Welcome the new - TRUE!

2017 is over and so is the December Yoga with Adriene challenge as I mentioned in an earlier post.

I did my best and got down (dog) and freaky yogi almost every day. Some days I didn’t find the time and also I lost a few days being ill. Those days are great opportunity for just letting your soul catch up (love this expression, thanks Annica!) and get some XP on meditation practice. I absolutely enjoyed this time and I can feel the benefits of the daily practice.
If you missed it here's a bit of a flashback for you!

So happy to hear from the friends that joined and followed the journey! No crying cuz it's over though, there's a new challenge coming up! Come with me and Adriene on the TRUE journey now in January. I won't document it as fanatically as LIGHT but there will be yoga every day!

 

Here's the calendar for TRUE

Playlist 
Here's the link to the youtube playlist

Practice times
Here's the link to the practice times for the challenge

Today is officially the second day of TRUE and the word of the day is MOTIVE. But anyone can join in at any time. That's the beauty of home practice.

See you on the mat! Love out and peace in <3 
 

Constructive feedback

So as some of you have seen I've made a digital 2d portrait study.

This is the second one. The first one I didn't even finish.

Often it takes more time to repair flaws in an artwork than just simply start over. And when it comes to learning it's more about quantity than quality although you have to be present so you don't fall into your drawing comfortzone and just mindlessly produce thinking that you know things. I used to think that I know things and that's one of the greatest enemies of my learning.

If you get constructive feedback that's awesome! Don't apologize. Don't defend yourself or your work. It's not a part of you, only your process. I asked my boyfriend who also is an artist for feedback and in the beginning it really really sucked to not get your ego stroked the right way. I would listen, but still do it my way. Then I was like "fine, I'll try your way then!" and the results were immediate. And that's the beauty of letting go and opening up to feedback. You get better at recieving it, giving it and it supports your process. So thanks Mike for all your support! <3

So what did I do differently this time?
I got a great deal of constructive feedback on this one, even some after I said "now this is done. And no matter what done means all edits are strictly forbidden". 
I used a grid to make sure everything was at the right place already from the start. Then I had a little practice of the process as well as very basic shading from the previous study. These things helped a lot. Another thing which I highly recommend is to from time to time flip the canvas so that your drawing and reference image both become reflected.

What will I do different for the next portrait?
Well as you can see from above I didn't have a very good approach to the hair, neither did I have the patience. So for the next one I will approach it with some of the tips and process from Proko's tutorial on "How to draw hair".

Feedback does not only come in verbal form. This weekend was tough for me. I got quite ill and I don't know about you but I usually feel down when I'm reaching physical limits. But I guess I can look at it as my body is giving me feedback, telling me to chill out ffs! I'm still up for the YWA christmas calendar challenge although it's at a halt at the moment since my cold got worse when I kept pressing on. So that's why I made a bed yoga playlist called "YOGA FOR BED-err DAYS". For anyone who wants to yoga but is sick, down or just feeling like a hybernating little yogi.
Take care of yourself my friend!

Countdown!

Haven't been updating in what seems like forever! Hope life finds you well. I want to invite you to join me on a challenge! A yoga challenge with Adriene. This is a great way to make yoga one of your daily habits, have fun and countdown to Christmas. You can find all the videos on Adrienes Youtube channel, except for the new ones that will be coming every Monday in December. This is honestly more exciting than chocolate calendar (but you can have chocolate too if you want)...
Here's the calendar but you can of course find it and more on her website...

Also keep your eyes peeled for I'm the guest on my friends Youtube channel, the honest student, talking about friendship! That's it for now. Hope you will join on the challenge, but either way have a good one!

If you get reversed king Midas touch

What do we do when we feel that we're not living up to expectations?
I have to admit that I little while ago found myself back in the bottomless pit of unreasonably high expectations. It is a place where you might think high expectations would result in perfection. Alas, I find that it is much more like a reversed King Midas touch. No gold. Just crap. It is a place of little or no logic.

 

How do we make sense of it? Well first of all when we find ourselves there we must know that we usually are going about things all wrong. Take a step back and ask yourself:

• In the best of worlds what would I have done? What would the ultimate version of you have done? Then do that next time, or at least take a step in that general direction. 
• How can I make things easier? It is easy to get into negative self talk when experiencing that things aren't going as planned. When you find that happening stop it immediately. And don't blame yourself. Remind yourself as often as you can to be kind until it comes naturally. 
• Will this matter tomorrow? Next week? Next month? Next year? In ten years? Whatever it was it is surely not the end of the world. Honestly it does not serve anyone to worry. It might be helpful to put a restraint to either "ok I will think about this for 5 minutes" or I have thought about this three times, that is enough.
• "Have you tried turning it off and on again?" Our body and mind needs care. When we're stressed and feel we have much to do we might put or needs aside for this oh so important thing. That's a warning sign. Here we must practise restraint, responsibility and above all respect for ourselves. And if you find that warning is coming up often then maybe you need to reevaluate what you're juggling or re-plan your routines.
• Get your mind to a positive place by guided meditation or inspirational talks. It doesn't have to be for a long time. Even a few minutes or a moment can do the trick sometimes.

