Art Asana

New Site

2010-12-03T12:24:00.000-05:00

Hello!
Thanks for stopping by Art Asana!
I have now moved to another site:
http://artasana.com

Please head on over there to continue on this journey with me! Thank you!

With Love and Light,
Eliza Lynn Tobin

2010-11-29T07:13:00.000-05:00

Click here to head over to Art Asana on Etsy!

With Love and Light,

Eliza

Cyber Monday Sale Announcement!

2010-11-28T14:01:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is Cyber Monday and I'm going to have an amazing sale in the Art Asana Shop to get you all geared up for the holidays! Have a yogi or yogini on the your list? How about one of my yoga-inspired prints!

Here's the low-down for the sale:
From 6am tomorrow morning until 11pm (EST), all prints in my shop will be on sale in a

I'll see you there!

Also, I'll be randomly drawing a winner for the giveaway on the new Art Asana website tomorrow. So head on over there for your last chance to enter the "blue notes necklace pendant" giveaway! Click here to head over to the new site!

P.S...I'll be posting on both this site and my new site for the next few days and will conclude the posting here on this blog and start up full force over on the new site by Wednesday of this week! Thanks so much for sticking it out with me through this transition!

Friday Five: Exciting Art Asana Announcements and A Giveaway!

2010-11-26T08:22:00.000-05:00

I have been away for a week, getting my ducks in a row, and now I'm back with lots of exciting things to share with you!

{Blue Notes Necklace}

1. Art Asana Necklaces
I've hinted at the fact that this has been in the works all fall and now I am finally pleased to announce that I have pendants available in my etsy shop! At the moment, I have created necklace pendants from the paintings, "Flow", "Shakti Drops", "Root Chakra-Symbol", "Root Chakra-Affirm", "Root Chakra-Yantra" and "Blue Notes Mandala". I even made one of the "blue notes" necklaces for myself and have been wearing it to my yoga classes to add a touch of shri (beauty) to my teaching outfits! Are there other designs you'd like to see? Let me know and I will create those ones in my next round of necklace pendant making!

2. Boston Handmade Downtown Holiday Gallery
This show begins today at 11am! It will be up until December 24th. I am really excited to be part of this show with all these other amazing artist and crafters. The space looks amazing and there are so many enticingly beautiful handmade items. I'm going to do some of my own christmas shopping there! If you are in the Boston area, I am going to be at the gallery today from 3-7pm! I'd love to see you there!

3. Boston Bazaar Bizarre
In a spontaneous turn of events, a space opened up for the Boston Bazaar Bizarre show and I am going to be participating with the Boston Handmade Group! It is on December 5th at the BCA Cyclorama, 539 Tremont St. Boston from 12-7pm! This is going to be the first craft show I've ever been a part of! I am nervous and excited about the opportunity and going to have to work like a mad woman to get ready for it! I'l share lots more about it next week!

4. Cyber Monday Sale
Do you have a yogini or yogi on your gift list? How about a yoga-inspired art print! I'm going to have a Cyber Monday Sale in my etsy shop on Monday, November 29th. I will post more details about the sale on Sunday!

and last but not least, a launch and a giveaway....

5. The New Art Asana Website
I'm excited to announce the launch of my new website!!! It's up and ready to go! I have spent a lot of time on the new space and I am so excited to get started over there! I am a little sad to be saying goodbye to this little blogger space because I have so many good memories here, but I have big plans for the new site to make your visit to Art Asana a great experience! To celebrate the kick off of the new space, I am hosting a giveaway of one of my new Art Asana necklaces on the new website! For more details, head on over to the new Art Asana to find out how to win!

Happy Friday!

Gratitude

2010-11-25T08:43:00.000-05:00

{Late November light on Cape Cod}

"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you" that would suffice." ~Meister Eckhart

Today, I am pausing to offer my gratitude for all this life has provided, for the full spectrum of my experiences, for my family, friends, home and health. I am thankful for the love and the light that the day bring and for the difficulties that help mold me. I am thankful for the support of Grace, who I feel has forever got my back and reminds me of that whenever I forget.

I am thankful for all of you who come into my world through this little online space, I am deeply honored and grateful for your presence. You make my world more beautiful. So thank you, thank you, thank you.

Ducks in a Row

2010-11-18T17:41:00.004-05:00

{photo by Zedbee}

I've been rocking it out over here this week preparing for something very exciting! Last Friday, I was accepted as a member of Boston Handmade, a collective group of artists and crafters in the Boston area who all have shops on Etsy! AND they are having a Downtown Holiday Gallery show in Boston and I am going to be participating!
The show will run from November 26 through December 24, 2010 (Wednesday - Sunday, 11am - 7pm).

So over the next few days, I'll be hastily getting ready for that, getting ready for the launch of my new website and finishing up some other long over due work on my thesis writing! Because of all this, I've decided to take some time off from blogging to get my ducks in a row. I'll be back in a week or so to announce the launch of the new website and then will be kicking things off from there! Hurray!

Here's to a busy, happy, healthy holiday!

Teacher of the Month Questions

2010-11-15T20:16:00.001-05:00

{me in urdhva daunurasana}

The Blossoming Lotus Yoga Studio (BLYS) where I've been teaching yoga is going to make me their "Teacher of the Month"! So today, I answered the following questions and I thought it would be fun to share my answers here on the blog too:

1) What is your favorite yoga pose?

I love the heart opening effects of backbending, especially in urdhva daunurasana, wheel pose. I used to get pain in my low back from deep backbending, but then I learned how to curl more from my upper back and root my tailbone down to lengthen my low back and this changed back bends for me dramatically! Now, I experience a pain-free, energizing and happy backbend that enlivens me from the inside out!

2) What is the primary style of yoga that you practice and teach?

I have been studying Anusara yoga for the past three years and did a teacher training in Anusara Yoga with Todd Norian and Ann Greene and am a registered Hatha yoga teacher! I love combining a flow of invigorating poses with an uplifting theme and a layering of alignment principles that have the ability to totally transform you. I include all of these elements in both my own practice and in the classes that I teach for an upbeat, inspiring and dynamic yoga.

3) What's the biggest challenge in your practice?

Sometimes, the biggest challenge I have in my practice is making it a priority. I always have a zillion reasons why I don’t have “time to practice”. I have to be very conscious of making time for it. It helps when I remind myself that making time for yoga actually makes everything else in my life easier. It helps me to be more productive, more creative, healthier and happier.

4) Why do you like teaching at BLYS?

I think community is really important. I have experienced first hand the powerful effects of being in a supportive community of people who embrace you for exactly who you are. I’d like to think that when we come together in a yoga class at BLYS, we are beginning to tap into that kind of experience. You just never know how your showing up might help someone else. I like teaching at BLYS because I like contributing to the creation of this kind of community right here in our town.

Notes from a busy week

2010-11-11T16:45:00.002-05:00

Wow! How did it get to be Thursday already!?

One reasons I've been so quiet here on the blog these last few weeks (besides being gone for the spontaneous road trip and the ongoing work on my graduate thesis) is that I've been hard at work on a new Word Press website that I am creating with the help of Tara Gentile's Website Kickstart e-course! The above screen shot is the site in it's current state and I have some more tweaking to do until it's ready, but once it's done, I'll have a website/blog all-in-one! I have lots of exciting ideas and plans for the new space and will let you know when it's ready!

On the painting front, here are the other two paintings that I finished this week:

This one's called "Love Roots Us". There was something about the deep plums and rich pink layers that reminded me of being rooted in the expansiveness of love...I'm not sure why. One of the reasons I love creating these mandala pieces is that I never really know how they are going to come out and the final visceral feeling that they invoke in me is always a surprise.

I am curious to know if the effect they have on you is similar to my experience or if you receive different kinds of feelings from the work...Also, I've wondered if my naming and explaining their effect on me as I create them changes the way a viewer engages with them....I'd love to know your thoughts!

This one is called "Elephant Power", inspired by the Elephant God, Ganesha. While I was in Colorado, I purchased a little Ganesha statue that I have started bringing to my classes when I teach. Ganesha is the remover of obstacles from our path and the go to guy when starting out on a new project. I have been working on this here Art Asana project for almost a year now, but it still feels so new, so I think I'll keep Ganesha around!

Happy Thursday!

A New Yoga Painting

2010-11-08T14:39:00.002-05:00

"Fearless Warrior"

8x8 Print

Available in the Art Asana Shop

It feels like it's been a really long time since I've completed any new paintings....Today, however, I finished three! (I will share them over the next few days!) It felt wonderful to paint again. I am yet again, invigorated and refreshed by the incredible healing power of the creative process...

This piece is called "Fearless Warrior" and I created it as an affirmation:

I am a fearless warrior, steady and committed to my path.

I am rooted and connected to my source and pulling and pooling all that I can into the core of my being. From that place, I can think and soar. From that place I extend back down through my feet, like an affirmation that says, ‘I am Here and I belong’. I exist on this sacred ground. From the core, I also shimmer upward and outward, beyond the periphery of my outer most limits of body. I am more than body, I am also earth and sky and the line between where I end and they begin is not as much line as it is light that blurs and bends. I am grounded and strong and yet soft and limitless, both light and dark, and I am holding both with my heart open. I lead my life from there and I engage the world, others, my challenges and successes with this same grounded-ness, this same softness. In this way,

I am completely free.

Road Trip Pictures

2010-11-04T10:43:00.004-04:00

Readers, Prajjwal and Americanepali, asked to see more pictures from the spontaneous road trip that I took with my brother last weekend. So here they are!

I was amazed at how many wind turbines and wind farms we saw! It seemed like many more than the last time I drove out there (four years ago). I love their sculptural effect on the landscape and what to me seems like a symbol of positive, clean, green change.

Once you leave Pennsylvania, the sky gets so big and wide and beautiful. We were usually up and on the road before sunrise and it was an incredible treat to get to witness the sun beginning to fill up all of that sky.

It was amazing to me how as soon as we crossed over a state line, the scenery changed, even if it was only from cornfield flat to grassland flat. As soon as we reached Colorado, we both felt a sense of excited anticipation, even though we didn't see the mountains for a few hours in.

We arrived in beautiful Fort Collins and stayed with our cousin. She brought us up to Horsetooth reservoir and we went for a much needed walk along the "Bobcat trail". Fall had met the Rockies with crisp, golden yellows and the fields and aspen trees were all decked out in it.

On Halloween night, we carved pumpkins and set them out on my cousin's deck to welcome trick-o-treaters! It was fun to see the kids all dressed up in their costumes and to eat candy corn until my belly ached.

I really enjoyed spending that time with my brother, sharing laughter and exhaustion in turn, experiencing the big space of country I feel grateful to be a part of, and celebrating Halloween with my cousin. Saying "yes" to all of this experience was like saying "yes" to life, to spontaneity, to adventure, and to familial love and friendship. Thanks for inviting me along, Pat.

Unplanned Road Trip

2010-11-02T11:05:00.002-04:00

Perhaps you have noticed that I have gone missing these past few days...disappeared from blogging, facebooking and tweeting. I was on a short, online media hiatus. Why, you might be wondering?

Well, on Wednesday of last week, I made a quick decision to accompany my brother on his move west. Over these past few days, I've been in a car, driving across the country with him. I was his wing sister from Cape Cod to Colorado.

I flew home last night.

We saw a lot of country: flat prairies, wind farms, funny billboards and that oh-so sweet first glimpse of the snow capped rockies.

Today, happy and exhausted, I'm playing catch up and am in dire need of a good long yoga practice.

After all that sitting, some hip opening poses are just what I need!

Drawing Evolution

2010-10-26T21:08:00.003-04:00

I've been thinking that the narrative piece of my thesis project needs to include some exploration into the origins of art-making in my life so, I went and looked through some of my old sketchbooks. It was pretty neat to see how differently I see things today.

As far back as I can remember, I was encouraged to draw. My mom always had crayons and markers on hand when I was growing up. I was given sketchbooks for christmas and I learned all about the different grades of pencil lead from my dad. I used to go with him to the small art supply store in our town. It smelled of linseed oil and new paper in there and I loved going because my dad would let me pick out a few pencils, kneadable erasers and stomps (used to blend the pencil on the paper).

I always liked drawing people and faces. In one of my earliest drawing memories, I'm drawing a portrait of my dad and trying to decide if his mustache belongs above his mouth or below it. I think I may have tried it both ways to see which one worked best.

Later, I enjoyed making up characters in my drawings. Like this one drawing that I did when I was 9:

(note the Jonathan Taylor Thomas poster in the corner, LOL!)

Here is another face drawing done around the same time:

Art was always my favorite subject in school, but I first learned to draw at home from my dad. He taught me that learning to draw was really about learning to see. Learning to see the dark areas and the lights, the shadows and the highlights, learning to see not only the shape of something, but also it's depth, and how the light hits it. He taught me that drawing from life requires going beyond what the mind first encounters and labels, in order to look more deeply and see what is really there.

(These two drawings I did when I was a teenager)

In high school, I spent a lot of time drawing in my sketchbooks, drawing faces from magazines (like the ones above), flowers and still life's. I especially loved drawing eyes. Every once in awhile, I still catch myself doodling eyes and flowers in the margins of notebooks....

Have you ever kept a sketchbook? What kinds of things did you/do you like to draw? Did it change over time?

Dear Life

2010-10-25T21:53:00.002-04:00

Dear Life,
I really enjoyed writing to you last week, so I thought I would do it again this week. First of all I have to say thank you because you provided me with all of the things I asked for last week! You provided me with the time I needed to get done all I'd set out to do...somehow, even though I always think you won't, you always pull through. Thank you for proving me wrong once again. I also want to thank you for aligning me with yoga class podcasts by yoga teacher Hillary Rubin. This morning, I did the 60 minute "Your Life is a Work of Art" class. It was a wonderful way to start the day and the week. It helped to remind me that you are a work of art, Life. A full, vibrant canvas of beauty, passion, texture, darks, lights and love.
Until next time,
Eliza

Friday Five: Five New Items

2010-10-23T09:22:00.000-04:00

I woke up this morning feeling bummed that I missed putting up a Friday 5 list yesterday. Then I remembered, "hey, this is my blog and I get to make the rules for it!" Wahoo! So, on this beautiful Saturday morning, I present to you my Friday 5 list!

