Wednesday, 17 September 2014
where does it hurt?
later that night
i held an atlas in my lap
ran my fingers across the whole world
and whispered
where does it hurt?
it answered
everywhere
everywhere
everywhere.
― Warsan Shire
i held an atlas in my lap
ran my fingers across the whole world
and whispered
where does it hurt?
it answered
everywhere
everywhere
everywhere.
― Warsan Shire
Kintsugi
Kintsukuroi.
(n.) (v.phr.) "to repair with gold"
I like Kintsugi's simple lesson, that it's possible to start over.
Tuesday, 16 September 2014
Recommended Read
Another recommended read from Brené Brown. This time The Gifts of Imperfection.
She's an authority on shame, empathy and authenticity (she's dedicated her life's work and research to these themes) and a brilliant storyteller!
It’s this mix of science and story that make The Gifts of Imperfection an interesting, inspiring, and insightful read. Click below for a little taster and to hear Oprah's joy...moment 3:55 is my favorite : )
“Dr. Kristin Neff is a researcher and professor at the University of Texas at Austin. She runs the Self-Compassion Research Lab, where she studies how we develop and practice self-compassion. According to Neff, self-compassion has three elements: self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness. Here are abbreviated definitions for each of these: Self-kindness: Being warm and understanding toward ourselves when we suffer, fail, or feel inadequate, rather than ignoring our pain or flagellating ourselves with self-criticism. Common humanity: Common humanity recognizes that suffering and feelings of personal inadequacy are part of the shared human experience—something we all go through rather than something that happens to “me” alone. Mindfulness: Taking a balanced approach to negative emotions so that feelings are neither suppressed nor exaggerated. We cannot ignore our pain and feel compassion for it at the same time. Mindfulness requires that we not “over-identify” with thoughts and feelings, so that we are caught up and swept away by negativity.”
― BrenĂ© Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are
She's an authority on shame, empathy and authenticity (she's dedicated her life's work and research to these themes) and a brilliant storyteller!
It’s this mix of science and story that make The Gifts of Imperfection an interesting, inspiring, and insightful read. Click below for a little taster and to hear Oprah's joy...moment 3:55 is my favorite : )
“Dr. Kristin Neff is a researcher and professor at the University of Texas at Austin. She runs the Self-Compassion Research Lab, where she studies how we develop and practice self-compassion. According to Neff, self-compassion has three elements: self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness. Here are abbreviated definitions for each of these: Self-kindness: Being warm and understanding toward ourselves when we suffer, fail, or feel inadequate, rather than ignoring our pain or flagellating ourselves with self-criticism. Common humanity: Common humanity recognizes that suffering and feelings of personal inadequacy are part of the shared human experience—something we all go through rather than something that happens to “me” alone. Mindfulness: Taking a balanced approach to negative emotions so that feelings are neither suppressed nor exaggerated. We cannot ignore our pain and feel compassion for it at the same time. Mindfulness requires that we not “over-identify” with thoughts and feelings, so that we are caught up and swept away by negativity.”
― BrenĂ© Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are
Alison Saar
I have an art crush!
Here is a little more about her background...
"The work of Alison Saar addresses humanity in the broadest sense. Through the use of archetypal images, Saar reaches out to audiences from backgrounds as culturally and ethnically diverse as her own. Her mother, well-known artist Betye Saar, has European, Native American, and African American ancestors; her father, Richard Saar, painter turned conservator, is of German and Scottish origin. Fragments of lore, myth and legend as well as the practices of the everyday, rooted in these cultural backgrounds, are woven into Saar's powerful images, where contemporary expression enshrines centuries of man's spiritual evolution."
(Text from phylliskindgallery.com. Photos from lalouver.com. View her work here.)
"Females carry the marks, language and nuances of their culture more than the male. Anything that is desired or despised is always placed on the female body."
