Sunday, September 16, 2018

Comment Wall

                                                             Photo info: Namaste

The link to my storybook!
I will be discussing yoga and the background of the poses, from which deity they originate and their importance. Some sources will include yogajournal and wikipedia. To give information on the poses I will be using background epics to explain how, why, and for whom the poses are named.

29 comments:

  1. Hi Nicole,
    You’re website looks great! I love the concept of your storybook! Yoga is really cool and I'm excited to read about the mythology behind some of the poses. Also, the name of your storybook is adorable. I love puns!
    I like that your introduction invites the reader in by asking them questions about yoga. I have tried (and failed) at yoga several times. It's always been a hobby/practice that really interested me. It is cool that you are providing the history and background to yoga. I think that most people probably do not think about the spiritual history of yoga, so it's awesome that your introduction brings that to light. I really like the picture that you use in the bottom of your introduction. Great job and I'll definitely revisit your site to learn more about yoga and Indian mythology! Good luck with the rest of your semester!

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  2. Hey Nicole! I absolutely love your website. Starting with the topic, I think it is really an interesting choice that you can develop easily! Yoga is a hot topic in today's society, and I think that it was a great idea to discuss more in depth background information on the different poses. The imagery that you used in your site, as well as the color choices matched very well with the calming yoga vibe, and it is easy on the eyes. I enjoyed the intro and how there were questions that helped to engage the reader right away. The picture that you chose way beautiful, and made me really want to just stay home and listen to calming music while meditating... so it definitely did what it was supposed to do! I can't wait to come back to your page in the future to see what changes and additions you have made.

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  3. Hi Nicole,
    I loved looking through your website. Your storybook project looks fantastic. I love how you decided to do stories about yoga poses. While reading through your introduction, I realized that I know very little about the history of yoga. I was unaware that it originated in India. I am looking forward to reading your stories because this is quite interesting. I love exercise, so I think that your project will provide some valuable learning opportunities. The manner in which your worded your introduction was great as well. I love that you asked questions to engage the reader. It was a very smooth manner in which to gain the attention of the audience. Also, I enjoy the images that you used throughout your website. Your entire page has a very relaxing feel to it, which goes perfectly with a project about yoga. Good luck this semester!

    -Andy

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  4. Hi Nicole!

    I decided to check out your story book after I read your comment on my blog. You caught my interest because I do enjoy yoga. Most mornings I do a quick 15 minute session. However, on Saturday, I do about one hour. Enough about my yoga habits though. I really like your website. Your banner is perfect to put the viewer in a relaxed state of mind. The same thing goes for the image for your on introduction page. It makes me think about about an outside yoga session in the morning with the rising sun. Your introduction does a great job explaining the history of yoga, and getting the reader to think about it. The blurbs about your upcoming stories definitely sound like a fun read. Personally, I look forward to reading about Hanuman's pose. I will make sure to come back and check out your progress.

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  5. Hey Nicole! Your site looks great! I think your introduction also did a great job at introducing your storybook. It’s a pretty interesting topic, and yoga is so popular right now! I’m very curious as to find out how yoga relates to these stories we read in class, and how these poses were originated. I like the pictures you used – it gives the site a nice, tranquil vibe, which also relates to yoga itself. On your home page though, you talk about how you’re going to explore the origins of 3 different poses, but then in your intro page, you talk about 4 different poses – the Vrikasana, Hanumanasana, Akarna Dhanurasana, and the Virabhadrasana. I am assuming you’re planning on talking about 4? I also wonder if you do yoga, because you could maybe talk about that in your introduction or provide pictures of the different poses. Anyway, great job and interesting topic! I’m really looking forward to reading the stories you post.

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  6. Hey Nicole! I just read your version of the story of Sita's abduction and it made me want to get up and do the tree pose! I think that because the story is completely centered on the strength of the pose in catching the attention of the wind, it would be really interesting to learn more about the pose and what about it helped Sita escape Ravana. I think this would be a great place to use a lot of imagery to describe what made Sita think that mimicking the ashoka tree was what would lead to her rescue by maybe including details about what the tree looked like (strong, ancient, resilient, etc.) and how she mirrored the image of the tree with her pose (her legs acting as the roots of the tree to the ground, her arms acting as the leaves, etc.)

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  7. Hi Nicole! Your website is set up so well with so many great pictures. It is also very easy to navigate. I read your introduction and your story on the abduction of Sita by Ravana. I love how you have incorporated yoga poses into the folklore stories we have read. I think you did a fantastic job of retelling the story of Sita's abduction with some twists. I particularly love how that pose seemed to giver her strength and peace. I wonder why it is that Sita felt so at home in the forest. What if you extended the story a bit to make the scene where she does the tree pose a little more vivid? I really liked that part, and you seemed like such a skilled writer. So, I would love to see you elaborate on that. Overall, this was great! I hope to look at your project more in the future.