In this week's Friday 5, I am sharing with you 5 brand new items now available in the Art Asana Shop:

1) "Root Chakra Collection Notecards (Set of Six)"

I created this collection of blank notecards from three of original paintings that were inspired by exploration of the Root Chakra.

The Root chakra is an energy center located at the base of the spine. Activities that engage the root chakra include standing yoga poses, spending time in nature, and physical movement. Activating the Root Charka creates a sense of grounding, support, abundance, physical health and stability while dissipating fear, restlessness, and disassociation from the physical body.

Each card measures 4 1/4 by 5 1/2 inches and is printed on photo quality matte white card stock with archival inks. Each card comes with a matching white envelope and both are sealed in a protective clear sleeve. I send them to carefully and colorfully packaged in a protective mailer!

2) "Root Chakra-Symbol Notecards (Set of Two)

3) "Root Chakra-Affirm Notecards (Set of Two)

4) "Root Chakra-Yantra Notecards (Set of Two)"

5) "One Wooden Stand"

I had my brother make these little wooden stands to go with my Art Asana 2011 Desk Calendar. They also can be used as stands for one of my notecards to create a "mini-print". Originally, he made these wooden stands as place holders for the table numbers at my wedding! Currently, I have 11 of these in the Art Asana Shop. The grains colors and cuts of the wood vary on each piece. Each one is unique!

Stay tuned for next week....I have plans to finally unveil another surprise for the shop that I hinted at a few weeks ago!!! I can't wait to share it with you!

Have a wonderful weekend!

(Guest Post) Six Ways Yoga and Art Connect

2010-10-21T09:12:00.002-04:00

Last week, Courtney, from the wonderful blog Yoga G33K asked if I'd be interested in having her write a guest post about her experience with a Yoga and Art Workshop she was a part of! I was so excited about the possibility and to hear about her experience. Today, I am excited to share it with you! Welcome Courtney, Thanks so much for sharing your story with us!

Hi! My name is Courtney and I’m visiting from www.YogaG33k.com where I write about yoga and all kinds of geeky stuff! I recently modeled yoga poses for an “Art and Yoga” workshop and wanted to write about the experience here at Art Asana! Eliza’s blog is always bringing art and yoga together in the most organic way and this workshop spoke to that so strongly. The students grabbed their charcoal and sketched madly as Blythe and I held yoga poses for minutes at a time. Throughout the workshop, several parallels between art and yoga arose and I wanted to share them with you.

Art and Yoga both invite….

Intention. Whether you’re on the mat or at the easel you always begin with an intention. We set an intention at the beginning of the workshop and no matter what it was it could’ve been translated into the yoga practice or the sketching process.
Breath & Body Awareness. Yoga may incorporate the use of breath and body awareness in a more literal sense, but this is a powerful way for your yoga practice to enhance your creativity and art. Being aware of the space within you and around you is very powerful on the mat and when being creative.
Relaxation. Both yoga and art allow for a space of non-judgment and peace. Letting go of your own expectations as well as the expectations of others is common ground for art and yoga. During the workshop it was easy to see the students opening up and letting their walls come down with each moment that passed and I’m sure you find the same experience at home on the mat or when you’re being creative.
A Practice. In yoga and in your creative space, there is a sense of coming back again and again to “practice”. Rolling the mat out and setting out your art supplies brings a sense of building on where you’ve been. A little bit at a time each day and you build your skills and confidence.
Movement and Fluidity. The brush across the canvas, catching a fleeting moment with your camera, and flowing through a vinyasa practice all invite you to be in the moment and flow. Being too rigid in either practice is considered something to avoid!
Energy Awareness. Being aware of the energy around you is something that makes art and yoga pop! A piece of art that captures the essence/energy of a moment is the piece that you connect with and yoga postures each hold their own energy that the student connects with as well. Being able to read this energy as an artist or a yoga teacher is immensely helpful.

So there you have it! I hope that combining your creative outlet with yoga will enhance both practices in every way! Namaste.

What will you teach the new generation about creativity?

2010-10-20T14:24:00.001-04:00

{"Create" Original Mixed-Media Painting}

Over at Scoutie Girl it's We Scout Wednesday and this week Tara Gentile asks,

"What will you teach the new generation about creativity?"

Ironically enough, as part of the thesis paper I'm working on, I've been exploring the idea that we are all innately creative. Every single one of us possesses an incredible creative capacity. Have you ever made a meal? Decorated a house? Made up a song? Written a sentence? Done an experiment? Spun around the dance floor to your own rhythm? Made a baby? Made someone laugh? Made something else? Congratulations, you have created! You are a creator! You have flexed your creative abilities! I believe that one of the main features of being human is our ability to create. In the past, our species has created fire, tools, methods of communication, social systems, and incredible structures to live, work and worship in, just to name a few. We come from a long legacy of creators. But over the course of life, we often become disconnected from our creative power, disconnected to this element of ourselves that is ultimately our link line to a greater power source. Our creative abilities disappear from our view under the layers of who we think we are.

I believe that our work in this life is to unearth who we really are from those layers. Each experience we encounter becomes yet another stage to perform that very act. Part of the fun of life is in the re-discovery of who we really are: bright, expressive, full, creative beings.

So, I will say to a new generation, to you, and to myself:

Do the work of unearthing the creativity that you possess and that is your birthright. Know you already have all the tools you need to find it and that doing so will make the world a better place. Make art. Make music. Practice. Dance. Move. Take in beauty. Make a meal. Make up a song. Make a positive change in your life. Make an offering to someone. Play. And don't ever give up.

What will you teach the new generation about creativity?

Applesauce and Artlessness

2010-10-19T16:05:00.001-04:00

I'm still cranking out writing/ideas/brainstorm papers for my grad study and although it's about a topic I love, I am feeling a little Artless, especially with no clear frame of time in which I'll be able to get out my paints again....Not to worry though, I'll be back at it soon enough...

For today's post, I thought I'd share what I did this past weekend during a few quick days at my parent's home in Vermont. I was still pretty sick from last week, but I did get out for a little late season apple picking. With those apples we made homemade applesauce!

{me, bundled up to pick apples...it was pretty cold out}

{dropped apples floating in puddles left from the nor'easter the night before}

{back at home, we cut the apples up and let them soften in a pan over heat}

{once the apples were soft, we put them into the "squeezo" machine. We had to push them down into the funnel with a mallet as we turned the hand crank}

{that pushes the apple guts out through a hole}

{and leaves all the sweet, mushy goodness to fall into the bowl}

{and then you have warm, delicious applesauce. And the whole house smelled good!}

This is one of the reasons I love fall. It was also fun to do a project that had an end in sight and that I was actually able to finish!

Now, back to work on my grad study....

Happy Tuesday!

Dear Life

2010-10-18T21:37:00.002-04:00

Dear Life,
You have been moving along very fast lately. I can't seem to keep up with you. If you could slow down a little bit, I would really appreciate that. If you could give just a little more of the time I need to finish some of the papers for my graduate study, time to make some new art work and update my etsy shop, and time to create better planned yoga classes this week, I would be forever grateful. Also, if you wouldn't mind doing laundry for me, that would be really awesome too. Thanks so much, Life.
With Love and Graditude,
Eliza

Friday Five: Glimpses from my week!

2010-10-15T14:27:00.000-04:00

I am sitting here wondering what happened to this week!

It's been one of those weeks that has felt as though I can't keep up with life. I am still a little bit under the weather, but getting better. For today's friday five, I thought I'd share five glimpses into the happenings in my life this week:

1. I have been hard at work on a part of my thesis this week. It has taken precident over my art-making for the time being as I try and make some good progress on it. I'll go back to art-making soon and then float back and forth between the two.

2. My brother has been in town! He spent the summer in Alaska, but is back for a bit and it has been a blast having him around!

3. We made delicious homemade pizza

4. We went to a back yard barb-e-que (perhaps the last of the season) dressed in warm sweaters and sat around a campfire. It was wonderful.

5. I received my "Registered Yoga Teacher 200 hours" id card in the mail! I'm official! Hurray!

I hope you had a wonderful week and have a wonderful weekend!

2010-10-15T14:02:00.001-04:00

"Regard everyone you meet as a purposeful character in the movie you've scripted...."
~Alan Cohen in Wisdom of the Heart

Impossible to Embrace
On Tuesday, Kristen Walker, reader and blog friend (can I call you my blog friend, Kristen?) asked for advice in embracing the people in our lives that seem impossible to embrace. It's such a good question, I decided to write about it in a post! It's one I struggle with as well.

I too have/have had people in my life who know how to push my buttons, drive me crazy, and make me angry and upset. They are the people who set me off so quickly, that all my well intentioned beliefs of being compassionate and seeing the good in others, go right out the window before they even have a chance.

I recently read this wonderful article in the newest Yoga Journal (November issue, I think) by Sally Kempton that had some great advice about dealing with people in our lives that we have difficulty with. The article was referring to family specifically, but I think the advice could apply to anybody we come into contact with.

Everyone is a Teacher
In the article, Sally suggests that we begin to regard everyone we meet as a teacher. The most difficult people in our lives often have the most to teach us about ourselves. She suggests looking at the people we have difficulty with and asking ourselves: "what do these people show me about myself? What do I have in common with them? What do they teach me about how to live?"

She says that the answers to these questions tell us a whole lot about ourselves and help us to not only accept and embrace the other person a little more easily, but also accept and embrace those parts of ourselves that we dislike.

To me, that's what "embracing the whole spectrum" means. Not always easy to do, but it's something we can experiment with...

This Wave

2010-10-12T12:00:00.004-04:00

"Consider all the pain and all the pleasure
You have ever experienced,
As waves on a very deep ocean which you are..."
~The Radiance Sutras, Lorin Roche, PH.D

After all the excitement of last week, I am feeling pretty under the weather with the onset of a nasty cold.
So today, I am doing my best to gracefully accept even this wave of my ocean, to embrace the full spectrum of my experience by being present with it, by being gentle with myself and by giving myself permission to be "down and out".
What are you doing today to embrace the full spectrum of your experience?

Experiencing the Sea

2010-10-11T12:29:00.001-04:00

{the Corwith Cramer}

On Board the Corwith Cramer
This past week, I spent my time sailing down the coast of Maine to Rhode Island on a tall ship sailing vessel called the Corwith Cramer. The Cramer belongs to the Sea Education Association, an educational sailing program that offers college students the opportunity to study at sea. My husband works for the Sea Education Association (SEA) and every year, the Cramer makes a transit from it's yard period in Rockland, Maine back to Woods Hole here on the Cape. This year, I was invited to join my husband and the crew of the Cramer to go on the transit. I was entirely nervous/excited about this experience because I had never been on a sailing vessel and never been so far out on the ocean that you can't see the shore.

{bow of the boat}

On Watch
It was a fabulous experience. I was put on a "watch" crew and every 8 to 12 hours, our watch was on deck for 4 to 6 hours, hauling sail lines, standing watch at the bow of the boat (on the look out for other boats and/or obstacles to avoid), steering and maneuvering the ship through the waves.

When we weren't "on watch", we were either eating a meal, cleaning the soles (floors) and heads (bathrooms) below deck, doing dishes in the galley (ship kitchen) or sleeping in our racks (6 foot long bunks).

{bunks in the main saloon--I slept in the one on the right!}

No Matter the Weather
The very first watch that I stood on, was especially adventurous, as we bombed through a storm. Winds, rain and waves pitched us all about, but it was actually better to be on the deck in the rain and wind then down below because the air and the ability to see the horizon line helped me not feel so sea sick.

I was wearing my father-in-law's foul weather gear (which was a bit big for me) and a harness, which could be used to clip in to lines we set up to walk from one end of the boat to the other. Waves crashed around us and sometimes spewed water onto the deck as the boat rocked back and forth and up and down. We scrabbled around the boat, putting sails up and taking them down. I didn't know what I was doing, but I just followed the directions of the amazing Mates/leaders who were in charge. It was wild and exhilarating. It was one of those experiences, were I got a glimpse of mother nature's power and realized how tiny I was in the grand scheme of things, just one little part of a much greater whole.

{looking up one of the masts}

Drawn to the Sea
We did get some beautiful weather also. I experienced a dawn watch (3am to 7am) in which the stars spread flawlessly across the sky, faded into soft grey and then spat morning pink onto the canvas of a new day.

I now have a much better understanding of what draws people to the incredible, powerful, changing, loving, energy of the sea.

{the Cramer sailing away. goodbye!}

Adventure

2010-10-05T07:18:00.000-04:00

{photo credit: Chris Seward on Flickr}

"I think back when I wrote: 'Soon I will be going to sea. What will happen?' Now I know. I was about to be inspired." ~Luanne Rice

Today, I am embarking on an adventure.

I shan't be long.

And when I return, I'll tell you all about it!

Big Dreams and Gratitude

2010-10-04T15:42:00.002-04:00

I have some pretty big dreams, goals and things that I want out of my life.
These goals include (but are certainly not limited to):
*building and growing "Art Asana"
* becoming an Anusara-Inspired yoga teacher
*moving back west (for a little while at least)
*living for a year somewhere in Europe
*traveling to India again (I do after all, have to cut off my dredlock...have I told that story? Hmmm..I will..)
*(someday) having kids and building a home with my husband

For me, part of looking forward to the future and staying steady on the path to get there, is remembering the beauty and wonder that is right in front of me now and appreciating all that I have in the present moment.

So, today I am grateful for:

*Autumn arriving in rain and a coolness that invites me to wear a sweater and drink Tulsi tea

*colorful zinnias and my blue chairs to brighten up the grey day

*Walks on the beach with my dog (which we do again, now that it's fall! It's not allowed in the summer)

*people who believe in me even when I don't believe in myself

*wonderful teachers, mentors, and friends

*good books (currently these include: Wheels of Life by Anodea Judith, Coaching the Artist Within by Eric Maisel and Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende)

*yoga students who tell me my class made a difference in their day!

*impending adventures (more on this tomorrow!)

For all this and so much more, I offer my deepest gratitude.

Five Yoga Blogs That Rock!

2010-10-01T13:50:00.002-04:00

This week my blog has been pretty yoga heavy, but really that is a reflection of my life this week: yoga-full! I just got back from teaching my last class of the week and I'm ready for a nap! I really do love this teaching thing. I get so riled up about yoga and the alignment and themes in my classes. So emphatic and energized, that I light up like a firefly! I get more excited talking about yoga than I do about just about anything else I might talk to people about (yup, even more than art-making, although that would definitely be a close second!) My students might even think I'm a bit crazy because of it. Hopefully they find it endearing.