You can do anything you want.

But you cannot do everything at once.

The worldwide multi-tasking efficiency illusion madness must come to an end. 

And where does change begin?

You know it.

THINK LESS DO MORE

Did you think of anything this time to promise yourself for this year? I'm not sure wether or not I believe in new year resolutions, I'd rather make goals. My goal this year is to think less and do more. That might sound like a stupid thing to do, to think less, but god knows that for the indecisive, the perfectionists, the philosophers, the what if's and many others that might be a blessing from the heavens.

If you're not familiar with the KISS-principle it stands for:

KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID

The KISS-principle is one that allows you to take a step back and say "ah yes, I could build the next wonder of the world, but is it really necessary (and even possible within the frames of this project!) What is the core, the heart of all this?" And then go back to it. Strip it down. Take the shortcuts. Less is more. Being happy with something you've done and rest in the feeling of knowing that it is good.

As I write this my first short 3d film is being rendered, if my habit of striving for perfection would have ruled I'm not sure it would ever be done. Now I am not talking down to myself saying that the result is bad, rather that someone can get lost in the tweak and adjust of tiny details until the end of time. AND THAT'S NOT SATISFYING NOW IS IT?

Listen my friends. The best ideas are not the ones that are perfect in mind, but the ones that we actually render to life. This is something I know a lot of us need to be reminded of, especially when ambitions are high, ideas many and we actually have a few limits... like you gotta eat, sleep and stuff (And celebrate your victories!) It's all a balancing act. We may fall, but we learn and eventually we will get better, not only focussing on staying on top of everything but also to the point where we can let go and jump around, getting curious and still knowing where we're going. Woho!

Got a bit of aquarelle feelin' going on for the holidays. Here's one of the pieces I did.

So keep your eyes open for my short film. It should be up within the nearest days. In the mean time I wish you a joyful balancing act. May the flow be with you.

THE COLLECTORS DILEMMA

Do you collect something?
I have since I was small collected a large variety of things. Shells, broken glass that have been polished and washed ashore by waves, cute but unusable erasers, decorations that look like frogs, buttons and vintage dresses. My latest collection was everything that is mint green, polaroid pictures, books and things given to me by people that matter in my life. The collecting even stretches far into the digital world. You could call me a digital hoarder. Something that I’m far from alone to be.

Double exposure polaroid 

trying to seize a moment in Malta

A pinterest overflowing with boards, a Spotify filled with playlists for a wide spectrum of emotions and genres, information heavy clouds and drives… it could be the proof of characters who love to collect and share inspiration, but maybe also characters who are afraid of letting go…

The fear of forgetting. Or being forgotten. Because how often do we not collect things that we do not use? Things that slip our own memory. Or even worse, things that we intend to use but deep down inside know will become only a burden to organise and store.

As I was reading the yoga book Närmre något (2016) by Simon Krohn I came upon a lesson which I most likely already was aware of, yet it always seems to be another thing when someone tells you something than when you tell yourself something even though you might be saying exactly the same thing. Anyway, this is what I understood:

When we collect we are not present. Because when we are collecting we are trying to hold onto the present and thus we lose it. To capture the moment through the camera of a lens is impossible. To grasp it through writing will always result in being one step behind or ahead (yes, there is some undeniable irony in writing about this). Just thinking about it separates you from the moment. It can be both at once liberating and frustrating.

Understanding this can help you let go. Because all of your fantastic and sentimental moments are not within any material possession. They might seem like they are there, but your possessions can only possess the ability to bring up memories of moments lived or the desired ones to come.

In a world that constantly tempts us with a promise to save and store memories in ever more revolutionary ways it’s easy to get caught up in it. 

You can get two for the price of one. One in each color. Entire sets. Newer. Improved. Cooler. Better. Nicer. You need it. You deserve it. Treat yourself. For the occasion. For those you love. It will be perfect. It will match now. It will stand out. Collectibles and unique one time offers. 
Gotta catch them all.

I saw a very inspiring Ted talk on the topic of living a minimalist life which I also would recommend you to see. It's called Less stuff, more happiness by Graham Hill.

It is far away from my lifestyle and probably many others, but maybe it can inspire to reconsider and loosen the attachment to our possessions.