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  8. Hi Nicole!

    It is Mona again. I just read your first story and I really like it. It is clever and cute. You did a good job showing how arrogant Ravana can be. Also, I think I like your version of Sita better than the PDE version that I read for class. In your version she is very loyal and determined. Also, you did a good job describing the tree pose in the story. I am a little curious about how Rama and Hanuman rescued Sita in your version of the story. I like the trials that Sita had to face. I really felt bad for her when she was exposed to the elements because Ravana was trying to break her. The details about the trees help reinforce that this is a story about the tree pose. The image you chose was good one. That way if anyone wants to try the pose they have a good idea of what to do. I look forward to reading your next story.

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  9. Hi Nicole,

    Your page is just so calm and its a good thing there is not to much going on. I found your topic really interesting. I also really like the name of your story book, it is really clever how you used ‘Om’. I got really excited to read your stories since it was about yoga and it is really different. Its a great idea to discuss yoga in more depth and also tie it back to the epics. I am wondering how you thought of this idea for your story book. Your introduction is great because you have included background information for people who know nothing about Yoga. I also like how you have discussed what you will be talking about in the stories of yours so readers know what to look forward to. I really look forward to reading all your stories that you will be writing about and also learning new things that I never knew about!

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  10. Hi Nicole! This is an interesting break down of Sita's life with Ravana. I like how you outline the story from Ravana's perspective- thats something I haven't seen done before. I really like how we get to see his intentions behind kidnapping Sita, and I think that it offers an interesting perspective about the story. One confusing thing, you outline how Ravana longs for a wife, but then later, he is surprised because he has never been turned down. Is he just bad a sealing the second date? Slight confusion but nothing huge. All in all, it was a great story with a great perspective. I love the focus on Yoga, and I think you have an extra catchy title as well. I have never really learned much about Yoga, but it is interesting to hear how it found its roots within Indian culture. I hope to learn more about it as you continue to develop your blog. Hope your semester goes well!

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  11. Hi Nicole. Your storybook theme is really interesting and well chosen! Yoga is one of my favorite ways to relax, and your creativity around the poses is entertaining to read. I like how the tree pose story actually plays into the feeling one gets from doing the pose. The pose makes one feel strong, connected, and resilient, which are the characteristics Sita is demonstrating with her stubbornness. Sita's calm determination is very admirable and provides good character development. Did Sita pose like a tree because she was surrounded by them or was this a better way for her to connect with their healing power? Great Storybook!

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  12. I think this is a very interesting idea for a storybook. Whereas everybody else is focusing on a character or set of characters, your storybook focuses on an ancient traditional practice. Yoga also has many diverse applications to the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of things, like you said. Because of that, there's a ton you could do with this storybook. It's great that you're going in-depth with the stories behind the poses as well. It gives them more meaning. Great job so far!

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  13. Hi Nicole! I read your “Tree of Love” story, and it was fascinating to read! The story was very creative and fascinating to read. I also love the fact that the story isn’t overly complicated. The story of lonely single king Ravana was genuinely interesting because he was the king who had power and wealth yet he couldn’t find a wife despite many attempts. Ravana was also let down by Sita, so even a king couldn’t buy love. I think Ravana didn’t understand how to gain the heart of Sita, and he surely couldn’t do so by making her suffer. It’s also fascinating to read about the mysterious forest. I could vividly imagine the place in my head, hearing waterfall of the creek and humming of the birds. I wonder how the story would have turned out if Ravana wasn’t forceful and instead decided to compete with Rama by being kind-hearted and nice to Sita. Sita, although she was truly committed to Rama, could have changed her mind since King Ravana had enormous wealth and power. The story also made me think about Rama. What if Rama was not notified by the westernly wind and did not know of Sita’s situation until the end of the story? I bet the story would have not been a happy ending. Thank you for a great story! I really loved reading your creative story.

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  14. Hey Nicole! I just want to start off by saying that I totally loved your story! The creativity and imagination that was integrated with your writing was superb! I can see you put a lot of hard work and time into your story! Keep it up! I liked your use of dialogue. It really brought the characters to life. I was able to relate even more with the characters and get into their minds. I also would like to comment on your web site page! I have to say it looks really great! Comparing mine to yours, I want to put more work into mine! I was able to easily navigate through the web page, which was very nice. However, I look forward to reading more of your stories! Good luck with the rest of your semester! It is coming close to an end! Also, have a great weekend!