--Wangechi Mutu
--Wangechi Mutu
The Disintegration Loops
"The Disintegration Loops is a series of four albums by American avant-garde composer William Basinski released in 2002 and 2003. All albums are recorded in the same form of a tape loop which slowly deteriorates as it passes by the tape head, creating all the more noises and cracks in the music as the theme progresses. The recording coincided with the 9/11 attacks and the album covers and accompanying videos feature a still skyline of New York City with smoke and dust rising from the World Trade Center site."
(Text from Wiki)
(Text from Wiki)
Anthem
The birds they sang
At the break of day
Start again
I heard them say
Don't dwell on what
Has passed away
Or what is yet to be.
Ah the wars they will
Be fought again
The holy dove
She will be caught again
Bought and sold
And bought again
The dove is never free.
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.
We asked for signs
The signs were sent
The birth betrayed
The marriage spent
Yeah the widowhood
Of every government
Signs for all to see.
I can't run no more
With that lawless crowd
While the killers in high places
Say their prayers out loud.
But they've summoned, they've summoned up
A thundercloud
And they're going to hear from me.
Ring the bells that still can ring
You can add up the parts
But you won't have the sum
You can strike up the march,
There is no drum
Every heart, every heart
To love will come
But like a refugee.
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.
That's how the light gets in.
That's how the light gets in.
At the break of day
Start again
I heard them say
Don't dwell on what
Has passed away
Or what is yet to be.
Ah the wars they will
Be fought again
The holy dove
She will be caught again
Bought and sold
And bought again
The dove is never free.
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.
We asked for signs
The signs were sent
The birth betrayed
The marriage spent
Yeah the widowhood
Of every government
Signs for all to see.
I can't run no more
With that lawless crowd
While the killers in high places
Say their prayers out loud.
But they've summoned, they've summoned up
A thundercloud
And they're going to hear from me.
Ring the bells that still can ring
You can add up the parts
But you won't have the sum
You can strike up the march,
There is no drum
Every heart, every heart
To love will come
But like a refugee.
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.
That's how the light gets in.
That's how the light gets in.
Monday, 15 September 2014
Native Lines
Hand woven wall tapestries from nativelines.com The designs are informed by Native American traditional Navajo tapestries depicting the natural world.
Spirit Lines
High above the sun-punished floor of Canyon de Chelly in a sandstone spire known as Spider Rock, Spider Woman once wove on a loom that Spider Man made for her out of sunshine, lightning and rain. While the details of this Navajo folklore have become elusive with time, native weaver Emily Malone—whose family has created distinct Spider Rock designs for generations—explains how her people learned to weave:
“It’s only in winter that we tell the story about twin boys who made a journey to their father, the sun,” Emily says. “On the way they met Spider Woman, and she invited them into her house. It was a small home, and the boys asked her how they could fit in. Suddenly, a big opening appeared for them to go through, and inside were all different kinds of weavings. She told them to let their mother come and she would teach her how to weave.”
Through studying Spider Woman’s craft, the Navajo people learned to make blankets that brought warmth during harsh winters and offered new opportunities for trade. As a tribute to her, many weavers deliberately left a hole in the center of their blankets—one that mirrored the hole in the center of a spider web, and possibly the hole through which the twins entered Spider Woman’s home.
But over time, buyers started to see these holes as design flaws: imperfections on products that were otherwise perfect. Closing them would have meant opening the weavers up to potentially adverse spiritual consequences, so as a compromise, some weavers began to include what are now called “spirit lines” into their work instead. A non-structural variation of imperfection, spirit lines are created by using a contrasting thread in the same color as the background to add intentional breaks in a weaving’s geometric borders. Where they’re placed, their length and how many rows they claim are all matters of the weaver’s personal taste; the only common thread is the significance drawn from their intent.
While spirit lines may still be perceived as purposeful mistakes to some, Emily describes them as beautiful. In her culture, they’re referred to as shih nih bi-teen, which translates to “my mind’s road.” Her family believes that spirit lines are intentionally placed pathways meant to release their minds from their handiwork, preventing their creativity from being trapped in the weaving forever. “Spirit lines are important to us,” she says. “They keep your mind open for your next project. Without them, you enclose your designs in one rug and won’t be able to think of the next one.”
