Don't believe in magic...

... but I have undeniably turned into a book worm.

Borrowed this fantastic book The 8 human talents from a new friend (hello and thank you!) and picked up Yoga anatomy from the post office today which I will start reading straight after. I've also taken up on the physical yogic practice again after a long episode of feeling under the weather.

Speaking of reading... life is for the most part about school at the moment. If you're curious as to a little of what I'm studying here's my blog for the Learning and digital media involvement course. It doesn't sound sexy, but it's actually interesting and important topics regarding our world today.
We've started with some light digital photography as well, so I dusted off lilla Annas Sony DSLR A200 and I now try to bring it with me wherever I go.

Other than that I've been making up for lost time with my mermaid sister, gotten my DIY on with carving wood frames (I'll show you when significant progress is made) and redecorated the speakers I got from her husband... with a pair of old stockings! It sounds weird maybe but the result was quite fantastic. Check out the left picture above! Yesterday me and Rebecka went to see José Gonzalez playing live in Göteborg. It was beautiful. He was like a rare acoustic sea creature swimming in blue light and brilliant sound waves. Worth mentioning is that Rebecka is also the sweet soul who gave me my first sunflower which she planted. See right pic above. She's devoted to the wellness of our planet and will soon start up a little etsy shop with eco stuff. I predict awesomeness!

If you haven't heard of it tonight is the night of the blood moon. Definitely going to see it and make sure the camera is charged.

Back to the books!

"...when I talk about running."

A good 15 minutes ago I closed Haruki Murakami's "What I talking about when I talking about running." I made it to the other side. Even if it is a good book I always feel kind of relieved that it's over and if it's a really good book there is a sadness, as if someone dear to me would have left this world. Right now I'm in a subtle grief. 

Balance and discipline

Actually I wasn't at all interested in running, and if it wasn't Mr Murakami that had written it, then I don't think I would ever end up reading about running. To be honest it wasn't an amazing book, but what was amazing was this little man who had a jazz bar and sold it to start writing books and train hard for marathons, despite most of his surroundings telling him not to. Mr Murakami goes his own way. His discipline is admirable and I feel inspired to, although with a more gentle approach, try to find balance between my creativity and my yogic training. 

This is the second book I read by Haruki Murakami. Previous was "Kafka on the shore" and it was pretty interesting. Strange but full of inspiration and beautiful almost movie scenes.

Perfect alignment

This is also the second book I read in my life that seems to just be perfectly aligned with my universe and where I am at the time.

It could be little things like he's writing about the falling rain and how good things can come from it, where I would look out and think to myself... Ah, well that's true. If It wasn't for the rain then I wouldn't be sitting here right now, reading that line... or another time when he mentioned running girls with their ipods on, earplugs in and ponytails swaying from side to side as the come trotting down the street, and shortly after... there they were!

Sometimes it would be just the right sentances for the moment. A paragraph that not only longed to be quoted, but also seemed to fall into place the topics that had been floating around in my mind. If it would have been a game of "memory" then the game would be over quickly.

Then there was the thing about the knees. And this really puzzles me. 

For those of you who haven't read my previous posts I've been a bit stiff, since I got a cold. Especially feeling limitations in the knees. Then I went to yoga class. The knees got worse. So since I can't practice, I read instead. Which led to me stumbling upon a chapter where he's really down. Everything's seemingly stuck or going backwards... and what should be his biggest problem at that moment? Of course... the knees. In particular the right one. What are the odds?

Quotes

At times the book has a soundtrack, which is one of the things I loved with "Kafka on the shore" as well. It is also very quotable. I folded some pages, sometimes forgetting that it's a library book. I've narrowed it down to just a few that feel right for the moment (please take note that this is a book originally written in Japanese, translated to Swedish and now I'm trying to get it right in english...)

"It is said that physical pain is the basic condition for to truly understand things."

"The wall dividing a healthy self-confidence and unhealthy boldness is very thin."

"... there are few arguments for me to continue running the way I am, but far more than a truck load against it. The only thing I can do is to continue to carefully polish those arguments for it. As soon as I have a moment to spare, I diligently polish them one by one without missing anything." 

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.

My grandfather's style - Hatha yoga

There are six main branches of yoga and there's constantly fresh twigs sprouting out. If you haven't decided which style of yoga suits you the best it might be overwhelming even to decide WHERE TO BEGIN? My dad once mentioned that my grandfather did yoga. The other day I found out it was Hatha yoga... maybe you're thinking "Ha whaa?" and frankly it wasn't that clear for me either, even though the word wasn't new to me.

Like Einstein said (or it is said he said, you never know with internet quotes)
The only thing you really need to know is the location of the library... unless you have wifi, which I in most cases do not. So I went there and found Hathayoga by Ulrica Norberg. Beautiful.

ABOUT HATHA

Where's it from? It is the youngest of the six main branches of yoga and like the others it originates from the oldest form of yoga - Tantra yoga, which the Indian philosophy about energy.

What's it about? The name Hatha means powerful and comes from the sanskrit words "Ha" meaning sun and "Tha" meaning moon. Well isn't that kind of the same as jinyang? Yes, exactly! It's about balance between the power of the sun and the moon: feminine/masculine, closed/open, light/darkness and so on. 

That's so Hatha! What's typical for this yoga style is the physical focus, joined together with the emphasis on the breath (pranayama) in harmony with the movements (asanas). This sets it apart from most other of the major yoga branches since it it's more like a workout, which I think is a perfect transit for the westerners to go from regular gym sessions to yoga lessons, without being overwhelmed by all the spiritual talk, chants and visualisations. It's about being present. Welcome!

What can it do for you? The breathing technique (pranayama) is said to have a cleansing effect as well as building up your immune system while the movements (asanas) help to build strength, flexibility and balance. If you want to feel like you've really done a workout after the yoga then this is the style for you. You will also find this is a perfect way to exercise self control of the mind and body which is beneficial for you in all stages and pages of life.