Avani's Blog

(Yoga Exercise Pixabay ) I choose to do another Learning Challenge this week! Even though it's the third week of school, I am already tired and stressed. For this reason, I choose to focus on Health/Happiness. I am constantly at my desk doing assignments on my laptop. Whether I am just studying or taking notes, everything involves being on my laptop. I become very tired after sitting in one position for too long, and so I am always moving around. To help relieve some tension, I choose to read 6 Yoga Exercises You Won't Be Embarrassed to Do at Your Desk by Linda Steinberg!  Once I was done reading her article, I immediately tried out the exercises she listed! It roughly took 10 minutes to do everything. Right now, my body is extremely stiff, so I was not able to feel immediate relief. After some time though, I hope I will feel a lot better! My favorite ones that the author discussed were the chair twist and the open chest stretch. All my muscles felt relaxed af...

(Honest Feedback Pixabay ) The two articles I read about feedback strategies were: Try Feedforward Instead of Feedback by Marshall Goldsmith and Be a Mirror: Give Readers Feedback That Fosters a Growth Mindset by Gravity Goldberg. When I saw the term "feedforward," I assumed it would be similar to feedback. However, feedforward and feedback are two completely different concepts. These two articles were so fascinating to read as actual studies have been conducted to show the value of feedforward. The main thing I took away from feedforward was "future." Instead of focusing on what someone did wrong in the past, feedforward gives recommendations for the future. This ultimately, helps them improve in the future and focuses on the process. It provides solutions to their problems, and it is up to them if they want to use those solutions. At school and work especially, feedforward would enable growth and a growth mindset. Since I worked at a tutoring center, ...

(Lord Dhanwantari  Wikimedia Commons ) Out of the four topics I researched, I choose Dhanwantari !  Dhanwantari is the Hindu god of medicine, and is an embodiment of Lord Vishnu, a Hindu god who protects and preserves the world. For my three stories, I want to explore the stories of the Churning of the Ocean . the Amrita , and Dhanwantari's Ayurveda medicinal practice. I listed the stories in this order for a particular reason. The first story would showcase how Lord Dhanwantari came to be. He was one of the 14 objects that came out of the churning of the ocean and held the Amrita (nectar of immortality). The second story would serve to show the connection between his medicinal powers and the Amrita. Although the Amrita is associated with immortality, this is not the case. Drinking the Amrita actually gives the drinker higher knowledge and power. The last story would illustrate his legacy and how the practice of Ayurveda came to be! I discovered a great source that prov...

(Psyche and Her Sisters by Fragonard Wikipedia ) The Husband was Right All Along The two sisters quietly and sneakily planned their crime against their youngest sister, Psyche. They ruined all their clothes, hid their valuables, and gave themselves self-inflicted wounds. The worst of all, they mentally played with parents' mind, making them emotionally drained. Now that everything was ready, the sisters were ready for tomorrow. Even if their plan did not work, they were fixed on murder. Psyche's husband foresaw the sisters' plan to get Psyche. He readily came to Psyche to warn her. "My love, please listen to me. Danger is coming your way and there is nothing I can do to stop it. Your wretched sisters are plotting against you and are even considering murdering you. They want to expose me to you. But if you do, you will never see me again. Do not listen to them for your sake and our unborn child. You know that I love you. Do not reply to them and keep my ...

(Sculpture of Venus and Cupid Wikimedia Commons ) Continuing on from the previous post, these reading notes are regarding the story of Cupid and Psyche. This time the focus will be on characters and the ending. Psyche is one of the main characters from the old women's story. Psyche is obedient, loyal, curious, and a dedicated character. However, her curiosity can also be her weakness. Using her strength as her weakness is a great idea for adding more depth into a character. If I were to re-image Psyche, I would make Psyche empowering. Based on what I read, Psyche is a bit timid. She does not stand up for herself nor fight back. When Venus was constantly giving Psyche impossible tasks, Psyche quietly accepted the challenges. She did not argue with Venus, but was ready to try her best. When Psyche received her last task from Venus, Psyche considered ending her life. If Psyche had confronted Venus, that thought might have not crossed her mind. If she was more confident in h...

[Cupid and Psyche (1639-40) by Anthony van Dyck  Sleeping Psyche is found by Cupid Wikipedia ] This week I read the story of Cupid and Psyche! I was interested in reading Cupid and Psyche, because I wanted to learn about both characters' origins and background. I knew the basics - Cupid has an arrow that immediately causes someone to fall in love and that Psyche was an extremely beautiful girl . In today's reading notes, I will be focusing on the strategies of point of view and setting. Starting with the section Her Dream , point of view becomes extremely important. A girl is kidnapped and an old woman attempts to ease her worries. To do so, the old woman tells her the story of Cupid and Psyche. In order to change the point of view, the author first familiarizes the audience with the actual characters of the story - the robbers, a girl, and an old woman. Then in the next chapters, the audience becomes the kidnapped girl, and the speaker becomes the old woman. T...