Spirit lines are a means of releasing energy, a doorway to the future, a pathway that connects a weaver’s first rug to her last using creative momentum to propel her designs forward. Without that contrasting line, the weaver’s design may appear aesthetically perfect, but reaching perfection has its consequences: If it’s attained, there’s nowhere left to go, no work left to be done.
If a spirit line is a visual reminder to push creative boundaries, then it’s a symbol that can extend beyond the Navajo nation. It can live in paintings or pastries, songs or sculptures. How it takes shape is at the will of the artist, but to those who make art or food or photographs, incorporating tangible evidence of a beautifully imperfect journey offers the mind a road to betterment.
(Second image of a 1940's weaving from navajorug.com)
I Am Imperfect
“Wholehearted living is about engaging with our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion and connection to wake up in the morning and think, ‘No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough.’ It’s going to bed at night thinking, ‘Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid, but that doesn’t change the truth that I am also brave and worthy of love and belonging.”
― BrenĂ© Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection
― BrenĂ© Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection
Glorious imperfection.
I like this article: How to stop needing how to-do lists. by Daniel Goldsmith at Recovering Yogi
I think you should read it, you might like it to!
"The wisdom to know when something needs to change must be balanced with the compassionate embrace that things are all right just as they are."
-- Daniel Goldsmith
I think you should read it, you might like it to!
"The wisdom to know when something needs to change must be balanced with the compassionate embrace that things are all right just as they are."
-- Daniel Goldsmith
Natural Judgement
"When you go out into the woods, and you look at trees, you see all these different trees. And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens, and some of them are whatever. And you look at the tree and you allow it. You see why it is the way it is. You sort of understand that it didn't get enough light, and so it turned that way. And you don't get all emotional about it. You just allow it. You appreciate the tree.
The minute you get near humans, you lose all that. And you are constantly saying 'You are too this, or I'm too this.' That judgment mind comes in. And so I practice turning people into trees. Which means appreciating them just the way they are."
-- Ram Dass.
Sunday, 14 September 2014
Saturday, 13 September 2014
Saturday Cartoon
My Intent is to Allow My Body to Rest When It Needs It.
My intent is to reflect the light of others.
Beautiful intentions from Yumi Sakugawa for intent.com
Saturday Poem
The Peace of Wild Things
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
— Wendell Berry
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
— Wendell Berry
Thursday, 11 September 2014
“Suddenly I came out of my thoughts to notice everything around me again-the catkins on the willows, the lapping of the water, the leafy patterns of the shadows across the path. And then myself, walking with the alignment that only comes after miles, the loose diagonal rhythm of arms swinging in synchronization with legs in a body that felt long and stretched out, almost as sinuous as a snake…when you give yourself to places, they give you yourself back; the more one comes to know them, the more one seeds them with the invisible crop of memories and associations that will be waiting for when you come back, while new places offer up new thoughts, new possibilities. Exploring the world is one the best ways of exploring the mind, and walking travels both terrains.”
― Rebecca Solnit, Wanderlust: A History of Walking
― Rebecca Solnit, Wanderlust: A History of Walking
Wednesday, 10 September 2014
Hello Again
Goodness gracious me, I've been gone a long time, my holiday was bliss; time stood still, I made pots, spent time alone, got the wrong train back from the coast, visited inspiring places, went swimming everyday, forgot my passport in a hotel room, bought some fake gemstones from a dude who's sole job seemed to be to get tourists high (fun times) and now I'm heading back to London where I'll be getting back to Yoga teaching, taking part in a feminist art fair (details to follow...) and moving into a new shared art studio. I can't wait to begin!