{photo credit: lululemon athletica on flickr}

Luckily, I'm not alone in my enthusiasm. Recently, I've gotten a lot of inspiration and enjoyment out of reading yoga blogs. I've listed some other ones in a past post, but here are five new ones that I've been enjoying:

1. Yoga G33K
I love the quirky, down to earth approach to yoga talk and life at Yoga G33K, which they pronounce yoga "geek". Right away I felt at home visiting this blog. Plus, I have a little bit of blog envy about her snazzy wordpress theme background!

2. Bernie Birney
Bernie is a certified Anusara Yoga teacher and I find out about her blog via the Anusara Facebook newsfeed (a inspiring source of quotes and information, if your feeling like a new FB friend). Bernie makes me laugh, she's a slight bit sarcastic, and was once called an "anti-yoga teacher" (as she says in today's post), yet she still hits on deep, fundamental, life-altering truths in a way that is real, raw and absolutely beautiful. She's also just recently committed to writing on her blog daily. So I will be committing to reading it daily!

3. Bay Shakti
Another Anusara yoga resource (I can't help it, I love Anusara!), Bay Shakti is a blog that is actually dedicated to the Anusara community in the "Bay Area" of San Francisco. It features interviews with teachers from the Bay area and discusses events that are going on there. Even though I live quite far from the Bay area (give or take 2,000 miles), I still enjoy what they have to offer! I'm even going to use their most recent interview with teacher Darcy Lyon about her art and it's relation to yoga, in my graduate study research!

4. Naturally Nina
Naturally Nina was introduced to me by a friend from college (and reader of this blog---Hi K!). Nina, just married the brother of another guy my friend and I know from St. Lawrence. (It's like one of those sixth degrees of separation kind of things). She also happens to have a beautiful blog where she writes about her life and yoga practice. She just recently completed a yoga teacher training at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health (another place that I have deep love and respect for---but that's another story for another day). She writes in these beautiful little snap shops, a few sentences that paint a whole picture! (This is a quality I would like to develop in my own blog writing!)

5. Neesha's Blog

Neesha Zollinger's Blog is a brand new blog (She started September 17th!), but I can't wait to see where she goes with it. So far, she's shared some insights into Anusara yoga in a beautiful, poetic way. She is a fabulous teacher and a warm, engaging writer, so I'm exited to follow along with her on this new blogging adventure. Neesha was my very first Anusara yoga teacher when I lived out in Jackson Hole, WY. I had no idea then what an impact this yoga would have on my life. No idea that it was the beginning of something magical. I am grateful to Neesha for introducing it to me.

So that's it!
Happy Reading! Happy Friday! Happy Weekend!

**********

P.S I have decided to implement a new format for my newsletter, making it short, sweet and weekly. And of course whenever change presents itself, instinctually, I want to run and hide. Fear streaks through me and I procrastinate like crazy. I've been meaning to write the newsletter all week, but I keep holding myself back. But today, I'm going for it.

I'm stating it here on the blog, that by 8am this evening, my newsletter will be in your inbox!

Not on the list? Sign up to find out how I overcome fear in order to fly.
Click here to subscribe!

Inspired by...

2010-09-30T18:57:00.012-04:00

Roots
Today in my yoga class, I taught about an idea I saw tweeted yesterday by a yoga teacher named BJ Galvan. She said,

"rooted in love, you can overcome anything."

What a beautiful statement! Inspired, I decided to make a colorful, autumnal celebration of that idea as an etsy treasury. Looking at all this beautiful work reminded me to root myself in the beauty of the natural world and the things that I love!

When we root down, we plug into the current of grace. So this is what I am working on today. Plugging in to reconnect to those those place I'm feeling a little disconnected (which right in this moment are my art making and the part of me that expresses my creativity freely). In my teacher training, I remember hearing the phrase "a tree is only as full as it's roots are deep." So, I'm breathing into my roots to remember my fullness.

How are you getting rooted today?

Shaped by Sparkling Gems

2010-09-29T16:58:00.003-04:00

{flowers on the porch}

When I started practicing yoga, I knew immediately that I wanted to teach it. How I knew this, I am not entirely sure, but I think it had to do with my teachers. I saw something in them (a sense of calm, peace, wisdom, confidence, courage) that I too wanted in myself.

So without much hesitation, I signed up for the first training I came across, emptied my savings account, and headed up to Toronto, Canada for a whole summer. What I know now (and didn't know then) is that there are many, many, MANY styles of yoga out there. I blindly signed up for a yoga training and ridiculously, didn't even know what style of yoga I would be learning to teach. Even as I write this now, I feel a little embarrassed about how naive and silly it was of me to not know ahead of time.

But I was eager and I was young, excited and determined.

I arrived for my first day of the training and experienced, much to my surprise, my first Kundalini Yoga class. I found myself in the class and in the training, learning and then learning to teach, chants and rapidly repeated movements called Kriyas that I had never done before.

Even though it wasn't what I had expected it to be (I'm slowly learning that this is usually the case with most experiences), I had some breakthroughs. I had some profound experiences. I came to better understand forgiveness. I cried, I cringed and I cut through a lot of old bullshit.

But I didn't finish the training.

I had completed 300 hours of the 400 required to graduate from the program, but I didn't finish. My heart had cracked open enough to know that I wasn't ready, that it wasn't the right time, place and fit.

For awhile I was really disappointed in myself. I felt like I was the kind of person who wouldn't or couldn't follow through on things. After a few more start and stop experiences, this feeling of being the kind of person who was unable to commit to anything, hung over me. Sometimes, it still does.

Now, with time, distance and the perspective of being closer to where I want to be, I realize how valuable the experience really was, regardless of the fact that I didn't finish it. In fact, it was probably exactly what I needed at that point in time, nothing more, nothing less. All the crying, cringing and cutting were part of my shaping. Even the guilt I felt about not finishing had its place in guiding me to where I am now. It helped feed the fire that empowered me to try again with another teacher training when I was really ready, one which I did indeed finish!

I understand now that my experience (and so many life experiences that feel like stumbling blocks) was a stepping stone, just another sparkling gem to make my path more glittery.

How have your experiences shaped you?
How does your relationship to them change when you see them as stepping stones vs. stumbling blocks?

Being Human is a Guest House

2010-09-28T22:21:00.001-04:00

{"Toolik Lake, Alaska" photo taken by my brother, Patrick Tobin on Flickr}

"This being human is a guest house.

Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness,

some momentary awareness comes as an

unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!

Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,

who violently sweep your house

empty of it's furniture,

still, treat each guest honorably.

He may be clearing you out

for some new delight.

The dark thought, the shame, the malice,

meet them at the door laughing,

and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes,

because each has been sent as a guide

from beyond."

--Rumi

Tonight, I am reminded that all my perceived "problems" are really just gateways to solutions, stepping stones not stumbling blocks. I am reminded that everything coming my way is meant to help me more fully recognize who I really am and who I am meant to be.

Music for Your Roots

2010-09-27T17:31:00.001-04:00

I love how music can set the mood and groove. If I'm in the right, receptive frame of mind, music can take me to another place.

(beginnings of a painting of an elephant, an animal associated with the Root Chakra)

I love listening to music while I work, while I drive, while I paint, while I write, while I clean, while I cook, and when I practice yoga.

Since I started teaching yoga, I've been experimenting with playing music in my classes. Every once in a while, I find myself speaking to the beat of the music, each breath in tune with the rhythm, each instruction feels like a lyric to the song. It's in these moments my words and the message begin to come from someplace else, from some greater, bigger, pulsating place.

I love when it happens because I almost immediately feel more confident and connected to my class.
I wonder if the students notice these moments and what it does for their experience in the class.

I still sometimes struggle with putting playlists together and always am wondering where people find all their great music.

So far, the resources I use to find music are:

Pandora Radio

(I create a station with a musician/song I know and find all kinds of new music that is similar to it)

Groove Shark

(sometimes, after perusing through music samples on itunes, I'll go to Groove shark to listen to the whole song, or to put together a playlist of songs to hear how they sound as a whole)

Yoga Journal Playlists

(Yoga Journal has a regular column of yoga playlists put together and used by featured yoga teachers, which you can listen to samples of on itunes)

What are some resources you use for finding great music for
practicing yoga or making art?

(blue chair and root charka print in part of my studio space)

This past month, I've been teaching a lot of "Root Chakra" themed classes (themes like embracing abundance, stability and steadiness in order to find freedom, rooting down to rise back up).

The musical note that helps to activate the root chakra is the C-note and the type of music related to activating the root chakra is drumming music (according to The Book of Chakras by Ambika Wauters).

So I've put together a Root Chakra playlist for you to enjoy while creating art or practicing yoga!

Allow the beat and the rhythms to move you and the deep, earthy drumming to ground you.

Root Chakra Playlist

Do you listen to music while you practice yoga or while you make art?
If so, what do you listen to and why?
If not, what do you love about the silence?

Clear Boundaries, No Limits

2010-09-24T21:02:00.005-04:00

{photo of my organization binder and to-do list. the planner forms come from Productive Flourishing}

Do you find that you expect more of yourself than you are actually able to accomplish in any given day?

I am finding myself feeling like this all the time.

Every morning, I open up the binder I have filled with my monthly, weekly and daily plans and I jot down all the things I would like to get done that day.

I have so many ideas, so many BIG plans that I get really excited about.

I want, for example, to create tank tops with my designs screen printed on them,

So, I think to myself, I will have to learn to screen print.

On top of everything else that I am trying to do?

Yes, I think to myself. I will do that too.

So I put it on the "to-do" list.
But I am finding that sometimes I get so overwhelmed with all I've set out to do,
that I don't even know where to start.

Yesterday, I had a fantastic brainstorm session with the wonderful Tara Gentile, author of the blog, Scoutie Girl.

As I explained to her about all I was trying to do and about how I had trouble deciding where to focus my energies,

she said something that really resonated with me:

"If you try to do it all yourself, 1) you're going to get frustrated 2) you're going to stretch yourself too thin"

I realized immediately how right she was.

So often I find myself struggling against my own *extremely high* expectations of myself, struggling against,

what in yoga we call the

"The Dance of Yes and No."

In my wanting to say "YES!" to everything, to all my ideas and to my idealistic expectations of myself, I am exhausting myself and getting burned out.

By saying "yes" without any clear boundary, I am limiting myself by not being realistic about what I am actually able to accomplish.

In Anusara yoga, I've learned

that saying "yes" to life is saying "yes" to the universe.

And that we do this with the breath.
Every time we inhale,

we are making an agreement to keep on living.

Each breath is a "Yes".

But, in saying "Yes" to life, we must also learn to say "No".

This for me is the tricky part.

Because saying "No" means letting go of that which is not serving me,

including thinking that I have to do it all.

But, "No" helps me to create clear boundaries.

So, if I can learn to say "no" to things like learning a whole new trade in order to make something work,

I have more room and space and energy

to say to "Yes" to the things I am passionate about,

like painting.

Here's another way to think about it:

If, for example, I had only one art tool in my arsenal, say I only had a paintbrush. and nothing else.

That would be incredibly limiting (too much "no") and not much fun.

But say, it was the opposite, say I had UNLIMITED materials, every tool I could possibly imagine.

I wouldn't even know where to start or end. I would flounder in the "what to do with all this" kind of mind.

Saying "yes" to life, to ideas and dreams is wonderful. It opens us to possibilities and helps plug us in to our own ability to fly and expand. But saying "no" is beneficial too. It helps to protect us. It creates a container for us to know ourselves better.

Ultimately, it becomes a dance of balancing between the two extremes and finding the middle ground.

Saying "yes" enough to allow life, but saying "no" enough that the boundaries of expectations and "to-dos" are clear and realistically do-able.

It is in that place in the middle where we can experience our true creative freedom.

So, I want to know,

How is your dance going?

In what ways are you saying, "yes"?

What do you need to say "no" to, to let go of

in order to say "yes" to life more fully!
*****

Next week, I'll be sending out my newsletter,

full of ideas and insights to help you say "yes" to your life!

Subscribe here for Inspiration for your Inbox

I wish you the most wonderful weekend!

Paintings and Projects in Progress

2010-09-21T20:48:00.000-04:00

Last week I shared a glimpse into my process of creating paintings.
Today, as part of my art'n'asana series (a.k.a my daily art making and yoga-ing practice),
I thought I'd share with you my progress on the new paintings I've been working on as well as a couple of other projects that I have in the works!

This is a photo from last week's painting session.
When I paint, I use Golden fluid acrylics and LOVE them.
When I was young and in art class at school, I specifically remember hating acrylics.
I hated how they dried so fast and how they felt chalk board like under my fingernails when the dried. And I remember the smell of them.
I didn't like the smell.
Back then, I was painting a lot at home with my dad, who worked (still does) primarily in oil paint
and I loved how you could swoosh it around and it didn't dry up and crack on you before you were finished,
and the smell of oil paints and linseed oil remind me of good times hanging out in the studio with
my dad,
talking about painting.

It wasn't until very recently that I tried out acrylics again.
I don't remember what kind of acrylic paint we were using back in grade school,
but clearly, I had never experienced
fluid acrylics.
What I love about them is that they go on easily.
They are bright and bold.
I use them almost like they are watercolors, but prefer them because the colors feel more vibrant.

Anyways, so this splashing around with fluid acrylics is the first step in my painting process.
I like to make a whole bunch of paintings all at once to use up all the paint on my palate
and to get a lot of ideas flowing.
It frees me up from that feeling of having to come up with something miraculous and masterful.
It allows me to let that kind of thinking go,
and just play.

Once all is dry (and nowadays I appreciate the quick drying factor of acrylics!)
my pieces are ready for sharpie-ing!
I've tried other types of pens, but the good 'ole sharpie is still my favorite.
This summer, I was running into pen problems because
apparently sharpies do not like humidity
(who does really?)
and even a new pen would act like it was all out of ink.
That made the drawing process take twice as long,
but other inks (I tried India ink, Faber-castel Pitt pens and sakura pigma micron pens)
bleed when I put together the collage aspect of my paintings.
However now that Fall has arrived,
my sharpies are back to their normal selves,
working hard as ever for me in the second stage of my process:
the meditative act of drawing lines.
Once the lines are drawn on my paintings I work on the next part of the process.
I worked on this part today,
using an Exacto knife to cut sections of the painting away.
This part of the process is the most time consuming,
but I enjoy it and can't usually stop until I've cut away everything that *needs* to be cut away.
Usually, I just have a very sure feeling of what sections *need*
to stay or go.
I've also discovered that this part of the process is best enjoyed in combination with an audiobook.
And only fiction will do!
(Currently, I am listening to Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende)

I will share the next steps of my painting process in my next Art'n'Asana series!

