Author Archives: alexandra.bauer

The charity I would like to donate the money is to the Pakistan Flood victims via UNICEF and this is why. This year as I started to watch the news more, I realized that there was very minimal coverage of the devastating flood that occurred in Pakistan. I, honestly, cannot fathom the thought that this wrath of Mother Nature’s brought more destruction than Hurricane Katrina and the earthquake in Haiti and Chile – combined.  Yet, it is still not on the cover of every magazine or newspaper; it is simply being swept under the rug.  From this, it made be realize that the reason why it was not covered in the United States as much is because it is an Islamic nation and unfortunately there is a sort of prejudice towards the nation due to the horrific events of 9/11. However, I know that even though it isn’t getting the media coverage that it deserves, we have to do something and we can make a difference. By donating this money it will make a difference to the 15,000 children whose schools and homes were washed away down to the thousands of countless families who cannot even receive clean drinking water.

Alexandra Bauer

“Health is wealth. Peace of Mind is Happiness. Yoga shows the way.”- Swami Vishnudevananda.

In June, I was confronted with a black and white question, no not physically between chocolate and vanilla ice cream, but whether I should go through an rigorous 200 hour teachers training course to become a yoga teacher or not. I knew that physically I would be prepared to deal with the asanas, from my eight years of experience, but I really did not know if I was ready mentally. The fact was, I did not know if I was able to address questions such as “who am I?” and “what is my purpose in life?” or even defy those ideas. How is a seventeen year old person supposed to answers these kinds of questions if I do not even know what I am going to wear tomorrow or what I will be doing ten years from now! I knew I was one of the youngest to complete this course because as I sat there in that gargantuan hallow hall and saw that the youngest person there was twenty-eight, and the oldest was seventy-four. This was going to be a journey, and it was a journey that is now a perpetual part of my life.

As I learned through many mind-boggling lectures with a Swami, I realized that Yoga is not just a theory, but a practical way of life. It is a tool, an instrument for me whether it is used to mitigate some back pain with a certain posture or to calm my mind from the chaos that envelops me on a daily basis. As I continued with my practice in yoga, there became elusive changes in my life such as small glimpses into a state of inner peace. I became much more cognizant of my surroundings, my actions, and my thoughts. Even from the thirty minute mediations twice I day, I began to become much more concentrated, even in my approach to life.

In today’s society, more than at any other time in history of humanity, people are facing stresses and tensions that are beyond their control. While I may not know who I want to become, or even “who I am,” my one objective right now is to try and give back to individuals the beneficial methods I have learned through this yoga experience.

Alexandra Bauer

1. Who am I. 3 words. One bold statement. Simply put, I am a daughter, an older sister, a student , a fencer, a yogi, a volunteer, a reader, a profound thinker, and many more. But, beyond all the physical aspects of what I am, or beyond my genetics, I am just a human being on this planet we call earth.  Even so, I think most of all I am, or at least would like to think a yogi. It is important to remember for me to be calm, especially in this city where everyone is going somewhere and are always busy with something. I think it is crucial to note that in today’s society, more than at any other time in history of humanity, people are facing stresses and tensions that are beyond their control. While I may not  know what I want o become, or even “who I am,” my one objective right now is to try and give back to individuals the useful methods I have learned through this yoga experience.
2. My top 3 concerns this year are:
   1. Lack of sleep I will be getting from all the homeworking and notes I am taking
   2. Do extremely well in all my classes and get straight a’s
   3. Don’t loose sight of my goals- no matter the obstructions
   4. Baruch is quite different than high school, in its academic ways. First off, there is a lot of work that we do in classes or at home that are just for our benefit. In this respect, the teachers don’t baby you in how you are doing in your classes and expect you to deal with your grades. Also, there are many more people in the school than my high school. My high school was composed of roughly 1,300 people- now it is about 13,000 in the whole school. Also, I find that the efficiency of the school and helping its students can be quite daunting and difficult . They don’t have as good of a “customer service” as I would have imagined a college should have.
   5. I think this first year will expand my academic horizons and allow me to engross myself in newfound territories that I would have never imagined. I am excited to learn things outside of my major and become a well-rounded individual for the outside world. I also believe I will become a better student in terms of study habits etc.