I don’t know if I’m “cured” of my collecting. Probably not. I will most likely make many more playlists, write many more poems, post many more images in social media and fill an unknown number of clouds and drives. At the same time I will not be as affected by the crashing, breaking and losing. Because we’re all going to be freed of everything one day. By that time it will feel good to know that you were truly there and not in your next art piece.

Take back the pride in your stack!

I was talking to one of my dear friends about social media and as usual my friend had a great deal wisdom to bring. Here's a little story (based on true events):

Ziggy's father went out and chopped some wood. When he had done so he was proud of himself and his accomplishments. Later on he saw an image in social media of a greater stack of chopped wood and the proud owner of the stack, yet his feeling for his accomplishments remained the same. Why was that? He told Ziggy that although that pile is much much greater than his and they both exist in this same world, the other one is not a part of HIS world. He did not make it and it has no impact on his life. It's not real to him, only an image from someone else's life.

Now me and many of you may not have much experience with chopping wood, but haven't we all seen accomplishments that we have valued as "greater" than our own? Haven't many of us felt pride over something just to suddenly have it overwritten by someone else's display of greatness?
This can be applied in all aspects of life. In work, self-expression, creativity, appearance, physical and spiritual state of being. I'm not saying deny all that is not directly linked to you. Be inspired, but take caution so it doesn't backfire into the crippling state of jealousy or feeling like "I could never do that". Social media can be a bit one sided sometimes as many use it to enhance their best sides and show the results more often than the road there, flaws and mistakes.

I think this is a great reminder for us to remain proud of what we do. To take caution in comparison, because let's face it there may be someone who's greater than you in some way. But here's the great news: Your greatness can exist at the same time! It does not cancel each other out. It's not a competition. Your journey, your progress, your time and effort should always remain more valuable to you.

Take pride in your stack, whatever it may be.
You have made this.
You've come a long way my friend and I am proud of you.
KEEP DOING YOUR THING!

The challenge of the ZZZs

So if you're like me and go into energy save during the winter... well you can avoid total hibernation!
Here's a few good tricks to keep your energy up and help you stay on track:

Join challenges
No matter what your practise is it's always good to join a challenge and motivate yourself by keeping the day count and just sticking to it. I'm currently doing the Yoga Camp challenge with yoga with Adriene. A Hatha yoga experience, and this one has a bit more elements of mental wellness than her previous "30 days of yoga" challenge (which I also highly recommend!)

Get by with a little help from your friends

When it gets tough it might feel like a failure (IT IS NEVER) to ask your friends for help. Actually it is a very strong thing to do and when your friends know where you're at and what's going on it will be much easier for them to help you. We don't have to be so goddamned independent all the time! So ask for advice, ask for support, ask for a bit of cheerleading or gentle reminders. Or better yet... why not join a challenge together?

Seize the day

Carpe diem might sound like a massive cliché, yet as the days become shorter it becomes all the more important to get outside and gather as much sun as you can. Even when it's cloudy it's still brighter outside than indoors. Also the fresh air will do you good. In our family the outdoor minimum limit is at least 30 minutes per day, something I am grateful for today.

Recharge

During the wintertime it's easy to be *yawn* a chronic sleepy head. So one way to go about it is of course to sleep more. This however does not work for me, in fact it makes me more sleepy. A bunch of other options might be

Cold showers. Yep you heard me. A brilliant way to wake the body up and although it might not feel too inviting on cold days it actually gets your circulation up and you will be less cold afterwards. I've written a little more about hydrotherapy in a previous post.

Power naps. If you're feeling sleepy, set your alarm and give yourself a good powernap. I usually feel better and more alert if I'm surrendering to a couple of zzz rather than forcing myself to stay awake.

Keep doing what energises you! When winter comes (and it will, as Snow so eagerly points out) it might be tempting to cancel everything and stay under a blanket. I advice you not to. By keep going you will let your body (and brain) know who's the boss. And by doing what you set out to do you will get a kick of "YES I DID IT" and coming home afterwards to a cup of tea and the blanket will be all the more rewarding.

Play. Ok, I'm sure some of you are feeling a bit of resistance with thoughts of playing being just for kids but I assure you that getting your sillies and giggles up will boost you in so many ways. So invest time and energy in having fun, because it will give so much back.

- - - - - - - -

When it's evening, weekend or you just feel like watching something there's a brilliant korean film I saw yesterday. It was both visually and emotionally beautiful as well as fun and the right kind of weird (for me atleast.) 

Kimssi Pyoryugi (2009)

in english known as The castaway on the moon.

That's all I had for now, but I'm sure you will find your way to power up during the winter. 

Get out there. 

Do good. 

Reward yourself. 

And see you later!

I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS BEEP

So.

This week was hectic to say the least. Maybe it was for you too?