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  15. Hi Nicole. This is my second time visiting your storybook. Again, your introduction is both intriguing and helpful. Your first story is great! I like that you added dialogue between Ravana and Sita. As I was reading, I was a little confused about how yoga was going to come into play. At the end, I think you did a great job of tying together Sita's trust in the Ashoka tree and the tree pose in yoga. The only feedback that I have for you is that I noticed a few typos in your story. I saw that Ravana introduced himself as 'King Rava' and successful was misspelled. I know when I get done writing a story the last thing I want to do is scan for typos, so my first draft is usually full of them. Overall, great job with this and I look forward to reading more about yoga.

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  16. Hi Nicole!
    I really liked your idea of doing your project over yoga. I tried doing yoga after some weigh training and it turned out to be much harder than I thought it would be. I think its great that you are using the history of yoga and its origin to do your project over.I really don't know anything about the history or really anything about yoga so this will be fun for me to keep up with! Not only is it a good read, but its teaching about exercise! I really like how you are doing a story over each pose and how it came about. The questions you asked in the introduction got me interested in trying yoga again! The images were perfect for your project and really set a peaceful feeling, which to me is what yoga is all about! Well, that and stretching like crazy and making me realize how much I can't stretch... Keep up the good work!

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  17. Hi Nicole! First off, oh my gosh I love this idea! The banner pictures you chose are beautiful and fit the mood perfectly, and your introduction does a great job of delineating how your project is set up. The Bibliography links are helpful and informative! What if, when you describe the poses, you change the flow to the sentences: Instead of “love, lust, and even someone being kidnapped,” perhaps “love, lust, and a kidnapping!”. And, “Hanumanasana, which is named for Lord Hanuman, the mischievous monkey god.” I appreciate the strong presence of nature throughout your project, in the form of side characters like the strong westernly wind- it emphasizes the relationship between yoga and nature that you outlined earlier in the introduction. “Sita was in awe, though she had to pretend as though nothing impressed her.” LOL this is great! I loved seeing this portion of the Ramayana combined with your original yoga theme- it was so fun to read, and I’ll definitely be revisiting your blog in the future!

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  18. Hi Nicole! I’m front Laura’s other class, Myth and Folklore, but I went to comment on projects and the title of your Storybook stood out to me! It sounds really creative! I was in Epics of India in a previous semester so it’ll be fun to read more about it! Yoga is a really interesting activity to do. I like how you mention that yoga is physical, mental, and spiritual, because it definitely is! The Tree of Love story was really great. I love that you included a video about how to do the yoga pose. I think that throughout the story, there is some grammatical errors involving commas. For example, you could change the first sentence to “long, long ago in a far away land, there once lived a king named Ravana…”. This is something that would make the story clearer throughout. I like how the story has a happy ending with Rama and Sita being in each other’s loving arms. Great Storybook and very creative!

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  19. Hey there Nicole,
    I really enjoyed looking through your website! Your story book looks very creative and awesome. I really found it interesting and cool how you decided to do your stories about yoga poses. Through your introduction, I had a realization that I have very little to no knowledge about the history of yoga. And I totally did not know it originates from India, I always though it started somewhere in the states. I really enjoy to workout so these stories I believe will appeal to me. I really am enjoying how each story is about a different yoga pose. The photos you used in each are very peaceful and very artistic. There were only a few typos here and there that I noticed but that’s all I really noticed on the critical side. Your website was very easy to navigate, and very easy to understand the stories. I look forward to reading your future stories.

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  20. Hey Nicole! First, I would like to say that I love that you wrote about yoga! As soon as your page loaded up I was eager to read what your stories. I like the mages you used was well. Your introduction was good because you explained what it was and that helps because the reader knows what they are reading about exactly. It is also cool that your stories are about the poses. You found a way to make them your own and I love that! You used the characters from the epics so it is kind of cool to see them in a different scenario. Also, thank you for including actual images of the poses because it helps with understanding. Your titles were also good and relevant. I look forward to reading some more of your stories.

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  21. Hey Nicole! I think your project site is coming together really nicely. You have put in some great work with the design and your stories are fantastic. I love that you've based everything off of yoga. I think that was a really clever idea, since yoga also has Indian origins, as well. I think you have done some really creative things with how you've changed up the tales and I'm excited to read more of it this semester.

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  22. Hi Nicole!
    I was drawn to your project because of the name. It was so clever that I had to know exactly what it was about. Your overall aesthetic is great and I feel it captures the essence of yoga. I liked that you are explaining how these different poses came about and exactly what they mean. The intro was great in introducing the project and exactly what a reader would be reading as they moved along in the website.
    Your first pose/ story was great. I really feel like I now understand the history and meaning of it. Including a picture and video of this was a fantastic idea and really helps readers visualize the pose. Especially for someone who has never done yoga and does not know any of the poses.
    The second was also great and I feel like I can understand and appreciate the poses a little bit better now.
    Overall, your project is great and I really love the theme you did.