Libra: This week you can feel so present in your own skin. You can feel your feet on the ground, you can feel the air on your face, you can hear the song of the world in your ears. You can feel peace if you need peace, you can feel strength if you need strength, you can come into your own. You can find yourself in storms, you can find yourself in mountains, you can find yourself in sweet foggy air. Try to be gentle with the people you care about. Try to be tender with your own self.
(Words by Madame Clairevoyant and illustration by Jen May)
I've been thinking...
While I was away I thought alot about moving and creativity and how they link/overlap/enhance each other and about how I might start to combine the two in my teaching.
I also thought alot about trying to become ambidextrous. It's been a busy month ; )
Expect some brainstorming in this space.
(image found here)
Tuesday, 9 September 2014
Hello Again
Greetings to you, oh cultured individual of great taste and elegance, 'tis me with details of my Autumn goings-on...
Goodness gracious me, I've been gone a
long time, my holiday was bliss; time stood still, I made pots, spent
time alone, got the wrong train back from the coast, visited inspiring
places, went swimming everyday, forgot my passport in a hotel room,
bought some fake gemstones from a dude who's sole job seemed to be to
get tourists high (fun times) and now I'm heading back to London where I
intend to put on the greatest yoga classes, retreats, workshops and
courses ever staged since the last lot of greatest things I ever staged.
Jokes.
So, without further ado, here is a list of things you might like to come and do...
The three most prevalent human positions:
1. Lying down (LOVE this one)
2. Standing
3. Squatting
Do you do the third one?
Well dammit friend, you should.
***********
******* Workshop *******
***********
******* Workshop *******
***********
"It’s a basic act of humanity, of movement, of utility. To squat is to be."
The three most prevalent human positions:
1. Lying down (LOVE this one)
2. Standing
3. Squatting
Do you do the third one?
Well dammit friend, you should.
Squatting is a primal pattern. Basic and important and being able to practice it with ease will fill your body (and heart) with goodness.
And what do you know, I can help you! In just a few brief days - 13/09/2014 - I'll be teaching a workshop at The Sunflower Centre about rehabing resting squat related functions.
We will:
• prepare and mobilise the spine, hips, ankles and knees and many different muscle groups along the way
• work on various limiting factors so that you leave the workshop with individual things to work on (and a challenge to keep squatting part of your day.)
• play with some of the asana that evolve beautifully from a resting squat
Where?
The Sunflower Centre
81 Tressillian Rd, London SE4 1XZ
And what do you know, I can help you! In just a few brief days - 13/09/2014 - I'll be teaching a workshop at The Sunflower Centre about rehabing resting squat related functions.
We will:
• prepare and mobilise the spine, hips, ankles and knees and many different muscle groups along the way
• work on various limiting factors so that you leave the workshop with individual things to work on (and a challenge to keep squatting part of your day.)
• play with some of the asana that evolve beautifully from a resting squat
Where?
The Sunflower Centre
81 Tressillian Rd, London SE4 1XZ
When?
Saturday 13th September 2014, 14:30 - 16:30
Who?
EVERYONE is welcome and it will be an intimate affair, 8 spaces only!
What do you want from me?
£25, and picture of your favorite pet.
If I've caught your interest and you would like to join me to see what all the fuss is about click send me an email to book.
If you can't make it, but would still like to know what all the fuss is about then click HERE for an informative read.
Saturday 13th September 2014, 14:30 - 16:30
Who?
EVERYONE is welcome and it will be an intimate affair, 8 spaces only!
What do you want from me?
£25, and picture of your favorite pet.
If I've caught your interest and you would like to join me to see what all the fuss is about click send me an email to book.
If you can't make it, but would still like to know what all the fuss is about then click HERE for an informative read.
********
**** ReTREATS! ****
********
**** ReTREATS! ****
********
"Self-love, my liege, is not so vile a sin, as self-neglecting."
--William Shakespeare, Henry V.
--William Shakespeare, Henry V.
If you are in need of some TLC then I (and Willy S) highly recommend booking yourself onto a WellbeingYogi weekend retreat with me and AdventureYogi.