Other Projects in Progress:

Last week, I shared a sneak peak photo of a surprise project that I've been working on.

Here is another one from that project!

I'm putting together a
Art Asana 2011 Desk Calendar
that will feature 12 of my paintings from the past year!
I'm very excited about how they've turned out.
They are going to be cheery spots of color and inspiration to brighten up any day at the desk!

They are almost ready to go and I will hopefully have them up in the
Art Asana Shop
by the end of this week!
(If you would like to know exactly when they will be available, follow me on twitter or facebook for up to date information!)

and here's one last photo of another surprise project that I've got in the works:

It's another one that I can't wait to share with you!

I hope you are having a fabulous start to your week!

Five ways to balance the Root Chakra

2010-09-20T13:33:00.001-04:00

Today, I have for you a list of
Five ways to balance the Root Charka!

How do you know if your root chakra is out of balance?

Well, if you are feeling ungrounded, fearful, unsettled in your life, disassociated from your body, or restless your Rook Chakra may be out of balance. In the following list, I present to you five ways to feel more grounded, stable, prosperous, and healthy and to help you embody a sense of

rightness in your life and work!

1. Bring awareness to the feet

Get in touch with your foundation through toe yoga (or toga! Not to be confused with a college frat party!) One way to do this is by interlacing your fingers between your toes and roll those toes around!

Another way is to stand with one foot on a tennis ball and roll the ball under the sole of your foot. Make sure to get all the nooks and crannies of the oft forgot foot with the tennis ball. After you've worked on one foot. Stand for a minute to observe the differences you feel in the foot and then do the other foot!

2.Warrior Poses

Of course I would throw some yoga asana into the mix! Standing poses are particularily good at getting us more grounded and rooted. Try Warrior one, two and three! keep the feet actively engaged by rooting evenly down through the big toe ball mound, little toe ball mound and the two corners of the heels, lift and spreading the toes to feel how that activates the muscles of the legs and creates a sense of strength and stability in the legs. keep that engagement and then from the pelvis root down through the legs and into the feet, and at the same time, rise up out of the pelvis and extend the spine, the crown of the head, the finger tips in a full expression of who you are.

3. Get out into Nature
Spend some time outdoors, taking in the beauty of the natural world. Take in the smells of falling leaves and crisp air. Listen to the sounds of wind dancing through the trees, birds singing and the buzzing of insects. Observe the thick, secure roots of the biggest tree you can find. Walk barefoot in the grass and feel the earth beneath your toes. When we connect with the natural world, we get a better sense of our place with in it and it grounds us.

4. Running, brisk walking or dancing
Any type of movement that gets us into our legs and feet helps us to feel more rooted and grounded. It gets the heart pumping blood to the extremities of the body as well as charges up the metabolism. It gets the body to release endorphins. All of these things help to make us feel good, to feel secure and strong in our physical bodies, which is a sign of a healthy root chakra!

5. Meditation on the Root Chakra
This is a short, 2 minute meditation I created for you! Enjoy!

Have wonderful day!

Glimpses from the Studio!

2010-09-16T21:10:00.001-04:00

{want to know more about my art'n'asana project? click here to find out more!}

I've got a few new Root Chakra inspired paintings in the works.

This is step one of the process.

Usually, I make a whole batch of quick, loose images on watercolor paper that I will later work and turn into paintings on wooden panels!

Yoga pose of the day:
utthita hasta padangusthasana (extended hand to big toe pose)
Insight:
"I am enough."

The Root Chakra Collection

2010-09-15T17:31:00.003-04:00

"Behind the spine is infinity.

Below the perineum,

invisible pulsating roots

open downward into space.

The heart is wide as a spiral galaxy.

Steadily consider:

Back, root, heart,

and know the living body of vastness that you are"

~Sutra 22, The Radiance Sutras by Lorin Roche, Ph.D.

"Root Chakra Collection: Symbol"

6x6 Print

Available in the Art Asana shop

"Root Chakra Collection: Yantra"

6x6 Print

Available in the Art Asana shop

"Root Chakra Collection: Affirm"

6x6 Print

Available in the Art Asana shop!

Introducing the first three pieces of the Art Asana "Root Chakra Collection"!

As I've mentioned in the last few posts, during the month of September, I've been studying the Root Chakra, writing about my relationship to it's qualities, creating paintings inspired by it, practicing rooting into my legs and feet in yoga poses, running and spending more time outdoors (activities that engage the Root Chakra). Since I started this project, I have noticed that I do feel more grounded, more courageous and more willing to affirm my right to belong here in this universe!

Activating the Root Charka creates a sense of grounding, support, abundance, physical health and stability while dissipating fear, restlessness, and disassociation from the physical body.
I've created this collection of Root Chakra inspired paintings to evoke the sense of belonging, rootedness, stability, prosperity, deeper connection to the earth in those who come to engage with the images. These paintings and prints are perfect for a yoga studio, alter space or as an inspiring piece of wall art in your home. Use them as meditation tools to get grounded or as a reminder of your sense of belonging as you glance their way!

I have lots more planned for this collection and am so very excited to share it with you in the coming weeks!

My Mission (and I choose to accept it!)

2010-09-13T17:26:00.001-04:00

Well, I kind of disappeared last week in all the things I was doing, so today's post is a long catch up post in which I will share all that I've been up to in the last week and to talk of change-a-coming!
This Fall, (and perhaps all Falls?) feels all about transition, the moving in to or out of things. The change of summer's end into the cooler weather, shorter days and the busy-ness of school (yup, I'm back in school for another semester), the continual building and growing of Art Asana, and teaching yoga. It feels like a challenge to hold it all, balance it all and flow smoothly with the changes,
and at the same time stay grounded and rooted.
But I'm working on it,
relying heavily on my organization calendar/ daily to-do lists
and my daily yoga practice.

So first, I'll share the physical stuff I've been up too
and then we'll get philosophical! You ready?

Notecards!
(available now in the Art Asana shop)

Now you can send a little bit of Art Asana love to someone you care about!

I'm very excited to finally share a collection of notecards that I've designed using some of my artwork. I love the way these came out because they are like little mini-prints! Each blank notecard measures 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 and comes with an envelope and packaged in a clear sleeve. You can get a set of two or a set of 6 (6 pack includes two of each print). These first ones that I put out based on the fact they are Fall colors and themes. I am hoping to gradually put more notecards of different prints up in the shop in the next few weeks, so if there is a print you'd love to see as a notecard, let me know or stay to tuned to see when it shows up in the shop!

I continued to progress on these three "Root Chakra" paintings I started last week and I'm almost done
and I have some other ideas for paintings in my Art'n'Asana series, that integrate the Root chakra theme that I've been thinking about, teaching about, writing about and making art about, that I can't wait to get started on...so it's another stay tuned situation!

Over the weekend, I worked on another project using Hand Font to create

How cool is that!
You can turn your own hand writing into computer font!
Sometimes I could just hug technology!
I see myself making more hand drawn fonts.....
and it was pretty easy to create
( although I did have a little trouble figuring out how to get the font into word and photoshop which I finally did, but have no idea how).

The last physical project, I've been working on in the past week is a surprise, but the above picture will give you a pretty good hint! I am beyond excited about this project and can't wait to share it with you (mostly likely this will happen sometime next week!)

Alright, now for philosophical side of things that has been keeping preoccupied in the past week.

Egged on by a new online community I've joined in on called the Creative Empire (founded by Tara Gentile of Scoutie Girl and Megan Auman of Crafting an MBA),
I have been tearing through some new material about blogging (52 Weeks of Blogging) and crafting a business that is in alignment with my greater purpose in this lifetime (enter philosophical discussion).

As I mentioned in past posts the last couple of weeks, that the Root chakra is all about affirming your right to the life you want, affirming your right to exist and be in the world. It is about becoming more of who you are. So, it feels appropriate to have come up with the following mission statement (based on an assignment from the 52 weeks of Blogging) for what it is I am to do with this one, wild and precious Art Asana life:

"Art Asana is the place I take my creative seat as artist and yogini.
It is a place where I share my journey along the parallel paths of yoga and creativity and offer bright, happy creations inspired by the life-affirming practice and study of yoga. It is my intention to empower those visiting my tiny droplet of the world, with ideas and inspiration to say "yes" to life. It is my hope that visitors leave Art Asana with a splash of joy in their hearts and a glimpse of their own incredible, creative potential."

There it is.
What do you think?

In the coming weeks, I am hoping to make this blog space reflect this mission more and more.
I saw somewhere this week, the quote,
"the only thing we can rely on is change".
So with that,
I intend to fall and flow through the transitional season of change
and do my very best to stay rooted in the becoming.

Root Chakra, Reds and Getting Grounded

2010-09-07T16:45:00.001-04:00

{colors of red in the studio}

I've been in the studio today working on some new pieces inspired by the root chakra, Muladhara.
After starting to read a book about the Chakra system (energy centers in the body) called
Wheels of Life by Anodea Judith,
I was inspired to work with the different chakras in both my yoga and art practices.
For me, it's a way to explore and better understand each chakra in an experiential way.

The root chakra has to do with our sense of security, stability and safety. When this chakra is operating properly, we feel grounded and have a strong sense of who we are in the world.
It is associated with the element of earth (see this post for a root chakra activity I worked with a week and a half ago) and the color red.
So, in the last few painting sessions I've done, I've steeped my brushes in deep reds, light reds, crimsons, coppers and plums.
The colors of fall.
The colors of digging deep into the earth,
making me feel more rooted, more present,
more free and clear.

{root chakra art inspirations on my studio table}

I've learned that Hatha yoga helps to open the root chakra.
Movement of all kinds activate our sense of stability and connection to our source,
and especially movement that brings awareness to the feet and legs.

So, in my yoga practice over the last two weeks, I've been incorporating more toe yoga (toga?). I've been periodically standing on a tennis ball and rolling it around under the sole of my foot to loosen all the muscles on the botttom of my feet (definitely try this, it feels amazing!). Another thing I've been doing is
placing my fingers between each toe and making circles with them to open up my toes.

After doing these excersises, I stand up tall and observe my sense of groundedness.
Also, practicing standing poses like warrior poses and ardha chandrasana can help energize the root chakra.

{me, getting grounded in ardha chandrasana}

I have to say that these activities have been helping me to feel more grounded and given me an increased sense of belonging.

Do you feel grounded in who you are right now?

If so, what do you do to get grounded?
If not, what in your life is making you feel ungrounded, insecure, or unstable? What do you need to do to get more grounded?

Friday Five: Hurricane Earl

2010-09-03T10:06:00.003-04:00

Monday (9/13/2010) Update:
Thank you to everyone who went over and entered the giveaway at Wishstudio and
thank you so much for all the kind words...they melted my heart...I am so grateful to you all!
Congratulations to Liberty of Divinity Withinity for winning the print "Bloom"!

Saturday (9/4/2010) Update:
Luckily, Hurricane Earl was a miss and all we got was a bunch of rain!
Thanks everyone for your kind thoughts!

Oh and go check out Wishstudio to enter the giveaway of "Bloom"!

Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

In this edition of Friday Five, I present my Hurricane Earl preparation list!

Hurricane Earl

who appears to be headed towards Cape Cod,

and has been making me feel a little anxious all week.

I should have known when I married an ocean boy,

that some time or another

I would encounter a hurricane.

I've never been in one before

and I am a mix of excited and scared:

Excited to witness the power of Mother Nature

and scared because I don't know what to expect from her.

We've been preparing since Tuesday

and are now just in the "sit and wait" phase.

But we are ready:

1. We might lose power, so we've dug out all of our flashlights and candles, stocked up on batteries and purchased a battery operated weather radio.

The cell phones are charged and we've located our cell phone car charger too.

{full water jugs}

2. We might not have water, so I've outfitted us with 8 gallons of water,

plus we now have a freezer full of full water bottles (my mom's idea)

and in a few minutes, I'm going to clean the tub and fill that with water too.

3. We might not be able to cook and refrigerate as usual, so our cupboards are stocked with canned soups, fruits and veggies and other non-perishable food items, like M&M's

(seemed like a good excuse to eat M&M's!)

To cook, we've got the grill and camp stove ready to go with extra cans of propane.

{plant shelter in my studio}

4. We might (and it looks like we most likely will) get strong winds, so my studio and part of our living room have become the shelter for all of our and our neighbor's outdoor plants and patio furniture.

{outdoor plants inside}

5. Although Earl is expected to stop by during the overnight hours, I have gathered all the things I would need for a good hunkering down session. After all

we might not be able to sleep through all that wind and rain.

I have put together a bag of good books to read, a sketchbook and sharpies, paints and watercolor paper, my thesis proposal to look over and work on (although I'm sure that won't make it out of the bag)

and of course, my yoga mat.

All the things a book lover/artist/yogi would need to ride out a storm, right?!

I think we are as prepared as we can be
and hopefully it will be nothing,
but

Mr. Earl
if your planning on coming,

we are ready for you.

****************************************************

On a totally, unrelated note,

over at the

Wishstudio Blog

there is a

Giveaway of my 10x8 Print

"Bloom"

If you'd like to win this print, head on over here and post a comment!

The drawing will be held next Wednesday, September 8th!

Good luck!

National Yoga Month

2010-09-01T20:31:00.002-04:00

September is National Yoga month!

National Yoga Month has been created to help educate people about the benefits of yoga.

And how cool is this,

studios all over the country are participating in a free week of yoga for new students!

So if you've never done yoga before, you can go over to www.yogamonth.org, find out which studios in your area are participating and and then print off a free yoga week pass!

The website also includes several articles/information about the benefits of yoga. Some of the ones they list are:
~Lower Blood Pressure
~ Decreased Stress
~Greater flexibility
~Enhanced brain function
~Lower cholesterol
~Better skeletal alignment
~Strengthened bones/joints
~Improved respiration
~Weight Loss
~Enhanced circulation
~Easier transition through menopause
~Deeper peace of mind

Reading about all the physical and emotional benefits of yoga, got me thinking about the ways that I have benefited from the practice of yoga.