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  23. What’s up Nicole,
    This is my second time visiting your terrifically crafted website. Like the first time the banner you used on your cover page is very soothing and calming for the reader. The story I am commenting on this time is The Monkey Pose. You did a great job of retelling the story about the attack on Lanka and keeping it similar to the plot of the original Indian epic! I really like the pose to pair with this story and seeing how you believe it tied to the Epic. I really like how you believe the monkey pose replicates Hanuman’s giant leap from the Himalayans to the village. I found that very interesting. What if with this story you place the picture of the pose a little bit higher so that the reade3r can visualize it while they read the story? Other than that I though this was a great story and I look forward to reading your future stories!

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  24. Hi Nicole! Your storybook is spot on. I especially love how the scenery background image you have used for your homepage! Looks very soothing and relaxing. I have never thought about using yoga as my main topic for my storybook, but I bet it was fun and exciting to create it. Your introduction is also astounding! There was enough background information for the readers to take in which provides an idea on how you will create your story. I actually never knew that yoga was originated in ancient India and can also be considered as a practice of spiritual. I learn new stuff every day. Your stories that you have created for your storybook is amazing. Especially with the images you have used for your background. One story that grabbed my attention was the Vriksasana story! It was fun to read with the twists of lust, love, and kidnapping being involved. Overall, keep up the great work, Nicole!

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  25. Hi Nicole! I really like that your storybook is about different yoga poses and their origins. It is a really fascinating topic, especially considering their importance within Indian mythology. This is so different from any of the other storybooks and it is super awesome! The first story was interesting, and I wish I could have learned more about the pose within the story. What was that pose the one Sita chose to do? What was its significance? Did someone help her chose it? Was it given to her by a God? The second story really captured Hanuman's adventure. I would have loved to see a picture of Hanuman carrying mountain and doing the pose though. The third story was also really good, but pictures would have really helped me see it better. I really liked your third story, because it really gave a full, rounded-out story that had some really great descriptions. Good work!

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  26. Hi Nicole! I just visited your storybook website and I just want to say that your website looks great! The image you are using for the banner gives off a good vibe and goes really well the theme. I like that the theme is yoga and each of the story headings are a different yoga pose. I think it's also cool that you have a pictures of the yoga pose in each of the stories. I like that you added a video of how to do the Tree Pose in that story. Your introduction was spot on! It gives the reader enough information to know what should be expected out of each story without giving away the whole story as well. I like how you retold the story of Ravana and Sita. You stuck to the storyline but also gave it modern language so it made it more easier to read than the original version.

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  27. Hey Nicole,

    I saw your storybook for the first time and was amazed by it! It looks very nice and seems as if you put a lot of work into it. The vibe of your introduction page is very nicely done. Your imagery use was very nicely done and really added a lot of detail to your stories. I really enjoy the Rama and Sita comics because they're enjoyable. You did a great job with your storybook!

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  28. Hi Nicole! I read your “Hanumansana” story. I thought the story was truly amazing and creative. I like the beginning of the story: “Word about the attack on Lanka and Ravana spread around the land of the Rakshasas like a wildfire. Within less than twenty-four hours Indrajit, Ravana's son, knew of the ambush his father endured. Enraged, Indrajit vowed to avenge his father. Indrajit sat down and began to draw out a plan.” This already is so intense and so much drama. I also like how you depicted Hanuman so accurately. He is the monkey god that you described in the story. Fearless and stubborn. It must be a super weapon: “This weapon was no ordinary weapon, but one that he knew he could use to defeat Hanuman, Rama, and Rama's army.” Hanuman is one of the strongest gods in Hindu epics, but the weapon can also defeat Rama and his army? That’s some innovation. I also like how you showed the psychological side of Hanuman. I could feel the stress and agony that the monkey god went through, which is rarely seen in the Hindu epics. Thank you for a great story!


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  29. Hi Nicole! I love your "Introduction” part of Om My Gosh! Story! I think it’s truly creative and amazing. I like how the story is so informative as well: “many of the stories that give meaning to poses in yoga.” We all have somewhat mystical perception about yoga: “
    When you think of the word "yoga" what do you think? Is it more physical? Maybe more of the mental aspect? Or even maybe you think of yoga as a spiritual practice?” Nonetheless, it’s true that yoga started in India and I’m one of countless practicers. It really alleviate my neck and back pain. Wow.. There are so many varieties: “there are said to be 84 classic Asanas that were introduced and taught by Lord Shiva himself.” That’s truly amazing. I also like how Asanas have deeper meaning and moral connection to the poses. I also like the picture of the yoga position. I’m particularly fascinated by different yoga poses; they all sound really great for exercise! Thank you for a great story!

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