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!
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!
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!
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.
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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.
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.
J'ai une petite siréne... Merci, m'amie! Elle est arrivée aujourd'hui avec la poste ... avec un Carambar bonbon et une blague!
Comment appelle-t-on une panthère qui part trop vite?
Réponse: Un faux guépard.
Looking forward to writing back and practicing my french once again as soon as I've found something stereotypical enough to send!
Happy news is that I'm slowly easing out of the stiffness and moving toward my "regular" yogi practice, but hopefully with a more aware and caring attitude toward the body this time. What else is happy happy happy is that very soon I'm meeting my eldest sister who I haven't seen for... a year? Gosh, it feels much longer! This means there will be no posts for some time as we will be busy catching up and defining strange... it's a Sandhu thing! What happens is that when we sisters meet it's like an explosion of creativity and energy. We really bring out the best and sometimes the not as pleasant in eachother. We're just that open with eachother that we're more colorful and sensitive than usual. Someone usually ends up hurt or simply drained.
My challenge in this is to try and harness the energy and inspiration into something constructive. To remain aware. Accepting my role as the little sister and still staying true to myself with feet firmly on the ground. It's easy to fall back into old patterns when you're taking a trip down memory lane.
5 in the morning on a race against the clock with too little sleep and too much hormones. Still I am grateful. For the sun in particular. Thank you for having my back at all times. For shining on everyone, especially the ones who are in struggle, out of balance and the ones who are in need of light in their life. Your gold is for every single one of us. You do not judge or separate. All are equal in your light. You give and expect nothing in return.
We can learn much from you.
As a lady there's one time of the month that's extra challenging... which also can be challenging for the people around us. This is when you need to pick up the mantras and maybe add a few more minutes of meditation to your day. Be in control of your emotions, not the other way around. You don't have an excuse to behave badly. Don't project your pain and frustration onto others. Let them know how you feel or just enjoy the silence. One of my sisters (sounds like I have a ton, there's only three) said that there is an arabic proverb that says "Speak only when your words are more beautiful than the silence". Well... it doesn't have to be that extreme. You can talk if you want, but don't forget to listen. Not only with your ears.
There will be no update from me tomorrow as I am finishing my last math assignments. Finally.
In the mean time I would like to introduce you to Jona Dahlqvist or YogaJona as she's sometimes called. This is the second book I'm reading by her and she's always an inspiration with her playful and simple approach to yoga and using the yogi lifestyle to succeed in other goals aswell. She's apparently involved in triathlon. For fun. Amazing.
Thanks to Jona I have realised a new favorite word:
vitality.
What is vitality to you? What makes you feel vitality?
For me it was a little awakening. I have felt it without knowing it! This enthusiasm! This just random happiness! This energy that keeps me jumping around even after working for 11 hours! That's vitality. It's in us. You don't have to get vital, you are. Maybe you've just forgotten how to bring it out? Your passion is one way. Your friends and family another. Life energy is contagious. WATCH OUT, you might just become more alive!