It's easy to when we have much going on to kind of let go of the good routines or our practise... and sometimes that might honestly be what we need. To feel good is not always obsessing about the healthy and forcing our rituals on ourselves when we already have a lot of strain. Sometimes a cup of hot chocolate can bring just as much feeling of goodness as the healthiest thing you can think of.

What I'm trying to say here is don't be too hard on yourself if you can't stick to it sometimes, especially when you feel you've already got the world on your shoulders. That's when you need that extra support. To feel the world got your back.

Don't color your day with a bad mood.

But then there's that inner struggle of I HAVE TO THIS AND I HAVE TO THAT AND AAAAAAH! So there's things to be done, 

but 

what you need the most is your breath. You can return to it at any time. Wherever you are. It takes no time and very little effort. Yet it gives much back. That's the beauty of it.

If you're stressed. Breathe. 

If you are in pain. Breathe. 

If you're upset. Breathe. 

If you're overwhelmed. Breathe. 

If you've had enough of reading this just give yourself a break and breathe instead. 

Surely you will get into that kind of situation again. Not all days can be a manifestation of flow. Of course you can prepare for the challenges, but when all is said and done... in the heat of the moment there might feel like there is only one way (there is never just one way!) and we might forget all about our brilliant techniques of stress management when we need them the most. 

When it happens just remind yourself.

Take a moment.

You can choose how to feel. 

You can choose a better way.

You got this.

You have time for this breath.

Wrists: Strength instead of strain!

I had my first full class teaching experience last week and tomorrow I am getting ready for the second session of Hatha yoga (which I've written more about in an earlier post.) Happy to say I am more excited than nervous. This is my thing. Feeling it! This has also been a good opportunity for me to dive back into the basics, to better explain to the students.

In work and our everyday life we put a lot of strain on our wrists. Using computers, pencils, phones and more we're letting the fingers and our whole hands get into a closed almost grabby state. This means when we open up the hands as we do i.e. downward facing dog we may feel strain in the wrists due to the hands not being flexible enough. Since all is connected within the body, if you're not flexible in one place it will be taken out in another area. It may sound like a good thing, but it can get you into a lot of strain or even injury. So let's stay clear of that. 

A point I like to add is that in my family we have a history of wrist pain. Yoga has made it much better for me, but we're all different. If your wrist pain is due to a medical condition always consult your physician first. It's important to listen to your body as well as to challenge and build yourself up. 

Of course I have to recommend a video to help you on your way: Yoga with Adriene got the stuff!  The "Yoga for wrist pain" video is a both fun and great way to work on the wrists so you can enjoy your practise even more. I love her energy and playful take on yoga, but if that's not your style, you crave something else or just want more there are loads online on wrists and yoga.

Stay balanced!

Ego - Join the FIGHT CLUB?

There are things that can trigger insecurities within us, be they external or internal. I found myself stumbling, not tripping on my shoe laces this time, but struck to inner grounds by faults. Sometimes we look for excuses as to why we should sink so low beneath us. We ought to stand up for our choices instead even when we have wronged. Accept the trespass. Ok. That's all right, we might be wrong. Our faults are not a part of our identity.

For the most part when we feel sorry or guilty it means that we got a conscience (or it is echoes of a past etched into our behaviour). A healthy conscience a beautiful mechanism to make us aware of the path we want to go and warn us when we start to stray from it. The reminders can be painful, but when you fall you have the chance to get up and do things a little differently. You don't stay down for days, weeks or even longer when you trip in the real world to wallow in pity and curse yourself. That's only what we might do in our heads and hearts from time to time. How strange that would be if our physical self would do exactly the same as our mental self. Just imagine... what kind of fight club scenes would become a regular part of our everyday life?

 No fear. No distractions. The ability 

to let all that which does not matter slide. 

So what am I beating myself up about? To not get into a specific situation, I got a nasty greed in my heart... It eats the good things and it always craves more. The thing about greed is you can never satisfy it. Atleast not for long. My greed likes to win, get attention, own and get the sensation of new materialistic belongings. Greed likes to think it needs to be heard all the time. Greed thinks the universe revolves around it. Greed is childish, irrational and a goddamned baby that will tear down everything to get it's attention and toys. We must recognize that this destructive habit is a monster which we can choose to adopt but we can also choose to feed it or not. It's not a cute pet, actually it's more of a parasite of the mind. Manipulative and dangerous as it can disguise itself in our voice repeating the disempowering mantras I, I, I, I, I, and me, me, me, me, me.

