Identity

"I am not my body image."

This photography project is breathtaking. Steve Rosenfield of Ganesh Photography is using models of all ages and ethnic backgrounds to explore what courage it takes to expose our insecurities.

"I am not my ears."

"I am not my weight."

As Steve puts it: 

The "What I Be Project" is all about honesty. In today's society, we are told to look or act a certain way.

If we differ from these "standards," we are often judged, ridiculed, and sometimes even killed over them. I started this project in hopes to open up the lines of communication, and to help everyone accept diversity with an open mind & heart. 

"I am not my shyness."

"I am not my anxiety."

"I am not my communication."

"I am not my withdrawal."

I love that the photos and their accompanying captions address a lot of insecurities that women and young women face. May we accept each other and love ourselves for who we are.

Be well!

*All photos by Steve Rosenfield. "Like" the project and see more on Facebook.

Recent Eats, Lunch & Treats Edition

Photos by me.

Here are a few more glimpses from my kitchen, friends. What are you eating these days?

Avocados galore! 

Ice water with a slice of lemon. Refreshing!

Avocado pesto pasta.

Vanilla crisp from Whole Foods.

Naked juices, to get over a cold.

Rice Dream, Naked juice, and Greek yogurt.

Caprese salad (tomato, basil, and mozarella goodness).

Dark chocolate sea salt almonds from Trader Joe's. Mmmm!

White chocolate chip walnut cookies. Heavenly. Shared with coworkers for maximum bliss.

Be Calm

 Photos via My Morning Coffee.

When you need a break from everything around you, try this: 

http://www.calm.com/

Definitely a handy relaxation tool I'm going to make use of :)

PS The creators of the site also made:

http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com/

Yoga Wear for Springtime

 

 Photos via Iluka Activewear. 

Spring is in the air! 

If you're looking for a little springtime fashion and yoga inspiration, check out Iluka Activewear. 

The shop has some lovely new Phat Buddha halter tops, Onzie items on clearance, and these beautiful kaftans.

  

 

I can picture wearing one to hang out with friends before class, cover up on the way to the beach or the pool, or even under leggings while at work. So comfy and stylish!

*Full disclosure: this is a sponsored post.

Ballerinas

Photos via the Ballerina Project.

Some days, I wish I was a dancer again. There is something so powerful, beautiful and innately serene about these ballerinas. 

Anything is possible, they seem to say. Go out into the world. 

Move freely. Be free. 

Spring Picnics

All photos via Kinfolk's Austin dinner.

I could go for a sunny, lazy picnic these days. One with baskets of fresh food, preferably the kind you eat with your hands, definitely strawberries.

With lots of happy people around (and maybe even a dog or two). 

The kind of picnic where you kick your sandals off and lay back on the blanket, enjoying the sun, soaking up good company.

What springtime adventures have you been having lately?

Caine's Arcade: A Story of Hope, Inspiration & Cardboard

Video by Nirvan Mullick on Vimeo.

If you haven't seen this video yet, check it out. Caine, you're inspiring. Thank you for being willing to make your art, regardless of how the world responds. You have big things in store for you, little man! :)

Lisbon, Portugal

Photos via Pinterest.

Guys, I'm going to Portugal next month! I'll be spending a week in Lisbon for a work event. I'm so, so excited -- I can hardly stand it.

I may also spend a day in Mittenberg, Germany with my mom. (Incidentally, she is in Europe around the same time frame on a cruise with some friends.) There's a chance I'll take a couple days after the work event to see a friend in Madrid, Spain as well.

I'd love your advice on what to see in any of these three cities (Lisbon, Mittenberg and Madrid). What's there that I absolutely shouldn't miss? :)

 

It's been ages since I was in Europe... the only other time I've visited was when I was a sophomore in high school. I took a whirlwind trip with a bunch of other students to London, Paris and Rome (we saw Florence, too, and that was my favorite). We raced around all over the place for 10 days, but I got to see a lot of landmarks.

Highlights included: seeing Queen Elizabeth wave at the crowd from Buckingham Palace during the parade for her birthday, being up the Eiffel Tower at night, swimming out to a tiny island off the coast of the Isle of Capri, the Louvre, the Sistine Chapel, authentic Italian pizza margherita and gelato, and being blessed by a French monk when we stopped to visit Notre Dame Cathedral.

I can't wait to return as an adult, and as a yogi. I'd like to try and take a few classes while I'm abroad -- please let me know if you guys have suggestions for studios to try. 

Happy Friday, all! XO

Karma Yoga Series: Love More

Photo illustration by me.

Go out into the world. Love more.

Love others. Love your neighbors, your enemies.

Love your teachers, and those who follow you. Love those who look up to you. Love little kids and old people who cross the street slowly.

 

Photos via Pinterest.

Love the person who takes your parking spot. Love the person who helps you check out at the grocery store.