I don't think I know the larger impact yoga has made on my life,

but I do know that the little changes it has created in me

have increased my health and wellbeing.

In my experience,

yoga has:

1. Increased my confidence

I am by nature, a quiet, inward and reserved person. In my life that tendency has caused me to slip into being insecure, shy and makes it uncomfortable for me to speak up and be myself with people I don't know very well.

Yoga has helped to teach me that not only do I have a voice, but it is a worthwhile one. It has taught me that, as Marianne Williamson puts it, the world does not benefit from my being small.

In situations where I feel uncomfortable and insecure, I have learned to deepen my breath, draw my shoulders back, stand steadily on my two feet and move into the situation with more conviction of who I am, with and courage and an open heart.

2. Helped me to feel more comfortable in my body

When I am practicing yoga on a regular basis, I feel stronger, healthier, and I move around with more ease. Physically when I've been practicing yoga regularly, my shoulders and neck don't get as tight (which they do when I'm not practicing and spending a lot of time at the computer or in the car), my knees don't hurt (which they used to from my many years as a soccer player and skier), my back and spine feel strong, yet supple and I don't get as sick as often.

3. Connected me to wonderful people/Given me a sense of community

I have been inspired by so many incredible teachers, as well as other students, and now (as a teacher),

by my own students to open my heart more fully.

I am getting better at embracing others for who they and looking for the good in people.

I am becoming more aware of my connection to something greater than myself and that awareness makes me feel more connected to those I come into contact with. I find it a little easier to extend compassion and receive the gift of compassion from others.

4. Taught me how to cultivate a deeper sense of trust

I have learned (and continue to learn) to trust in myself and trust others. I've learned to trust that everything presented to me in this life is here to teach me something and shape me.

5. Increased my capacity for creativity

When I feel good in my body and my mind is at ease, I find I have so much more energy to play with ideas and engage with the creative process. I have the zeal and excitement to paint, to sing out loud, to write and dance. I can express myself more freely and I have more fun.

And for all these reasons,

I will continue to practice yoga

and remind myself of them

on those days where I don't feel like it.

So with that, Happy National Yoga Month!

P.S.... I'm going to post cool yoga links/info I find over on my facebook/twitter page this month, so feel free to come join in over there!

Friday Five: Noticing Beauty

2010-08-27T13:50:00.001-04:00

I haven't done a Friday 5 list in a couple of weeks, so I thought I would this lovely Friday!

In the last few days, I've been thinking about the Root Chakra from yogic subtle body anatomy.

This is the energy center in our body that is involved with our sense of stability, security and groundedness.
According to The Book of Chakras, by Ambika Wauters, the spiritual activity for the root chakra is "noticing the beauty and perfection of the natural world".
So last night, after a steady evening rain shower in the place where I grew up,
I stepped outside to observe this beauty and perfection.
And I found it,

in the way that nasturtium leaves can capture rain droplets and hold them like little beads of hope,

in the way that ripening elderberries can hang heavily and yet the slender elderberry tree can still support their load,

in the way that a small, yet brave crimson leaf can be the first to fall,

in the way that Black-eyed Susans know how to live abundantly in August,

and in the way that rain showers always clear to sun, and that light always finds a way to cast itself into the darkness of sky.

In all these ways, I find beauty and perfection in the natural world

and perhaps in the looking, I also see a glimpse of it in those around me and in myself.

Have a wonderful weekend!

September Happenings!

2010-08-26T14:13:00.004-04:00

Here in the Art Asana studio, I am gearing up for a busy September!

I am going to be teaching yoga (including a kids yoga class), gearing up for my second to last semester of graduate study by pulling out and dusting off the thesis proposal that I started last spring (yikes!), I'm working on a new project (which I will unveil a little more of when I have more than just scribbly notes on paper) and I am planning two different workshops that I am going to be teaching in the New England area!

{picture of my studio in the midst of a creative explosion}

The first workshop begins September 20th and runs out of the Falmouth Night School.

Here's the class blurb:

"SPARK YOUR CREATIVITY: WITH COLOR, PAINT, PENS, COLLAGE, AND MORE, IGNITE YOUR CREATIVE FIRE WHILE USING MEDITATION IN MOTION

Eliza Tobin - B.A in Fine Arts, Art Educator, Artist and Yoga Teacher.

Access your creativity through movement, meditation in motion, and mixed media painting. Open up your creative flow using meditative movement and then use that flow to explore mixed media painting techniques using collage, drawing tools, paints, fabrics, ink pads, and more. No art experience is necessary!"

Sounds fun, right!

If you are in the area and want to join in,

the class runs for three sessions 6:30-8:30 (Monday September 20th, Mon. Sept.27th, and Mon. October 4st) and is $69 not including supplies. If you are interested in joining in, you can contact the Falmouth Night School at falmouthnightschool@falmouth.k12.ma.us

:::::::::::

The other workshop is a yoga/painting workshop that I am co-teaching with my dad, Eric Tobin! I'm so excited to teach with him!

Want to join us?

Here's the workshop blurb:

What:

Landscape painter Eric Tobin and Yoga Teacher Eliza Tobin are coming together for the first time to offer a unique workshop experience!

Join us for as many days as you can, or come to all five days!

Tap into your creative flow through a gentle yoga session

And learn the ins and outs of landscape painting with oil on canvas.

If you are looking to learn painting techniques from a world-class painter, and open up more to your creative self through loving yoga movements and your breath and experiment with your creativity,

Then come join us for a

retreat into the world of art and yoga for one day, three days or all five days!

The workshop will include an hour long yoga class each morning,

demonstration of painting techniques, time to work on your own paintings with Eric and Eliza available to assist you and answer questions. There will be a morning session and an afternoon session with a lunch break in between!
Cost: 125$ per day or 550$ for 5 days
Location: Eric Tobin’s Studio Johnson, VT

When: September Wednesday 22nd through September 26th 2010 8am-5pm

If you are interested in this workshop, you can email me at artasana@gmail.com for more information or to register!

:::::::::::::

{"Om Shanti" digitally colored illustration}

In some way, the learning from teaching these courses is going to find it's way into my thesis work (which is on yoga and the creative process), although how that is going to happen,

I do not know yet!

So yes, lots of things are in the works,

but busy is good!

I'm going to have try to stay

high in the energy

to complete everything that needs completing

without burning out.

Any advice?

I do keep hearing one little word,

a whisper, a firm and gentle nudging from within:

"nourishment"...it says.

I will do my best to fit that in too!

:::::::::

Oh and one more thing!

I'm sending the Monthly Art Asana Newsletter out tomorrow,

so if you haven't subscribed and would like to,

Each month I include inspiring quotes, a yoga sequence, a book recommendation, creativity tip, news from the Art Asana shop and a monthly Art Asana shop special!

Blue Notes and Brad Paisley

2010-08-23T14:31:00.000-04:00

"Blue Notes Mandala" 6x6 Print

(available in my etsy shop)

It's a rainy day here on Cape Cod and I've spent my morning filling orders from the End of Summer Celebration Sale. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to check out the shop and to those of you who participated in the sale!

Sometimes rainy days make me feel super creative and energized.

Sometimes they make me feel sleepy and all I want to do is curl up on the couch with my dog and a book.

After a busy weekend which included attending Countryfest at Gillette stadium outside of Boston and seeing Brad Paisley in concert
(along with a whole lot of other craziness that I wasn't as excited about),

I am in the second category today.

It's an "I am in need of another weekend after my weekend" kind of Monday.

But it was fun to see Brad Paisley in concert.

He has so much energy in his music, lyrics and show

that it's hard not to smile, sing, dance and clap along.

And another reason I like him?

Not only can he play the guitar,

the man's also a bit of a visual artist too!

Ahh, what can I say?

I'm a fan!

Happy Monday!

2010-08-19T10:07:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I stepped outside my door and took a deep breath in to realize that air smelled for the first time

like a hint of fall was on the breeze.

Do you know that smell?

It hit my nose and immediately thoughts of the season changing began to creep into my mind.

I've started seeing other subtle signs too,

the first few yellowing leaves falling on my neighbor's lawn,

a back-to-school kids fashion segment on the CBS Early Show,

the bright golden orbs of ripened tomatoes,

all seem to be pointing to the inevitable:

Fall is coming!

I always find myself moving through a mix of emotions when the seasons shift,

excited by new sensory experience that each season brings,

but also somewhat sad

that yet another season has fleetingly slipped by.

I am sure I'm not alone in this mix of emotions, about the coming of fall especially.

All across the lands, teachers are getting their classrooms ready, attending meetings, making plans and preparations for the first week of school.

Kids are anxiously thinking about going into their new grade, wondering what adventures and friendships lie ahead, but at the same time balking about ending their summers.

Parents, I image too, have their share of excitements and sadness as they rush around finding backpacks and notebooks and lunchboxes.

I too am getting ready to go back to school,

revving up to work on my thesis proposal that will be the start of this final year of graduate study.

As all this shifting and changing happens, I am thinking that the only thing to do is embrace it and
celebrate transition

So, I'm going to enjoy every last drop of the fading summer sun, of the leaves slowly starting to think about leaving their green behind, of the abundance of garden (and farmer's markets) harvest, of that crisp smell in the air, of the new school year anticipation.

Bring it on Fall!

As another way to celebrate this transitional time of the year,

I have decided to host my very first

Art Asana Shop Sale!

For two days only, today August 19th and tomorrow August 20th

all prints in my shop are on sale!

All 8x8 and 8x10 prints that were 25$ are now 18$

All 5x7 and 6x6 prints that were 15$ are now 10$

Head on over to my shop to check it out and

thank you all for you continued support and love!

Inspired By...

2010-08-18T13:46:00.000-04:00

Inspired by illustrator

Annick Poirier

(photo of Yoga Journal Issue 208, February 2008, Illustration by Annick Poirier)

I was looking through old issues of Yoga Journal, when I came across the illustrations of Annick Poirier.

I have been receiving Yoga Journal since the summer of 2004 (the first summer I started doing yoga). I love looking back though these older issues for inspiration for my yoga practice. They have also become a great resource to me as a new yoga teacher. As I was thumbing through some issues yesterday, I came across an article called

"Create a Life You Love"

and was inspired not only by the article itself and it's "ten ideas for reconnecting to your source of happiness" but also by the illustrations that went along with the article.

(photo of Yoga Journal Issue 208, February 2008, Illustration by Annick Poirier)

I remembered seeing them the first time and just being drawn in by Poirier's beautiful and serene illustrations. A quick google search helped me to find her website,

www.annickpoirier.com

where I looked through the rest of her portfolio.

(photo of Yoga Journal Issue 208, February 2008, Illustration by Annick Poirier)

I love how she combines soft, realistic drawings of people digitally with swirling colors and designs.

I have been interested recently in work that combines digital and traditional mediums and have even been playing around with it a bit myself.
Perhaps we could add,
"get your creative play on"
to the Yoga Journal's list of 10 things to get in touch with your source of happiness.

*****

On another note, I have an
exciting shop Announcement:

Tomorrow and Friday, I will be having an
END OF SUMMER CELEBRATION SALE
on
all prints in my etsy shop!
This THURSDAY and FRIDAY,
August 19th and 20th,
I will be offering a sale on all prints in my shop!
For two days only,
$25 prints will be $18
and
$15 prints will be $10!

So be sure to stop on by tomorrow and Friday for more info and to get in on the sale!

Nourishment Yantra

2010-08-16T13:46:00.000-04:00

Last week, as part of my daily art and asana experiment, I created my very first yantra.
I first encountered yantras when I was in India studying the art of Tantra. Similar to mandalas, yantras are cosmic designs and are intricatly related to mantra, the recitation of seed syllables which evoke shakti (energy) as vibrational sound. While mantras are an audible manifestation of a shakti, yantras are a visual manifestation of shakti.
For example, a seed syllable mantra you might be familiar with is
"OM", chanted at the beginning of many yoga classes.
When you chant "Om" what emotional/physical effects does it have on you?
For me, the shakti of chanting, "OM" feels grounding, centering, calming.
I feel as though I am coming back to myself.

Similarly, yantras are geometric diagrams designed to invoke particular
emotional/ physical responses in their viewer/creator.
Although, I had studied yantras, and even interviewed Madhu Khanna, author of a book called
Yantra: The Tantric Symbol of Cosmic Unity
for my research while I was in India,
I never did anything with them in an experiential (versus academic) way.
Until now, several years later!
Using directions from the book, Nine Designs for Inner Peace by Sarah Tomlinson,
I learned to create a yantra for nourishment.
At the beginning of this book, there is a page with all of the yantra designs that are in the book.
The author invites you to settle in a quiet place and then let the gaze fall on the page and identify the design you feel most drawn to at that time.
I tried this exercise and found myself drawn to the yantra for nourishment.
So I followed the direction and over the course of a few days (and the purchase of a new compass!),
I created my very first yantra:

The mantra associated with this design is "Om Cham Chandraya Namaha".
In sanskrit, the word Chandra means 'Moon' and the author says that it is the nurturing moon, (which is also related to the feminine principles of compassion, receptivity and sensitivity) that inspires this design.

Sarah Tomlinson says of the yantra, "The moon also governs water, the tides, and developing harmony with the natural rhythms and cycles of one's life. Having compassion for others starts with nurturing and listening to oneself. This is the perfect Yantra to work with in situations involving self-destructive behaviors or emotionally reactive episodes. By calming down and getting in touch with emotions as they arise, great insight, compassion, wisdom, and right action results." (Sarah Tomlinson in Nine Designs for Inner Peace, page 91)

As I created the Yantra, I contemplated why I'd been drawn to this particular design and what in my life needed nourishing. As, I laid in the lines, I thought about how I needed to relax more into my own experience and allow things to be just as they are.
I thought about how I feel as though I've been forcing my creativity lately,
Focusing on the importance of product more than the importance of exploration and play.
And how that has sapped some of the fun out of it and sapped the energy out of me.
I reflected on all the
things that nourish me
(which then of course help me to better nourish others):
eating fruits and vegatables
drinking water
checking my email less
letting go of the impulse to compare myself to others
getting to bed earlier
getting up earlier to make more time for yoga, meditation
and morning pages
getting outside and into nature every day (no matter what).
letting my art-making be more exploratory and
letting go of the results more.