"Most people do not listen with the intent to understand;

they listen with the intent to reply." - Stephen R Covey (author)

What to do? 
- Notice when the ego and greed is at work. Study it. Take note of what makes it grow.
- When you know what makes it grow try to strangle the source. Either cut down gradually or it off completely. I find Maun Vrat (see earlier post) to be an efficient way of silencing the ego and land in the moment. Of course it can in our society be hard to engage in complete silence but you can choose to try and only say the absolute necessities for a while.
- Meditate on gratitude and the moment.
- Reconnect with your true self. Now you don't have rush off on a quest to know who you are. If you feel you don't know, just know that you are complete in this moment exactly as you are. The basic things are all you really need. Everything else is excess.
- Step out of the self by listening to your surroundings or by keeping your physical or mental training steadily moving forward.
- Discipline is a great tool for mastering the ego. Moderation, self-control and keeping promises and plans. Be honest when you can't follow through. Keep your goals realistic.
- Try to be as humble as you can by admitting your mistakes, practise acceptance, forgivness but above all love.

A time to contemplate.

Photography by Malin Sandhu.

Stop fighting yourself.
Master your mind and you won't have to smack yourself in the face every time to wake up to the actual situation. It is with a gratitude I receive this lesson, although somewhat resisting it at first. I hope that by sharing this I might help fellow souls on their journey.

I might be a bit quiet for a while now. All the best.

Bad at nothing?

So there's not been a word from me in a while. It's not because I'm doing nothing. Frankly I'm quite bad at doing nothing. They don't call me a project horder for nothing. Even on days off there's often a to do list. Despite this the yoga pracise is now on hold apart from a bit of stretching and occasional restorative asanas. Not because I wanted to stop, but because I had to. I've had an awful cold for almost three weeks now and it's been going up and down like a rollercoaster and I fear the fact that I wasn't accepting the changed physical limits and pushed myself like I was invincible is what kept me under the weather. Now is the last stage of this cold, I can feel it. The final hill. Finally.

Now is also the last of the summer. You know when you're so close to reaching your goal and something gets in the way, something which is not an obstacle you can overcome... the disappointment can be great. I wasn't too far from that head stand I said I would do before the end of summer... when I caught this cold. I know I will be able to do sirsasana, but before summer is over? No certainty. I want to curse this stubborn cold, but what's the use...

Looking at sickess from a positive angle it is actually helpful to us. It can help us slow down and realize the importance of rest and recovery. Help us realize that we should be happy for each day that we and the ones around us are in good health, never taking it for granted. Also for you multi-taskers, doers and project horders like me... learn how to do nothing! This skill is easy to forget in the world we live in today. I'm not advising apathetically staring at walls here, what I'm talking about is actively chosing to not engage in any activity. To put things at hold to put yourself first. To recharge. To simply be and find your positive way of mind. Stop yourself if you hear yourself saying or even thinking I AM SICK. The sickness is NOT a part of you. Your immune system is not a rare mythical creature hiding far away (although the pharmacies would like you to believe otherwise). You got the ability to heal yourself always. Believe in it.

Another good thing about these passed weeks is that I've had a lot of time to plan for my new life as a student. So this term I'm happy to announce I will start my education in Digital Media in a little town near Göteborg!

That's about all I can give today. I don't know when I'll see you again, might be tomorrow, might be two more weeks... in any case I wish you luck on your journey.
Peace be with you.

Throw the children into the water!

This said the person who almost drowned:

I WON'T SET A FOOT IN THE  WATER EVER AGAIN UNTIL I HAVE LEARNED 
HOW TO SWIM!   

Sadly this kind of mentality is not a stranger to us and in society today. We expect ourselves to know certain things and when we're told we can't we just won't do it until we can.
How does that even..?
Yes, it makes no sense.

We don't throw little children who don't know how swim into deep waters yet we tend to do that to ourselves expecting great things at areas in which we have poor skills or no practise. When we wish to learn something new we must remember the children and the patience we show them. The small steps we allow them take. The gradual progress. The reward and praise we show them for every little movement forward.

Jake the dog of Adventure Time

Maybe you can remember a moment when patience was shown to you when you was little and new to the world. If you think about it you're still taking steps, but with greater expectations of yourself but also with the freedom of choosing your own path. So if you find you are in the mindset of "I won't until I can" in an area or skill you wish to master just patiently remind yourself that we don't have teleporters yet. You need to take those steps to get there. Make sure to see your own greatness and reward yourself for it.

How do you treat your friends when you know they are trying? Strangers who are newbies? Are you as harsh to them as you are to yourself? Why don't you cheer for yourself? How do you REWARD YOURSELF? If you don't have an answer for the last question it's time you start thinking about the things you want. The things you like. The things that make you feel good. So you can celebrate your own goodness.
The goodness is strong with This One.

The whispering game

It is my belief that we make our own destiny, blessings, coincidence, luck or whatever you choose to call it. We are open to recieve the very moment we start searching for it. You can sometimes precieve it as a chapter, perfectly written just for you. This has been the case as of lately for me. The title of this chapter? Gossip. 