Love your family, even when they hurt you. Love them on the good days. Tell them about your love. Share it with your friends and coworkers in little ways, and in big ways, too.

Remember to love yourself.

Quieting the Mind

Illustrations via LilieZenCoach on Tumblr.

How does one quiet the mind?


How do you get from the first picture (above) to the second one?


You practice. You come to the mat again and again, ready to empty out what you think you know.


You let go. You stretch. You open the channels of the body, the mind, the heart.


The spirit follows suit, finding peace. The body is relaxed and calm. The heart is full. The mind, finally quiet. Namaste.

Art for Peace

Picture this: you're walking down a city street in Chicago and you stumble upon a Buddha head peeking out of the sidewalk. Or you walk by a park and see one nestled peacefully in the grass. Maybe you're at Lake Michigan and discover a Buddha resting peacefully along the water's edge.

The Ten Thousand Ripples (TTR) multi-platform public art project hopes to make this a reality. Artist Indira Johnson is teaming up with a group called Changing Worlds to combine sculpture, community engagement activities, art residencies, a citywide exhibition and an ongoing conversation about encouraging peace in the world.

Video and photos in this post via Ten Thousand Ripples on Kickstarter.

I love that the project draws awareness around the topic of peace through the medium of urban sculpture art. As it reads on the project's Kickstarter page:

We’ve designed it so that artists, neighborhood leaders, and residents are at the center of this community-driven planning and public involvement effort. 

Help support the ripple effect to promote peace! Donate here. 

PS Evanston residents might recognize the work of Indira -- she's the lady behind the bronze chairs at Raymond Park, too. :)

PPS Big props to my lovely friend Shuling for shooting the video! You really are doing what your motto says: creating a better world through media.

Namaste, all.

Hug Me Tight

Photos via Oh Darling Photo and Tyler Branch.

Let's zip away somewhere quiet and hold hands. Then, when no one's looking, I'll steal a kiss and ask you to hug me, squeeze me, hold me tight. We may never go back.

Defying Gravity

This guy has some serious gravity-defying moves on his bike. I'm inspired by his fearlessness, body awareness, and what must be some really flexible joints :)

Thrill seekers, you should also check out this post on skylining (aka the closest humans can come to flying). Eeeek! 


Have an adventuresome weekend, all.

Returning to the Heat: My Recent Bikram Adventure

 Photos via Pinterest.

Last weekend I took a Bikram class, my first in quite a few months. I arrived a little later than I wanted to, and rushed in to find a spot.


Sweaty yogis lined the room, familiar faces I have missed. I set up on the hot side, feeling brave, wiggling into my hips a few times before class started.


The teacher pushed us hard. Pranayama lit me up inside; I could feel the glow of fresh oxygen in my lungs. I felt strong through Half Moon, Hands to Feet, Awkward and Eagle. I took my tiny sip of water during "Party Time" and smiled, thinking about all the systems in my body working together to create the sweaty magic that Bikram brings.

The balancing poses of the standing series kicked my butt. I hadn't done Balancing Stick in months! My knees wobbled, the arches of my feet felt weak and achy.


But I listened. I kept going. I let go instead of resisting.


I felt stronger in Triangle than I ever used to, even way back when I was at the Bikram studio up to 5 times a week. I realized it's because I've branched out -- because I've done Vinyasa and Hatha and yin classes -- that other parts of my body have grown stronger than they could only taking Bikram yoga.


I finished class smiling, dripping sweat, wanting more. I'll be back to the Torture Chamber soon :)

I believe in balance. I'm so glad yoga found me, and that I've been blessed to get involved with a number of local Evanston studios. I hope to continue switching up the style of yoga I practice, and I know I'll always come back to Bikram and the healing those 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises have to offer.


What kinds of classes have you been taking lately, yogis?

Quiet Heart, Mind, Soul

Photos by me.

Lately I have been thinking a lot about the power of prayer and yoga. 

When I put them together in my life, I am able to create profound quietness and peace. With a quiet mind and a humble heart, I am more open to spiritual growth.

A simple yoga practice -- even five to ten minutes on my mat -- can help prepare me for more meaningful prayer. Because my body has been rejuvenated by the postures, and my mind made quiet by the breath, I am more ready to spend time in peaceful meditation. 


I am so grateful that yoga helps bring me to a place of spiritual renewal. It is not only a physical practice. My yoga is something more -- a light, a wholeness, a purity that I need and crave. A practice that heals me, a space that allows me to connect with the universal Oneness.

My quiet, beautiful life. My yoga. Namaste.

A quiet mind is all you need. All else will happen rightly, once your mind is quiet. As the sun on rising makes the world active, so does self-awareness affect changes in the mind. In the light of calm and steady self-awareness inner energies wake up and work miracles without effort on your part.  

– Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj 

Wholeness, A Cycle

Photos via my phone.

Returning, coming back. Recurrence. Happiness giving way to suffering.  The habits I repeat. The habits I create. The things I call home. Desire, loss, renewal.