So this week, I will spend some time meditating on my newly created yantra and contemplate how to incorporate nourishment into my life.

What nourishes you?

Inspired by...

2010-08-11T13:15:00.002-04:00

artist

Yellena James

I love her work!

The lines, the colors,

the patterns,

I love all of it!

It would be so fascinating to see her working on these

paintings and drawings,

to see where she starts and moves to

over the page or canvas.

"Candy" by Yellena James

"Relish" by Yellena James

"Someday" by Yellena James

These are bright, cheery and whimsical organic shapes

that I can't stop looking at!

I am thinking one of her prints would look very nice in my apartment!

Check out her etsy shop, blog, and website!

Art'n'Asana

2010-08-09T13:30:00.001-04:00

I was quiet here last week.

I spent a lot of time creating daily paintings and drawings,

which I share with you below.

While I worked, I listened to Shantaram on audiobook and found myself lost in the adventure and thickening plot that takes place in Bombay, India.

So lost, in fact,

that I had a hard time thinking about much of anything else.

Does that ever happen to you when you get caught up in a good story?

For me, there is almost a danger in being captured by a good story

because I climb into it and

don't climb out until it's finished!

Apparently they are making a movie out of this book that's supposed to come out in 2011 and starring Johnny Depp and Amitabh Bachchan (a famous Indian actor).

I don't always like it when books become movies,

but with this book, I can't wait to see it as a movie!

Speaking of books becoming movies...any one excited to see Eat, Pray, Love?

I imagine it's not going to be as a good as the book,

but I suppose I'm going to go see it anyway....

Anyway...

Here are some of the daily paintings/drawings I did last week:

"Shri"

(8x8 Mixed Media Painting)

Original and Print available in my etsy shop!

I created this painting as a tribute to Shri, the auspicious Goddess of beauty and goodness that exists within each of us. May it remind us to see the shri in ourselves and in others!

(A sketchbook drawing in pitt pen and acrylic)

(a sketchbook drawing in pitt pen and watercolor)

(sketchbook mandala drawing created with pitt pen)

"Flower Power"

(8x10 Mixed Media Painting)

Original and Print available in my etsy shop!

This painting was inspired by the beautiful reds, pinks and yellows of the zinnias that are blooming on Cape Cod right now and their bright bursts of cheerful bloom with the blues of summer sky. To me, the woman figure in the painting seems to be soaking in all that beauty...finding peace in the zest of summer.

Asana of the Week: Ardha Padmottasana

Yogic Insight: When I look for the beauty and goodness, I see more of it.

Inspired by...

2010-08-04T11:38:00.000-04:00

I have loved the artwork of Andy Goldsworthy for years. He is one of my very favorite artists. I think I was introduced to his work in high school by one of my art teachers and have been a fan ever since.

Andy Goldsworthy is a sculptor who works in nature with materials found in nature:

rocks, sticks, snow, etc.

Many of his sculptures are impermanent, slowing or quickly disappearing with time, sun, wind, waves or the change of seasons. His work, to me, appears very meditative and reminds me of the process Tibetan monks go through to make their impermanent sand mandalas.

He says that for him,"to go off into the woods and make a piece of work, roots me again. And if I don't work for a period of time, I feel rootless. I don't know myself."

Watching him work, it appears that the rooting he gains though the work, seems to be less about the product and more about the process of creating itself.

A few years ago, I saw his video, Rivers and Tides, a documentary on how he works. Here is a clip from the movie:

I love what he says at the end of this clip:

"I am so amazed at times, I am actually alive."

Creating and making artwork can root me back to this remembrance too,

that I am actually alive,

when I let it.

When I hang on to the outcome less

and believe in the process more.

Friday Five

2010-07-30T16:13:00.000-04:00

Today's Friday 5 is a list of 5 things that I am loving this week!

Here it goes:

1. My husband Nate

This weekend we celebrate our very first wedding anniversary.

Yup, One year ago from August 1st, he and I were married.

I can't believe it's already been a year!

Where did that year go?

To celebrate, we are planning on taking our bikes across the Ferry from Wood's Hole to Martha's Vineyard to ride around out there, eat dinner and then take the ferry home!

{This is an arrangement Nate had delivered to me today as a surprise...he is a sweetheart!}

2. The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I got the audiobook of this book to listen to on our trip up to Vermont last weekend and finished listening to it while I made art this week. It was an wonderfully crafted story that takes place in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 60's.

I can't seem to write a sentence to tell you what it's about with out telling too much, so I guess I'll just say, I became completely enthralled and wrapped up in the story and am still thinking about it, a few days after I finished it!

3. The sunshine, the cooler weather and this incredible Cape Cod sea breeze

4. Bach Original Flower Essences: Mimulus

the container says it

"brings courage and calm to face things that frighten or worry you,

also aids the shy and timid."

Perfect!

I put a few drops in my water jar every day and drink it up!

It even has a pleasant taste and I love it because

it's literally liquid courage!

5. This post is my 100th post!

They add up fast!

It feels like I've come a long way since my very first post.

I love and am grateful for where this blogging journey has taken me so far,

for all of you who stop by, visit, leave comments, and send me thoughtful emails,

and for all the places this blog might continue to take me in the future!

Have a wonderful, happy weekend!

2010-07-29T21:02:00.001-04:00

I've been busy this week working on daily paintings!
As I mentioned in other posts recently,
my work seems to be slipping in a new direction

and I'm kind of excited about it!
I am also wondering where it is leading me too...
There is something about trying to finish a painting (or other piece of artwork, like a drawing) every day
that has really got my brain rolling around to new places.
It's challenging me to work faster and
therefore make more spontaneous decisions,
which is a lot of fun.
It's challenging me to find that place in the middle between planning things out and having things happen by surprise.

Here are a couple of pieces part of this daily series,
I've decided to put both the originals as well as prints of these two in the Art Asana Shop!

"Wondering"
8x8 Original and Print
are up in the Art Asana Shop!

This piece started with a sketch of the woman in the painting.
To me, she's standing there as if wondering where her life is going to take her next.

"Over Her Shoulder"

10x8 Original and Print

available in the Art Asana Shop!

"She glanced over her shoulder one last time before stepping out into the unknown,"
I wrote this next to the sketch I started with of the woman in this painting.

For my next few pieces,
I'm going to try and remember to take pictures of my process to
share with you!

Asana of the Day: Uttanasana (standing forward fold)
Yogic insight: I can find the place between planning everything out, staying steady, stable
and letting go, flowing freely with spontaneity!

Inspired by...

2010-07-27T15:22:00.000-04:00

This week I want to share with you an artist that I've loved since I first found his work

in a neat, artsy store in Jackson, WY.

Not only is Brian Andreas an artist, he is also a storyteller.

His short, sweet poem like stories touch upon deep truths in our human experience.

I love how simple, yet profound both the words and images are.

The colors and musings draw me in and captivate me:

Almost New-Age
it says,
"Is willing to accept that she creates her own reality except
for some of the parts where she can't help by wonder
what the hell she was thinking"

Big Strange Family
it says,
"I don't think of it as working for world peace,
he said. I think of it as just trying to get along
in a really big strange family."

Angels of Mercy
it says,
"Most people don't know there are angels
whose only job is to make sure you don't get
to comfortable and fall asleep and miss your life."

Andreas calls his characters, Story People and has created sculptures, kids posters and blocks, books (I have the one called Mostly True), cards, frames, and totes along with his prints and original sketches all featuring these inspiring, happy characters!
You can find it here at his website!

Hope you are having a wonderful Tuesday!

Art'n'Asana

2010-07-26T15:21:00.002-04:00

Hope you are having a wonderful Monday out there!

I have decided to start up something I've been meaning to do for a while:

create a painting or drawing or some piece of art

EVERY DAY.

I have had this feeling lately of wanting to create things,

but when I sit down to create,

I find myself sitting face to face with
the fear

that nothing will come out.

and that fear has driven me to avoid art-making time.

So,

as a way to face these emotions head on,

I am going to connect art making to my daily practice of yoga in a concrete way.

I'm dedicating the my daily yoga practice or perhaps even just one pose each day to

opening myself to the flow of creativity.

Afterwards, I'll find my way to a canvas and
make art.

No matter what the outcome.

Letting go of perfection,

and stepping into the flow of the creative process,

I am creating/painting/drawing one thing
EVERY DAY.

I'll pop in with a once or twice a week update on how the exercise in art and asana is going and perhaps even put some of the artwork up in my etsy shop!

Here it is for today:

"Lead from the Heart"

(daily drawing)

Asana of the day: Reversed Warrior II

Yogic insight: When I lead with my heart, I am more courageous, confident and centered.

2010-07-23T11:11:00.000-04:00

In the spirit of experimenting with new ideas and techniques, I'm going to my favorite go-to thing when I want to learn and play with something new:

BOOKS!

Today's random five list consists of five books I'm thinking about getting.

Do any of you have one of these books?

1. Fundamentals of Illustration by Lawrence Zeegan

2. Printing by Hand by Lena Corwin

3. Drawing Lab for Mixed Media by Lee Hammond

4. Creative Photoshop CS4 by Derek Lea

5. Drawing People by Barbara Bradley

or suggestions for other great creativity/art books?

What art/creativity books do you love?

Also, on Monday, July 26th, I'll be sending out the July edition of

The Art Asana Monthly Newsletter!

Get on the mailing list to receive your edition,

click here to sign up!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Playing in the Studio!

2010-07-21T17:09:00.001-04:00

I am sensing this need to stretch my creative wings lately and am thinking about trying out some
new techniques.
You know, just to shake things up a bit.

My current process is very
SLOW.
I painstakingly trace every little line
and then spend hours making tiny little cuts to take away the white space.
It is meditative and quiet, for sure
and I like that.
But do I love it?
I want
to LOVE it.

This week, I finished this painting (started last week and inspired by a photo taken in Hawaii)

"Pink Blossoms" Print of Mixed Media Original
(now available in my etsy shop)

then played around with palm tree inspirations,

and waves,

and then just to play,
I created this yoga illustration,

I had so much fun creating this last illustration!

What do you think?

(notice something you may have seen before? clue: check out the shirt!)

I have a feeling there may be more of these coming...

I'm thinking there are endless ways to give life to creativity.

Maybe I'm just still searching for an art form that I really, truly, devotionally love.

I've been on the swirly stuff for awhile,

the splash paint around in a circle

trace it,

cut it out

and paste it

kind of swirly stuff.

Am I ready for something new?

Are you?

Inspired by...

2010-07-20T11:29:00.004-04:00

I spent a lot of time this weekend going through the roller-coaster of emotions brought about by my engagement with the creative process. I went through the whole cycle, feeling uninspired and like giving up to pure elation and excitement about being in the midst of this wonderful, creative life. I brainstormed new ideas and new places I want to take my art and scribbled down all kinds of notes in my notebook. I filled out goal sheets and thought about a lot of things I could do with my art and this blog.
Now, I'm on an inspired up-swing!
I am having trouble falling asleep at night because of all the dreaming and scheming...
I am just hoping that I will actually be able to do something productive with all this creative energy!
We shall see....

One of the things I'd like to start doing is posting about people (artists/yogis/other creatives?) and things (products, ideas, causes) that inspire me.
So we begin today with artist,
Shayla Maddox and her fabulous light reactive circle paintings:

I ran across Shayla's work on etsy and was immediately drawn to her work. As I might have mentioned a few times before, I really have a thing for circles.
Perhaps its the sense
of wholeness,
of inclusion,
of cycle
that I am drawn to.

Circles feel safe.
They can be calming or energizing.
I have been thinking too about the Chakra system outlined in yogic philosophy that seems to me to be at play in circle symbology.

Anyways, with all the circle paintings I've been creating lately, it's no surprise that I was excited to find Shayla's beautiful work.
Here is what she has to say about working with circles:
"To me, circles are completeness. Atoms, molecules, planets and stars, the cycles of time, and the universe itself all exist within a circle, radiating outward, with no beginning or end. In Zen, a circle is considered a type of meditation, requiring clarity of mind and full concentration. Every circle is unique, and can be seen as a type of fingerprint of the artist who created it. Some hold that a Zen circle is the depiction of enlightenment itself."

Aren't these incredible!

I love the idea of each circle being a fingerprint of the artist who created it, it's a lovely way to think about the art we make.

Shayla also said that when she looks at the universe
all she sees is circles.
I have to say, I feel the very same way!
Thanks so much for sharing your light and work, Shayla!

Check out her website, etsy shop and blog for more!

Five Random Things: Organization Day

2010-07-16T16:29:00.004-04:00

"Shakti Drops Mandala" Print of Mixed Media Original
(available in my etsy shop)

This week I have felt super busy, but haven't actually gotten a whole lot done.
Do you ever have weeks like that?
I was pretty jet-lagged at the beginning of the week, still flying high on Hawaiian time and so I was up all night every night and then exhausted and dragging during the day. Being away for several days also left me feeling behind on the tasks of keeping business up and running.

In an attempt to catch up, I've been jumping around from task to task, catching up on emails, getting some new work started and it has felt completely unorganized and cluttered.

I also taught my first scheduled yoga class at BLYS on Wednesday. I poured an incredible amount of energy into dreading and feeling fearful and doubtful about the class. It's amazing how much energy can be consumed by resistance! It always surprises me how the things I want most in my life (like becoming a yoga teacher), are also the things I am the most scared of.

All in all, it's taken me the whole week to realize that I'm just not completely grounded.

So, in order to get myself back on track,

I let go of my to-do list today and spent some time getting organized!

5 resources I'm using to help keep myself
organized and motivated:

1. Productive Flourishing

This blog, run by Charles Gilkey, has all kinds of daily tips about how to get creative, stay organized and get things done. Also, he offers a whole bunch of planner templates which you can print out and use to organize your month, week and days! I printed out several and filed them into a binder which I am hoping will help to keep me organized!

2. Precision Change: From Shy to Confident

I found this podcast series by a guy named Duff McDuffee and listened to an episode where he interviews another guy named John Wesley about letting go of shyness and becoming more confident. One of the points they made really stuck with me and is something I'm going to try on the next time I'm feeling dread and fear about my teaching. They talked about how if you believe you're cool (or in my case, if I believe I am confident), then I will be. If I believe that I am confident person, then others will believe it to.

I've heard this same lesson before, have even written about it here. But a gentle reminder every once in a while is always a good thing, especially on a week of feeling a little less than confident.