It came to me at work. Someone said something shocking to me about someone else that I never would have guessed and I was at first interested, but refrained from asking anything, just saying "nevermind, let it go". Some started talking badly of someone when they were upset to the point they were painting up a bad picture of this person, which wasn't of course true. This image they were giving was something fuled by their own incapability of actually dealing with the issue. This made me wonder. Are the people here talking about me too? What are they saying?

As these gears were turning I found a poem about gossip in one of my yoga books, then came song after song after song and finally the three monkeys' meditation which was introduced to me at the daoistic yoga class one morning. I think you've seen the monkeys before: One with covered eyes, one with covered ears and one with covered mouth representing see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.

Me and two other monkeys!

Anywhere you go you can find gossip. Some find it's fun to talk (because they're bored or boring?) to made verbal charicatures and have a laugh on someone else or spread details that sound like yummy little secrets. Sometimes it's done to intentionally harm others reputation, to bring down, to make someone smaller. Other times it's just "for fun". Even media is all about that trash talk, shaming and connecting the dots completely wrong. 

It's easy to get caught up in the gossip machine and it's fine to talk about others, but chose your words wisely. Everyone remembers the whispering game, right? It teaches us an important lesson already in kindergarden: one says one thing, passes it on and as it moves from mouth to mouth there is always a risk of misinterpretation, exaggeration and sometimes just wild guessing. That's probably how someone in someone could end up a lesbian drug using fart sniffing Jehovas witness and a necrophiliac worshipper of the devil... all at once. WHAT? That's just some things I heard about me once. If people know anything about anything it's that being a Jehovas witness (which my father is, not me) would rule out drug use, homosexuality, any form of worship other than that of the guy in the sky and most definately there would be no necrophiliac business going down. As for fart sniffing... haha you people are gross for just thinking that. What, because my name rhymes with the swedish word for fart? Lovisafisa. Well that's clever and original of you.

We can't stop everyone from talking, that's just what some do. What we can do however is to not help turn the rumor mill by showing ZERO TOLERANCE. Don't shut up or show any signs of agreement, but instead wake them up to the fact that gossip is bad news and something that you're not supporting. Help them realize what they're doing. Real friends appreciate your honesty and you can be yourself around them. Your common interests should be based on other things than downgrading others. If you're afraid they'll start talking about you then that's just a sign they're not true friends, eh? 

Here's things you can say when you end up in a "rumour room":

- What's the purpose of this talk? 

- I'd rather form my own opinion in the matter, thank you very much.

- Why don't you bring it up with the person in question if it's bothering you so much? 

- I would never say anything about someone that I couldn't say to their face.

- Is this true? How do you know it is? Why is this important to you? 

Going back to the three monkeys, seeing, hearing and speaking no evil is not about IGNORING or pretending that there is nothing going on. On the contrary. It's about being aware that there are preconcieved notions, misunderstandings and bad intentions rooted from the seeds of pain, ignorance or fear. It's about being true to yourself, trusting your own ability to decide what's going on, not based on the everyday small talk.

Some songs on the theme for a possible future youtube playlist. 

Son house - Grinnin' in your face
Rudimental - Rumour Mill feat. Anne-Marie & Will Heard

Janelle Monae - Tightrope

Taylor Swift - Shake it off 

What brings you up and out of the mindless talk? Let me know if there are any songs that you would like to see on the list. Cheers!

Yoganidrasana - flex and focus!

Mathematician, philosopher, political activist and more. 

At work I ended up in a discussion with two "overbenders" and found myself annoyed with myself for not being a prezel... then I remembered the journey I've done so far. From clumsy stiff to decent foldable me. Although I do want to take it up a knotch. Been practicing a little bit while watching tv, reading and so on. Today I found a tutorial which I think will make it all the more pleasant and fun. Here it goes. Sleeping baby - yoganidrasana. Looking forward to being able to relax into it.

Yoganidrasana how to with Kino KinoMacGregor.

Apart from that, even though I haven't updated the yoga has been going on every single day and I'm keeping a (home made from an old water color picture) journal upon it with day, time, location and what was done and if there was any special sensation to it.

Today I did math break yoga. I would study 20 minutes, take a 10 minute break to do some asanas in the shadow of the apple tree. Repeat. Of course mimimize surrounding distractions. I like to time things. 20 minutes. GO!!!

Tomorrow a sister will visit, I'm seeing an old friend from waaay back and hopefully there will be some glutenfree rhubarb/ginger/apple muffins going on. To celebrate the day I'm also taking it from trikonasana (triangle) to ardha chandrasana (half moon). Know what I'm sayin'? 

If not, here's what's what. And that's that. Peace!

DIY and Good Things!

Listening to Solstice (vocal mix) by After Life. 

