees. Liz instructed me to take off my shoes and socks and sit on the matt that she

provided for me. She explained that we would learn restorative yoga during our session.

She told me to sit in easy pose. I did not know what easy pose was so she told me it

meant cross-legged. I sat as best I could, but my right knee would not allow me to sit as one

normally would. It was a bit frustrating for me to not even be able to sit in the easiest position,

but I hid my frustration and just listened to Lizs instructions. She instructed me on a series of

breathing exercises and explained their purposes. Next we did a few standing movements and

poses, while continuing to breath slowly and deeply. My form was not perfect, but Liz did not

mind. Soon it became clear to me that the stretch itself and the breathing were more important

than the way I looked doing it. The session lasted close to an hour. After showing me several

more positions and movements, we ended with meditation and a lavender scented cloth over my

eyes. Overall, I enjoyed the experience. I hope to join one of Lizs regular classes soon.
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My Reflection

I would characterize this learning experience as nonformal because it was not from an

institution of learning. In week three of EPSY 5473 we learned many reasons why adults choose

not to participate in learning. Many of those reasons are why I had not tried yoga before this

assignment. I have poor self-efficacy when it comes to physical activities, especially in areas that

require either flexibility or strength. I am glad that I was able to recognize that barrier and push

myself to try it anyway.

One of the reasons I chose to try yoga is that it is good for joints, builds range of motion,

and releases stress. Increasing my flexibility is a goal of mine, so I was intrinsically motivated to

keep trying and get past my frustrations. Liz did a great job of making me feel safe to not be

perfect and to find what felt right to me. I may not have fared as well in a class because I would

not have had the instructor near me the whole time to tell me its okay that my arms werent

straight or to provide me with alternative ways to position myself. In a full class I would have

felt awkward asking for assistance with every position. Now that I have had this instruction, and

I know different strategies for accommodating my stiff joints, I think I could participate in a

class.

In week 6 of EPSY 5473 we studied different learning perspectives. Yoga comes for a

Hindu perspective of learning. During our session Liz encouraged me to be present and to

make connections to the earth and to honor where I am today. Yoga promotes unity with the

world and self-discovery, which aligns with what we learned about the Hindu perspective in

week 6.
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Liz is very knowledge about yoga and a passionate instructor. However, she could benefit

from a better understanding of how adults learn. I told her that I did not know anything about

yoga, but she continued to ask me about how comfortable I was to try different poses, using the

technical name for the poses. I answered, I dont know. What is that? every time. It became

tiresome acknowledging my lack of knowledge over and over again. I think she could have made

this lesson better by giving me an overview of what we would be learning up front and giving me

the vocabulary on a sheet of paper before we started. I do not remember any of the terms or

many of the poses from that lesson. With practice, I think I would learn them.

One of the things Liz did really well was to confront my misconceptions about yoga. She

asked me what I thought about it and what my concerns were. She assured me that flexibility and

strength are not prerequisites. She followed up with personal anecdotes and examples. When we

tried the different poses, she helped me adjust to suit my body. By the end, I understood that I am

capable of doing yoga despite my stiff joints. She also did a good job of describing the poses

with analogies. For example, one of the poses requires outstretched legs and arms. She asked me

to think of the Vitruvian Man, which helped me to visualize how far apart my limbs should be.

She also did a good job of using the cognitive apprenticeship model. First she gave a verbal

description of what to do, then she made the pose, then she watched me get into the pose, then

she adjusted me as necessary. As we held each pose, she instructed me on how to breathe and

what to focus on. She also explained how I could use the poses at home to alleviate stress and

tension.

Overall, I am glad that I had this experience. By approaching it as a class assignment with

the goal of better understanding the perspectives of adult learners who are apprehensive about a

class, I was able to examine my own apprehension rather than be deterred by it. I plan to use this
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experience as a way to remember what my adult students may be feeling so that I can plan

lessons that are supportive and challenging, yet unintimidating, to my students.