(p.s I taught another class last night and went in with this attitude of believing I was confident and totally NAILED it. So there must be something to this.)

3. Craft Inc. Business Planner

I ordered this book from Amazon and it arrived this week! I had the book Craft Inc. checked out from the library for a little while and found it very helpful. So I decided to get the business planner as well. I have begun to slowly work through it and it's helping me to organize and think about different aspects of running a creative business!

4. Yoga Teaching Tracker

After printing out all the planner sheets from the Productive Flourishing website,

I decided to make a couple of my own. The one below is a way for me to keep track of my teaching schedule and what it is I'm teaching and a place for notes/thoughts about how the class went, ideas for next time and that kind of thing. If I can figure out how to make and share this as a pdf, I will put it up here on my blog for anyone who wants it! (If anyone knows how to do this, please let me know!)

5. Unclutterer

This is yet another helpful blog that I stumbled upon this week! This one has lots of great tips for de-cluttering and staying organized in my home and office. I'm planning on spending a few hours this afternoon and this weekend cleaning and organizing my living and working spaces, which have gradually deteriorated in their level of organization over the last few weeks. I learned from my mom that it is much easier to live and work in a clean, organized space then a messy one.
After this week of cluttered craziness (and not actually being all that productive) I am thinking that there might be something to this. Thanks mom!

What do you do to stay organized?

What do your time management/planner/tracker systems look like?

Have a wonderful weekend!

Smelling the flowers (and other fauna!) in Kaua'i

2010-07-13T09:42:00.000-04:00

I thought I would share a few more pictures with you from my time in Kaua'i!
These ones feature the incredible flowers and fauna that exist on the Garden Island.

{me, stopping to smell the flowers in Hawaii}

One of the things I loved most about my time in Kaua'i was all of the fresh produce available. They have many "Sunshine Markets" all over the island that feature locally grown produce and food. We
picked up pineapple, papayas, apple bananas (a smaller, sweeter variation of the large bananas I find in the stores), cold coconuts, avocado, tomatoes, and kale.
Every morning, Nate and I would eat for breakfast the sweetest, most delicious pineapple we'd ever had.

From afar, the fruits of these trees looked to me like pineapples. I made the mistake of asking a local how they get the pineapples down and was reminded that pineapples grown in the ground and not in trees. He told me that they nickname these trees and their fruits, "tourist pineapples".
Apparently I am not the only one who's made the mistake!

We woke up every morning to a whole cacophony of bird songs, including from a rooster and a gaggle of geese (not the quietest, sweetest singing birds out there).
Although we had many beautiful birds visit our lanai (porch/deck place) during our pineapple breakfasts, none of them were native species. We learned that native birds were less abundant below 1,000 feet of sea level and that most species had migrated further up into the mountains.
Chickens are one non-native bird that is extremely abundant on the island of Kaua'i and they roamed free everywhere we went. We were told that the chicken population on Kaua'i exploded after Hurricane 'Iniki in 1992 allowed for a whole bunch of caged, domestic chickens to escape.
With no real predator on the island, chickens have flourished and they all over the place (like the one in the picture above, just hanging out at the beach!)

We also saw some incredible trees, including one that grows it's roots from it's branches and starts a whole new trunk once the root hits the ground (I don't know if this actually what happens, but that is what it looks like is happening). We also were introduced to a tiny, ground cover plant called "Hilo" that when you gently touch it's leaves, they curl in on themselves! After a little bit, they return to their shape once again. Talk about plants sensing your presence among them!
I probably looked like a crazy person bent over touching these tiny leaves and squealing with delight!

Then, of course, there was the quintessential palm tree, stirring memories of tropical breezes and romantic silhouettes at sunset....

ah, sunset.
In the presence of such beauty and grace, it's no wonder that Hawaiians have such a strong sense of the "Aloha Spirit" or "the joyful (oha) sharing (alo) of life energy (ha)".

Home from Hawaii

2010-07-11T16:36:00.000-04:00

{colorful flowers and palm trees in Kaua'i}

We returned home yesterday from our honeymoon on the Hawaiian island of Kaua'i.

it was

(big, deep, sigh)

BEAUTIFUL.

Here are some pictures from our trip!

{Night lights of Waikiki, Oahu}

We flew into Honolulu and stayed our first night in the high energy, fast pace Waikiki before flying out to the oldest island of the Hawaiian chain, Kaua'i.

{Rainbow over Hanalei Bay in Kaua'i}

We saw at least one rainbow every day!

{Rain on Pu'u Poa beach in Princeville, Kaua'i}

Rainbows form because of, well, rain! So it also rained every day on the North Shore of Kaua'i.

Usually it was just a gentle, passing, misting and refreshing rain.

{Sandy, golden Po'ipu Beach}

Sandy, golden beach= sandy, golden me

(probably more sandy then golden thanks to gobs of sunscreen!)

{surfer riding waves at Po'ipu beach}

I surfed on waves of bliss, perhaps, but no real ones.

Not this time.

{Kalalau Valley on the Na Pali Coast, from the Pu'u o Kila lookout}

Evidence of the presence of Grace abounding in our natural world...

{Nate and I at Pu'u Poa beach}

Island Love.

{view of Na Pali coastal waters from the KalalauTrail}

We hiked in for a short day hike to Hanakapi'ai Beach. If I ever go back, I'd like to hike the whole thing The 22 miles round trip trail requires a camping permit and it would be totally worth it! Next time...

{Hanakapi'ai Beach, Na Pali Coast}

On the hike, we ate our lunch under hanging cliffs and on large, black pumice rocks inhabited by a ferrel cat. This got us out of the steady rain clinging to the mountains. It was a very muddy, slick trail and we were soaked through, but that really is what made it so fun.

{Bali Hai view, back in Princeville, Kaua'i}

Watching the sunset on Kaua'i is a big event for us and everyone else visiting Kaua'i!

There were always a lot of people gathered outside to watch the sun melt into the ocean.

We were able to walk to a place where we could see the sun set over whats called Bali Ha'i. Remember the song Bali Ha'i in the musical South Pacific? Parts of that movie were filmed on the

North Shore of Kaua'i!

{sunset over Bali Ha'i at Pu'u Poa Beach}

Big,

deep,

sigh

of contentment.

Stopping to smell the flowers

2010-06-28T23:28:00.001-04:00

{stopping to smell the flowers....hydrangeas are in full bloom right now!}

Over the weekend, I stopped to to smell the flowers with friends from college.
We caught up and talked and laughed and enjoyed all the loveliness Cape Cod has to offer in the summer time (i.e...beaches!).
It was wonderful to hang out with these four wonderful women and get a glimpse into all the amazing things they are doing with their lives.
I feel rejuvenated and revived from the splash of beauty and love that was this weekend.

Tonight, I'm getting ready to go on an another adventure:
my honeymoon!

{ready for the beach!}

Last August, my husband and I were married on a beautiful, sunny day.
We decided to wait a while to go on our honeymoon and now, almost a year later,
we are headed out.
I've got my flip-flops, sunscreen and sunglasses packed
and I'm ready to go!

Hawaii here we come!

While I'm hoping to pop in to post some pictures while we are there,
my stopping in to say hello will probably lessen over the next week, as I'm going to step away from the computer and spend
lots of quality time with the love of my life
(the hope is to do some hiking, snorkeling, swimming, checking out of some waterfalls, and making romantic dinners from farmer's markets finds and fresh fish)
I am so excited to step away from our normal lives for a few days and take some time to reflect on our first few months of being together as a married couple
and to dream BIG about our future together!

{me testing out my sunnies}

With that, I have a few Shop Updates:

Papernstitch

My work will be in this month's papernstitch exhibit for the first time! I'm so excited!

Etsy

I will be keeping my shop open and be checking in on it periodically while I am away, however, anything purchased between June 29th-July 10th will be shipped on

Monday, July 12th.

Take care, all!

om shanti (peace)

A Walk to the Beach

2010-06-24T23:36:00.000-04:00

I totally get why people come to Cape Cod. It is pretty magical down here in the summertime.
It's been very warm these last few weeks and I have been so
thankful about my proximity to the water.
It's just a short walk away!

Another wonderful thing about Cape Cod is that my friends and family really enjoy coming down to visit myself and my husband.
This past weekend, my parents were visiting and we enjoyed beautiful weather,
beach roses,
kayaking,
and soaking up the waves and sun of
coastal New England.

This weekend, I am getting together with three friends from college.
It's been way too long since I've really seen and hung out with them
and I am excited to spend time with these lovely ladies!

Next weekend, I'll be off to new beaches on a different adventure,
but I'll let you know more about that on Monday...
For now,
How are you going to spend your weekend? Who are you spending quality time with?

I'll see you back here on Monday,
Have a wonderful weekend!

{me with crazy wind hair....and a crazy wind and wave loving smile!}
om shanti (peace)

Love-Energy Infusion

2010-06-22T16:24:00.004-04:00

"Infusion Mandala" Print of Mixed Media Original
(available in my etsy shop)

I was looking around for inspirational readings about Solstice and the light of this time of year for the yoga class I'm teaching tomorrow and remembered a book called The Radiance Sutras I'd seen for sale at my yoga teacher training and that my fellow teacher training friend had talked about on her blog, Dancing Yogini. I looked up the book and found the following excerpts on the author's website: http://lorinroche.com

"there is a current of Love-energy
that flows between earth below and the sun above"

The "Infusion Mandala" painting (above) feels like this to me, like this infusion of love-energy that happens from the sun to earth. The mandala reminded me of a sunset, of the way the sun drops down and infuses into the horizon and reminds us we are a part of it, infused with it, that we are always connected to the light through this
Love-Energy.
Even in the coming darkness of sunset.
We are always one part sunshine, one part shadow.

I think "Love-energy" might be my new favorite phrase.

I was so inspired, so excited
I ordered the book!

Here is another part of the The Radiance Sutras by Lorin Roche, Ph.D
that stuck out to me:

(Version of Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, Verse 26)

"The One Who is at Play Everywhere said,

there is a place in the heart where everything meets.

Go there if you want to find me.

Mind, senses, soul, eternity, all are there.

Are you there?"

"Once you know the way

the nature of attention will call you

to return, again and again,

and be saturated with knowing,

'I belong here, I am home here.'

Answer the call."

Am I there? Am I answering the call?

Yes, sometimes. Sometimes, no.

Do I know the way?

Yes, somedays. Somedays, no.
Some times and days are full light,
some are more like sunset.

For now, I'll take another step forward either way

because I belong here, I am home here.

I am, you are, we are:
Love-energy.

Five Random Things: Long Post

2010-06-18T12:26:00.005-04:00

"Bindu" Print of Mixed Media Original Painting

(available in my etsy shop)

I've been a little quiet here this week because

I was offered an opportunity and I've been working on deciding if it's something I want or not.

I'm one of those people who needs to have lots going on all the time (otherwise I get bored and depressed), but I am also a person who needs downtime and a solid routine (that includes lots of sleep and healthy habits) and can run myself ragged if I am not careful. So I have to think very carefully about adding more work to an already

significant pile..

As the week wore on, I kept coming back to the idea of really listening to my heart.

What was it really guiding me to do with this situation?

And sure enough, it gave me a very clear answer.

When I got right down to the very center of myself, I knew the answer,

even if to the outside it might not have seemed like the logical one.

And, as soon as I came to my conclusion, several wonderful things happened,

to let me know that I am doing the right thing.

How do you know when you are doing the right thing? What happens to you when you know you are following your heart?

So it is Friday
and I want to share Five Random things,
which lately seem to be all about links, so here it goes!

1. The Joy of Yoga Blog
Emma, of The Joy of Yoga wrote a beautiful post on Monday about my artwork (thank you again, Emma)! I was so honored! She is a yoga teacher and has lots of inspiring stuff on her blog, including daily yoga sequences, which is fabulous.

2. The Devil Wears Prana
This is another yoga blog I've started following recently. On saturday, she posted this parody of spirituality/buddhism video which in part said " I'm all crunked up on Kumbucha juice", because right at the moment as I watched it, I was in fact drinking kumbucha juice (for the first time). It was a good reminder to not always take myself so seriously and that Life is good. Life is fun.

3.Thank you for everyone who has signed up for the Art Asana Newsletter! I am planning on sending it out at the beginning of next week (and around the middle of the month in coming months). The link is on the side bar if you would like to be included in receiving the newsletter!

4. I will be working on a new blog roll page and want to include the blogs of you all, the wonderful people who come to this blog space! I would like to include your blogs, so please leave them in the comments and let me know which category you would most like to fall under (Yoga, Art and Creativity, Inspiration, or Fun and Friends).

5. 1,000 Hours of Yoga Project

I mentioned a week ago about posting in the 1,000 Hours of Yoga Project blog and I finally did! The countdown has begun!

Have a Wonderful, Fabulous, and Terrific weekend!

{om shanti, peace}

Animating sources of numinous energy

2010-06-16T17:05:00.001-04:00

I'm in the studio making mandalas again. They put me into a quiet, wordless state, despite all that seems to be going on in them.

According to Judith Cornell's book Mandala, "a mandala, the sanskrit word for 'circle,' is a concrete symbol of its creator's absorbtion into a sacred center. In it's most elevated for, the sacred circle mirrors an illumined state of consciousness through a symbolic pattern---making the invisible, visible. It is meant to draw both creator and viewer into an encounter with animating sources of numinous energy."
Wow. that is cool.
No wonder I can't stop making them.

I put up the original of the "Joy Mandala" up in the etsy shop today and I'll put the new mandala (above in the blue and orange) in the shop tomorrow!

Here's some exciting news:

I am going to be sending out my very first monthly newsletter soon!
Inspired by the "Flying Lessons" e-course I'm taking over with Kelly Rae Roberts (which has left me overflowing with ideas/inspiration, I must say) I'm going to send out my very first newsletter this month. I have some plans for chocking it full of creative inspiration, yogic philosophy, a yoga sequence of the month, sneak peeks at new artwork and news and updates about the Art Asana shop!

Click here to join in on the experimental fun!
Subscribe for the Art Asana Monthly Newsletter
(this link also is over on the sidebar!)

Looking forward to sending you all kinds of love and light!

om shanti

A Tuesday Quote

2010-06-15T21:56:00.000-04:00

"Waking the global heart occurs on both a personal and collective level.