Been getting my DIY on again! Made this tied fringe top of an old pair of leggings. It used to be my favorite leggings, then  got a stupid idea to turn it into a long sleeve shirt, failed, let it collect dust for a while... then the other day I got a less stupid idea to turn it into a fringe top. The fabric peace necklace is something I made a while ago and I'm wearing a big shawl as a sarong. Looks like summer. Summer looks. Is this what summer looks like? I almost forgot with all the rain. Atleast it's lush. Expecting both pears, apples and rhubarbs soon! Planning some kickass pie.

I'm not a fan of promoting things, but I am an almost crazy fan of these lovely ladies at goodthingsmag.com and their vision as I've watched it take form and grow. It's all about happy news, inspiration, feel good, amazing people and wonderous things. Their first issue was released the 27th (yesterday). So cheers! Raising my cup of yogi tea to you! 

HEALTHY HAPPY HOLY

If everything happens for a reason then this time is a reminder for me not to get too eager in my practice. To stay aware. To pay attention to the body. To build a strong connection between it and the mind. Yoga with Adrienne's "yoga for when you are sick" is all that I've been able to do now for three days. It's good though. Without it I don't think I would have been able to get up at 3am and work for 11 hours. I was reading up on the types of yoga and found restorative yoga. Thinking that could be an option for the moment.

 What is restorative yoga? 
You use props like pillows, blankets and blocks to allow the body to completely relax and rest into the positions. It's meditative and of course restorative. No effort. No stress. Just allow yourself to breathe and be. Found a good example to try today after work. Yes, sorry it's in Swedish, but the pictures are universal. Yoga för dig - Restorative yoga med Sofia Norén

When one is sick we tend to get stuck in a mindset that is like a broken radio playing only songs about sickness. It's easy to focus on how bad it feels and how limited it makes you. It's destructive and can even make the sickness linger or worsen. Because the body listens to the feeling and the feeling depends upon your thoughts. So if you focus on the parts of your body that are good. If you focus on getting better then recovery will be faster.

 Affirmations 
I saw Dr. Masaru Emoto's water molecule experiments which were mentioned in the film "What the bleep do we know?" (2004). I think it's an excellent inspiration for us to use affirmations. To understand that we have power to affect ourselves and others. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term "affirmation" it is positive words or sentances in present form what contain no nos, don'ts and nevers which we repeat to ourselves, sort of like mantras, to get into the mindset of what we want or where want to be. It's also the title of a song by Savage Garden, which I'm not refering to in this case, despite the catchiness. Here's some affirmations and mantras that the world has brought me to get better the last few days. Now I'm passing them on to you.

Raa Maa Daa Saa 
Saa Say So Hung
Sit in easy pose (legs crossed) with your elbows gentlyresting at the sides of your ribcage lifting your hands up at a 45 degree angle with palms flat and facing the sky. Ready to recieve. Breath in deeply and slowly and as you exhale chant the words above all in one breath. Chant powefully from the navel area for 11 minutes. To learn about the musical notes etc. here's a more detailed description of how to chant it. The meaning is:
Raa - Sun 
Maa - Moon  
Daa - Earth (reciever of totality)
Saa - Totality
Say - Spirit, energy
So - Manifestation
Hung - Experience of thou

Find what feels good
This is something I picked up from Adrienne. Whenever you're practicing yoga or doing anything physical, instead of complaining or struggling remind yourself to find what feels good. Adjust it. Change it. Rock into it. Swing into it. Lean into it. Gently roll into it. Breathe into it. Repeat until you find the way that works for you, paying special attention to what your body says. When you fint it, stay there for a bit and enjoy.

Healthy am I
Happy am I
Holy am I
Breathe in slowly and deeply and as you breath out chant the words above. Chant out loud for one minute, silently for a few minutes and then bring it with you the rest of the day. Whenever you catch yourself thinking a negative or destructive thought just patiently remind yourself of your healthiness, happiness and holiness.

The three lessons.

I went to two very different classes yesterday: Yin yoga in the morning at Drottning Victorias Vilohem in Borgholm and then Global yoga at Namayoga in Kalmar.

 What's Yin yoga? 
Yin means heaven or a force of expansion. A type of yoga based on the old Chinese Tao yoga. Through this yoga you work with your flexibility and endurance. You hold the asanas and for a few minutes as you focus on the breath, moving more and more into the position as you breathe out. The yin yoga puts emphasis on activating hips, pelvis and lower part of your spine. It's soft and meditative. You really listen to your body as you stretch.
The class I went to was short (ca 45 minutes) small and cozy. It doesn't feel like a workout, more like meditation in which the body sometimes gets involved. Nurturing and caring. The good thing about breakfast yoga was that us participants could stay in the mindset and discuss together after the class rather then rushing off into the rest of the day. I even stayed longer to reflect alone over a cup of tea, waiting out the summer rain.