My mind has been working over these things lately. I notice what stays the same, and what has changed as springtime emerges into full bloom. Winter is gone now. When did that happen? I find myself asking it again and again, noticing the colors, the pollen, the sunlight.

 Photos by me.

Today on my bike ride home, I brushed against a bush that has grown into the middle of the sidewalk. For months, the little branches have been bare and prickly and I have swerved to miss them. Now they are green with soft leaves. Evidence of change on the route I take every day.

A few weeks ago before I left town to visit my sister, I watched the sunset out the airport window, pacing the terminal as I waited for my plane. Again when I had returned, I looked out the little window in my seat to find the sun setting in the distance. I felt different, returning home after time away. But the place hadn't changed. The sunset had stayed the same.

So much goes into being whole. What do I need on this day, in this moment? How can I be happy with what I have?

I spend a lot of energy just learning how to let go. Sometimes I stop for a moment to look at the changes I've made, to hold my own self under the light. Growth is not easy, but the sacrifices add up to something that is so worth it I can hardly give them a name.

And so it goes -- in yoga, in my life -- learning over and over how to be OK again.

This post was inspired in part by the emotions I've felt while traveling recently. I often find wholeness in being alone in a quiet space.

I wanted to share this with you since the feelings have been very authentic, and authenticity is something I strive for here on the blog, even if that means writing about being anxious or exhausted.

I hope they inspire you to consider the deeper questions. What makes me whole? How has that changed over time? Where am I today?

Be well.

PS, a poem that's worth a few more minutes of reading, too:

The Albatross

By Kate Bass

When I know you are coming home

I put on this necklace:

glass beads on a silken thread,

a blue that used to match my eyes.

I like to think I am remembering you.

I like to think you don’t forget.

The necklace lies heavy on my skin,

it clatters when I reach down

to lift my screaming child.

I swing her, roll her in my arms until she forgets.

The beads glitter in the flicker of a TV set

as I sit her on my lap

and wish away the afternoon.

I wait until I hear a gate latch lift

the turn of key in lock.

I sit amongst toys and unwashed clothes,

I sit and she fingers the beads until you speak

in a voice that no longer seems familiar, only strange.

I turn as our child tugs at the string.

I hear a snap and a sound like falling rain.

Climbing Trees

My Own Hands from Land and Sky Media on Vimeo.

With spring all around us, it's time to celebrate the natural beauty of the world. If you climbed trees as a kid, you've got to check out this video. Doesn't it inspire you to get outside and walk barefoot in the grass, or even dare to try climbing again? :)

Ahnu Karmas: My Favorite New Shoes for Springtime Adventures

Spring has sprung! It has been beautiful here lately. So beautiful, in fact, that I have no need for heavy boots or thick winter socks any more. I've broken out my spring wardrobe... and perfectly in time to wear skirts and lightweight leggings with my new Ahnu Karma shoes! 

All photos by me.

I fell in love with the Ahnu brand right away. I love their "walk new ground" philosophy, and that they sell shoes that inspire adventure whether it's on a hiking trail or on the way to yoga class.

As soon I received the box with my yoga-chic Karma shoes, I slipped them on and was happy to realize that not only are they stylish, but they are also the one of the most comfortable pairs of shoes I've ever worn. 

The leather and suede they're made out of is flexible, soft and supple -- and the experience of wearing them on Day 1 was like putting on a pair of my favorite shoes I've owned for years! :)

The Karma style is great to wear with a skirt or pants, whether I'm biking to work, walking to yoga class, or exploring Evanston to take pictures of what's in bloom at the park and along the lakefront.

 

A peaceful walk in the springtime air. Soft light, soft steps, and a light heart. Thanks, Ahnu, for inspiring the bright, clean energy of spring in me! Namaste.

  

Living out of Love

Photo via Pinterest and Healthy, Happy, Strong.

There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. 

We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.

- John Lennon, found on Julia Lee Yoga

This quote really resonates with me. Sometimes I struggle with fear, loneliness and sadness... but when I take a step back and live my life with gratitude, the beauty comes through. All the things I absolutely adore about my life, big and small, become impossible to ignore.

What are you grateful for this week? 

Have you experienced the difference between living life out of fear and living it out of love? May this little post be a reminder of the love I have for all of you, readers :)

Namaste!

Happy Spring!

Welcome, springtime! It's so good to have you here (officially). I feel the warm air is charged with new energy, and I am more at peace when the sun shines all day and I can keep the windows open at night. Plus, I'm a big fan of iced coffee, green leaves, blossoming flowers, and the sense of renewal and hope that spring offers. :)

The world feels alive with possibility at this time of year, and for that I am grateful.

I'll be posting more soon about my lovely weekend away and how I've returned refreshed and ready for some springtime cleaning and detoxing in my yoga practice. How is your first week of spring going, readers?

All photos via Pinterest.