Each of us are cells in the global heart"

~Anodea Judith in Waking the Global Heart

Five Random Things: Yoga Edition

2010-06-11T13:27:00.001-04:00

1. "Sita Sings the Blues"

I watched part of this movie, which I found over at Daily Cup of Yoga (which is a great blog I just discovered with lots of yoga inspired information and posts). It's inspired by the Indian Epic Ramayana, and is an artsy take on the story of Hindu Gods Sita and Rama by director Nina Paley....thought it was a fun thing to pass on this Friday afternoon!

2. Bindu Wiles 21.5.800

I joined in on an yoga/writing challenge!
The challenge, posted by buddhist teacher Bindu Wiles is to write 800 words a day and practice yoga 5 out of 7 days of the week for 21 days total! I have been practicing yoga a lot lately anyway and write on this blog and in my daily morning pages pretty regularly, but its always helpful to have more intention about these practices! I also love the idea of joining together with a whole community of people for a challenge like this. I believe that when an individual becomes a part of something bigger and participates in the greater community, the whole group is uplifted and empowered!

3. 30 Day Yoga Challenge
Until I started writing this post, I didn't even realize how many challenges I was participating in! But this is another one! Luckily, this challenge over laps with the last one and the next one! This is a monthly facebook challenge hosted by Anusara teacher Amy Ippoliti. Each month there is a new pose that you can work on each day for a month. Sometimes they are timed poses, like this month is a timed (1-2 minutes) of pincha mayurasana.
I adapted the challenge to my level (pincha at the wall and working up to a minute) and have done a pincha almost every day since the beginning of June! My shoulders are feeling it for sure and maybe even becoming stronger!

4. 1,000 Hours of Yoga Project
So, you may have noticed in my profile that I started another blog and when you click on that other blog there is nothing there! I started the blog to keep track of/journal about my yoga practice and decided a few weeks ago to commit to 1,000 hours of Yoga and even created a contract with myself (which I plan to post on over on that blog when I get around to getting it going...it's on the "to-do" list for next week!)
as a way to intentionally practice yoga to evolve my connection to my heart.
Since I began keeping track on April 27th, I have practiced 33 hours.
I have a long way to go to get to 1,000 but I have my whole life time to get there.
There is just something about jumping on a challenge that keeps getting me back to the mat, especially on those days when I'd rather just blow it off.

What motivates you to keep up with your daily practices?

5. Practical Sanskrit
Finally, I thought I'd share a fun blog I discovered to learn/contemplate the language of yoga, sanskrit. It is a wonderful resource, so I thought I'd share it here with you today!

Have a wonderful weekend!

(plans for next week: create new artwork! What are your plans for next week?)

A Shot at Dancing

2010-06-10T11:31:00.000-04:00

"Flow" Mixed Media Original Painting

(available in my etsy shop)

Every once in a while, I get really bogged down by the events going on in our world today. I start thinking about wars, the environmental crisis, the climate of the economy, etc. and I start feeling little and low in the face of it all. So much of it feels out my control and yet at the same time, I also feel hugely guilty about not doing enough, about my helplessness in making the world a better place.
My mind starts churning on this and I become almost paralyzed with fear. I begin to have thoughts like, "what's the point of chasing dreams in a crumbling world like this"
or
"what's the point of striving for a creative, happy living when everything about this life experience is so fragile, and sometimes so destructive?"
or
"Who am I to deserve happiness and abundance when there's so much suffering and collapse in this world?"
These are thoughts that come marching in, one right after another.
This is the kind of thinking that starts moving me on a one-way downward spiral.
Sometimes, despite my usually optimistic attitude and generally positive out look on life, these thoughts come creeping in.
I fall into a dark place.
(sometimes this is why I don't always write here)
But I realize that in that darkness, if I listen very carefully, I hear tiny, quiet voices arising to meet the
Fear and Doubt.
They are whispers from my heart,
from wise teachers and other individuals I respect.
They rise up to say things like:
"your happiness is your gift to the world"
or
"when you live and lead from your heart, others will also live and lead from their hearts"
or
"What you want most for yourself, others want most for your also."
or
"In a world of dark, be the light"

And it's these little voices that I try to hold on to. That I try to breathe into my body and mind, even when the negative voices are screaming and drowning them out.
Anne Lamott writes,

"We are given a shot at dancing with, or at least clapping along with, the absurdity of life, instead of being squashed by it over and over again. It's like singing on a boat during a terrible storm at sea. You can't stop the raging storm, but singing can change the hearts and spirits of the people who are together on that ship."

Tantric philosophy says that this experience of ours is the play of Shiva, that it's all a part of his dance. He whirls us into the darkness, so that we may find our own light. There is a joy in this forgetting ourselves in order to remember again. There is joy in the rediscovery of ourselves. When we sing from that knowing, we change the hearts of others. With our song, we can remind others of the joy in their own discovery.
So, I will continue to hold on to these teachings, this quiet knowing, especially as I embrace the weight of the world (because there is certainly no running from it).
I will do my best to dance with the full spectrum of life, of my experience during this time on the planet. I will do my best to sing my heart out, so that I can do my part to change the hearts and spirits of others on this great ship, even during the terrible storms.

I invite you to join me.

Triangular Light

2010-06-08T11:54:00.001-04:00

"Triangular Light"

Mixed Media Original Painting

available here!

I've been asked a couple of times recently what the words were all about in the backgrounds of my paintings. A lot of the time, I cover up the words with the images without writing them down elsewhere, so only the record I have of what I wrote, are the few words that blink through paint and images covering them. It occurred to me recently to copy the writing in another place too, so that I can still access that part of the process.

Mostly the words are inspired by the image itself. I just write from my heart, like I would in my personal journal. Sometimes (this always gives me chills to think about), I seem to receive a direct message from the image itself...I know this sounds a little out there, but I use the image dialouging process used by one of Lesley University's Art therapy Professor, Shaun McNiff.

I created the above image of the figure in triangle (trikonasana) pose a while back and finally finished the painting above the week before last. I decided to put the painting up on etsy as an original piece.

While I was working on the background words, the following message flowed through me and onto the paper. For me, it was speaking about the experience of the pose, of what happens when we engage with the body and the breath:

"I hinge forward from the waist to see myself from a new perspective, triangularly. I extend space through my torso to grow lighter on the inside. I feel strong and steady, steady and strong. On the inside I am different every day, different every day. I breathe into this difference and into sameness too. I breathe in to gently soften and blur my edges the way the sun blurs into the earth at dusk. Can I tell where I end and the rest of the world begins?

I lean back into this knowing and this not knowing because I can tell air versus skin, I can tell gravity versus bone. I remember this kind of embrace, this kind of love. For a moment, I delight in its sweetness, in its purity, clarity and fullness. From my core, I send this love back down to the roots from which it came. I extend through the center of myself, out a liquid crown of lengthened thought. I look up to see fingertips extending, sky bound, grasping the heavens. I dive in to shine my own light out. I move to make space for the new. I breathe to invite release, to initiate change, to unfold the light."

P.S thank you to all of those coming over to to visit my blog and leaving your kind thoughts and support! I really appreciate it, you are all so lovely!

Best Stuff

2010-06-05T04:48:00.004-04:00

{me, working on courage, honesty and openness}

It's really late here. So late in fact, it's early Saturday. The birds are singing. I almost always sleep through the night, but for some reason tonight, I woke up after four hours in bed and was

WIDE AWAKE.

And I was thinking about this blog. and those who've I been connecting with out there in this blogosphere. A lot seems to be buzzing here in this online world for me and I feel as though I am barely keeping up. I have been inspired lately by so many wonderful, creative and lovely people out there and I long to bring the quality of courage and honesty and openness that is outpouring out there, in here to this blog.

It's a work in progress.

Sometimes I feel as though I am caught in wide net cast in the sea. Even though, I'm submerged by the water, I can't seem to find a way to freely swim about and connect with all the other fish. But I long to connect better.

I long to get out of my own way and as Kristen Walker, says in her awesome post,

"put my best stuff out there into the world".

This week, Kristen also wrote this beautiful article on creative tithing, over at scoutiegirl.com. It was about an experiment she's doing where she purchases a handmade item from an artist/craftsperson once a month as a way to support her creative community. It was a beautifully written article, and she brings up so many good points, about how supporting others in their creativity, really supports you too! I was honored to be featured as one of the artists she interviewed as part of the post. She asked me the question "What effect do sales have on your life and creativity?"

and I answered, "Sales help me as an artist to keep doing what I'm doing. Not only do sales allow me to pay for the materials I need to keep creating, but they also give me encouragement to keep going. For me they are concrete signs that what I am doing is what I am meant to do. I truly believe that when you do what you love and you offer it up to the world, the universe (through the support of other people) steps up to support you. I also like to think that sales of my work, help me to support others in their creative dreams and ideas. When I make money, I can then go out and support people/ideas/companies I believe in. For example I can buy local, organic food from the farmer working to support their dreams of keeping their farm. I can buy other hand made items, supporting the dreams of artisans and craftspeople. In this way, I can do my part to keep the circulation of money flowing towards
ideas and people I believe in."

Thank you Kristen for your thought provoking question, your inspiring post on creative tithing and for your warm, couragous posts on your blog. This girl totally rocks.

and so, I've done some creative tithing of my own. And Kristen was right. It feels amazing to support others as I want to be supported.

and found myself with a beautiful magnet from artsyville/Aimee . I am always so inspired by Aimee's colorful content, both the visual aspects of all her wonderful creations. Her blog is funny and honest and always brightens my day! Now I have this inspiring magnet to help remind me why it is I set forth on this teaching path. Thank you, Aimee.

I also am now loving two prints, "Our Love" and "Hope" from Faith over at Leaves and Feathers and They. Are. Beautiful.

Thank you, Faith.

Along with that, I have been super inspired this week by Lis and her posts over on dandelion seeds and dreams. Lis, you are so insightful and I so appreciate your reflective way of writing about your experience. It always feels like your touching on a well of deep truths that I can relate to too. Your support and thoughtful words here on my blog continue to urge me on in both my yoga practice and creative journey....Thank you, Lis.

So here's to all you wonderful, creative, lovely people out there.

Here's to getting out of the net, to connecting, to supporting others.

Here's to courage and honesty and openness.

Home Again

2010-06-03T15:52:00.000-04:00

{Tulsi in her glory}

Well hello!

I'm back on the Cape after my time in Vermont!

My dog is giving me hateful looks (which sort of hurts, coming from a loving lab).

that say "How dare you take me away from a back yard where I can chew on bark mulch,

swim in the pond,

and run in cow pasture eat cow poop" (I know...gross...)
Yes, how dare I.

Not to mention, her very best dog friend lives in Vermont.
I am certainly in the dog house.

But alas, we are back home.

At the Open Studio, I learned a lot about showing my work

and it got me excited about finding other venues to share my work.

I reflected on the list of all the things I needed (and will need next time!),

that I never would have thought of on my own (thanks Dad!) and thought I would share them with you in case anyone out there is thinking about showing their work for the first time:

a sales book (the kind with carbon copies to give to the customers)
white address labels to write the names of the pieces, size and price on
a level (to hang my work so it wasn't crooked) and tape (to keep it from falling out of place)
a sharpie (to sign my pieces...why hadn't I thought to sign them before?)
an Art Asana Monthly Newsletter sign-up sheet (yup! I'm going to start a newsletter soon!)
baskets or something to display cards/prints in
foam core signage
an "About the Artist" sheet kind of thing
business cards
an open mind and good attitude (you never know what kinds of things people will say and you can't let it get you down)

Does anyone have other good advice about what you need to have at art/craft shows?

Anyway,

It's good to be home.

Everything is much greener then when I left and I am going to get our tomato plants planted.

I have big planters that are going on the porch and I'm going to fill them with

lettuce and rainbow swiss chard.

Summer is here and

I'm dreaming about how I am going to decorate our porch...

{the "before" picture of our porch...the table and chairs belong to our landlord, but I think we have use of them?}

Any DIY ideas?

Open Studio Part Two

2010-05-31T10:37:00.000-04:00

It was a busy weekend here at the Tobin homestead!

We had two different wedding parties use my parents basement for arranging flowers for the weddings that happened on Saturday.

My dear friend (since Kindergarten) was married Saturday afternoon and I had the honor of being the Maid of Honor in her wedding...many congratulations go out to her and her new husband!

Along with all the wedding flurry, my dad had the Open Studio going on and

I took pictures to take you on a short, virtual tour!

Here we go!

(extra wedding flowers that given to us for the studio)

(my dad's unframed paintings)

(One of Dad's framed paintings)

(studio entrance)

(my wall of work)

(my prints, artist bio, business cards and note cards... the last of which I'll put up on etsy soon!)

(wall of my originals)

It was really cool to have all of my work up in one place, to receive feedback and have an opportunity to talk about the work and discover what about it people were interested in knowing. All and all, it was a great experience.

On another note, my thoughts and prayers go out to loved ones, family and friends of those who lost lives to war as we pause today to remember them and their service to our country. I also send my thoughts and prayers out to those still overseas and to their friends and families back here at home. May they return safely and swiftly home.

Open Studio Part One

2010-05-25T21:48:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned in Friday's post, this coming weekend is Open Studio Weekend in Vermont, a weekend when artists and craftspeople open their studio spaces to the public.

It is a unique opportunity to see the spaces in which artists create, all over the state of Vermont! If you are in the area this weekend, I definitely recommend checking it out! You can go to the Vermont Craft Council's website to find maps of all the locations of studios.

My dad is participating this year in his new studio space.

My dad (Eric Tobin) has been a full time landscape painter for eleven years now. When I was little, his studio was a small back bedroom in our house, and when that space overflowed with paintings, he built a bit bigger studio in the back of garage and the summer before last he expanded that studio out and up, building a beautiful studio with light and space. I am really excited for him to be able to share it with people.

He's been working all week, building frames, organizing and

placing paintings where he wants them to be.

I am also excited to share original paintings from my Art Asana collection to the public for the first time!

On Sunday, I will be in and around Dad's studio, working and sharing my process with any one who is interested and talking about my work.

I am a little bit nervous about being so seen like this, but it will be good for me!

Later this week, I'll put up more pictures of the "studio" space I've set up here in a corner of my dad's studio.

As part of getting ready for this weekend, I'm churning out some new work (which I've been sharing these last few days). Here's one that feels summery and citrusy to me!

"Citrus Pulse" mixed media by Eliza Lynn Tobin

8x8 print available here.