 What's Global yoga? 
East meets West in a pretty new type of yoga by Swedish founder Johanna Andersson. What signifies this style is that it's a faster playful and energetic mix of different types of yoga from many of the corners of our globe, but it's made for the fast paced urban humans of our time in a society where the body doesn't move around as much as the brain does. So it's a lot of physical exercise intertwined with stillness of the mind. Every class has an "intention" - a message to reflect upon. You can also have a free intention which is you pay extra attention to something, like focussing on healing or bringing energy to a certain part of your body or soul. Here's global yoga's manifesto:

Yesterday's intention was 

"Have faith that everything you need will come to you." 

I've been to global yoga before at Ananda yoga studio. This time it was different. Since I still have some kind of infection I was sweating furiously and experiencing a major "setback". It was a 75 minute session, noone was a beginner and we were about 8 participants. Since it was the first time I was with a friend at yoga class I think my showoff side woke up and even though I heard my body saying no I didn't always listen. So today my knees are barely good for walking and I'm feverish and cold. At first it made me angry having to "surrender" to my physical limitations but I realized this was the third lesson of the day. One which I will never forget. An important lesson that I had to learn. The suffering is mostly of my own making for I wasn't humble enough to accept it yesterday. If it's a lesson you're ignoring the test will come to you over and over until you pass. 

Thank you dear body for your patience with me when I'm a stubborn child. I'm sorry I didn't listen. I'm sorry I hurt you. Thank you for teaching me to be humble. It was much needed. 

In our family it seems we're really good at getting passionate about things, always up to something, getting involved to the point where the rest of the world is seemingly forgotten. This is sometimes said to be characteristics of an artist which of course I was proud to have. We do need to get better at simply being without analyzing or thinking "what can I make out of this?" without wanting. Without judging. Without doing. Only breathing and accepting

this is me now

this is now

this is

it is

Sick and yoga?

- Morning -

I was stiff yesterday so I was a bit careful with the yoga, but I still did it because I thought it would help me loosen up. When I woke up this morning it was even harder to move. The head heavy and hurting. The nose basically closed off despite the season. Tired even though I slept well.

Most definately dealing with a case of the common cold here. 

So, can you still yoga while you have a cold? 
Note that although I have an interest in yoga and health I am not an expert of any sort.
If you're really sick you should always consult a physician.

First off listen to your body. When you're sick it makes the rules. You need your body get where you want to be, do what you want to do and experience the world. When you're sick your body needs you. Appreciate it. Respect it. Take care of it.

If you feel you are able to yoga then you can, but very very gently. Start off in short sequences with simple asanas and gradually (within a few days...don't pressure yourself, it can take longer) get back into it. It's best to avoid any upside down poses like the plow and headstands... even savasana should in some cases be avoided. There are some standing up or sitting down asanas that are really good for the occasion. 

If you don't feel like you can practise yoga then just take care of yourself.

Honestly I don't dare to try the luck before work, in case I'd be feeling worse. I'm just going to drink ginger, get a bit of sunlight if I can find it and have large quantities of water. When you have a cold, don't forget to keep it cool, no stress.

This is an excellent time for reading, catching up on theoretical practise (if your head agrees) and for me it's also a time of learning to accept. I usually have a hard time accepting that I'm not invincible all the time. The only super hero I can be today is super chill. Don't push it and don't feel bad for having to take a step back.

Here's some more upon the subject:

Yoga Journals article "Tips for practicing yoga while sick"
Yoga with Adrienne's video "Yoga for when you are sick" (20 minutes, calm session)

Brett Larkin's video on "Yoga for sickness" (30 minutes, more movements)

Elephant journal's article"Should we practice yoga when we're sick?"

- Evening -

I managed yoga with Adrienne (and the downward dog without any discomfort)! Feeling slightly better, but we'll see about the mornings. Booked for 7:30am breakfast yoga and then 6:00pm global yoga class. Inbetween there will be math, master chef ingeniousness and feeling good.
Golden milk and Murakami. Sweet. Dreams.

"Life is school..."

Today's conclusion:

People aren't that bad.

People are that bad.

Flaw gave opportunity for positive feedback. Nothing's ever just one thing. 

Short shift ahead of me then two days off. 

Found a lot of reasons to laugh today, despite the hard work.

Finally signed up for yoga class with work which will be Tuesday, wednesday and Thursday. Lookin' forward to it. Managed only 15 minutes of yoga in the morning, because the body really said no. Have to respect it.

Made it home before the rain came.

Food on the table. Watermelon after. Shower. Nap. Just a few asanas and some meditation. 

Yoga. Work. Eat. Sleep. Yoga. Sleep. Yoga. Eat. Work....

That's what it is right now. So simple.

"Life is school 

and the tests 

will continue 

until you graduate."