I have two more for you to chose from this year...What you waiting for?!
I have two more for you to chose from this year...What you waiting for?!
WHEN and Where?
Friday 19th-22nd September in East Sussex.
Friday 7-9th November in Oxfordshire.
WHY?
detailed explanation:
www.rachel-and-yoga.com/news
I
am pleased to announce that I will be teaching another two small group
beginners courses at Triyoga Chelsea. If you, or someone you
know/like/love, is interested in inspiring your/their beginners mind
with the beautiful basics of this stretchy art then purchase some lycra and click here.
The course is limited to 10 people, so one-to-one attention will be plentiful, and will cost 85 of your hard earned pound pieces. I can think of much worse ways to spend that money. Oh and that price includes 50% off a 5 class pass, worth £32.50. It's a win win.
Friday 19th-22nd September in East Sussex.
Friday 7-9th November in Oxfordshire.
WHY?
detailed explanation:
www.rachel-and-yoga.com/news
***********
******* Of COURSE! *******
***********
******* Of COURSE! *******
***********
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few” ― Shunryu Suzuki
The course is limited to 10 people, so one-to-one attention will be plentiful, and will cost 85 of your hard earned pound pieces. I can think of much worse ways to spend that money. Oh and that price includes 50% off a 5 class pass, worth £32.50. It's a win win.
WHERE
Triyoga Chelsea
372 king’s road, London, SW3 5UZ
020 7483 3344
A
story anchored in movement to help young people feel braver, to live
how they want to live, so that they are free and confident to make their
own choices tomorrow. A truly beautiful thing.Triyoga Chelsea
372 king’s road, London, SW3 5UZ
020 7483 3344
WHEN
Saturday 27th September - Saturday 18th October
14:45 to 15:45
or
Saturday 22nd November - Saturday 13th December
14:45 - 15:45
WHY
Because why not?!
Or, if you would prefer a more intelligent answer, then feel free to drop me an email.
Saturday 27th September - Saturday 18th October
14:45 to 15:45
or
Saturday 22nd November - Saturday 13th December
14:45 - 15:45
WHY
Because why not?!
Or, if you would prefer a more intelligent answer, then feel free to drop me an email.
***********
******* Recommendation *******
***********
******* Recommendation *******
***********
If you find yourself North of the M25 this Autumn, specifically in Manchester or Bradford, then I highly recommend going to see No Guts, No Heart, No Glory by Bradford based Common Wealth Theatre.
It is a site-specific performance event staged in a boxing gym, based
on interviews with Muslim Female Boxers which explores being young,
fearless and doing the unexpected. Common Wealth have been working
closely with five 16-22 year old Muslim women and former National
Champion Ambreen Sadiq to devise the show to make sure it represents a young Muslim female experience.
***********
Could there be more? Yes there bloody is, but I just ran out of juice and time. If you would like to find out more go to my website and click on the button which says <<please tell me more and put ten quid into my bank account, here are the details>>Failing that read all about everything on my facebook events page. Also, I'm told, that you may wish to click these ridiculous corporate buttons...
|
You have an incredible attention span if you got this far, I lost focus after 'Squatting is a primal pattern',
so THANK YOU my friend and enjoy the rest of your day. I leave you with
this; a picture of summer and a quote to help you on your way...
Love,
Rachel
"When you go out into the woods and you look at trees, you see all these different trees. And some of them are bent, and some of them are straight, and some of them are evergreens, and some of them are whatever. And you look at the tree and you allow it. You appreciate it. You see why it is the way it is. You sort of understand that it didn’t get enough light, and so it turned that way. And you don’t get all emotional about it. You just allow it. You appreciate the tree. The minute you get near humans, you lose all that. And you are constantly saying ‘You’re too this, or I’m too this.’ That judging mind comes in. And so I practice turning people into trees. Which means appreciating them just the way they are."
-- Ram Dass
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