Proprioception!

Olafur Eliasson makes space tangible and effectively blows my mind because he uses art to interrogate the concept of proprioception, the awareness of one's bodily position in space & my favorite thing to think about recently. See his TED TALK here.

Viewers of Eliasson's work are encouraged to explore relationship between both individuality/collectivity ...& thinking/doing by experiencing the WHY of being, part of a space and not just in it.

Olafur says, 'The way we link thinking and doing is experience. Experience is responsibility & taking part in the world. To take part in the world, we must share responsibility'.

Eliasson's hypothesis: With greater experience of space comes greater awareness about both the collective and the individual human responsibility to make a difference in the world, or, space. If one has a sense of the space, feel it is tangible, feel there is time and a dimension we can call time in the space (and world) then one then feels that they can change the space (and world).

So - I may be a nerd - but Louis Vuitton agreed that Eliasson is a FANTASTIC creative mind. That means he must be cool. Here's his website. Hope you enjoy him as much as I do!

"Tell Me How You Started Yoga"

Jan 1 2010 marks exactly 9 months since I started a consistent daily yoga practice. WOW. But friend and force in the yoga industry Brian Castellani started an amazing Facebook group called ORDINARY YOGA and asked everyone to share how our yoga practices started with the intention to de-mystify yoga to make it easier for those just starting out. Wow.

So, here's how I started...

To get one free credit at Northeastern University I practiced with a Boston-based angel named Doreen (whose voicemail prompted me to "do lots and lots of Svaroopa ® yoga" when I called to tell her that my paper on the difference between stretching and releasing would not be turned in on the assigned date).

After then experimenting with Ashtanga, Kundalini, Baptiste, Anusara and Forrest styles - I am a dedicated Bikram practitioner (though I love the weekends because I can go to more than one class in a day and still get in a class or two in another style!). I am very excited to add Global Mala Yoga for Peace to 1/365 days of 2010 practice (and every other year for the rest of my life for that matter!)

One of my favorite songs has a chorus that begins, "ετση ξεκήνησα λειπων ετση ξεκήνησα. "So I began, thus so I began" is implying that I am beginning and beginning and beginning and beginning - from birth and through every moment. Wow what a journey. What's yours? Share it with me and Brian at Ordinary Yoga.

Hustle

"Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle." -Abraham Lincoln

My Dream Closet

Dream Closet by adurableheart featuring Valentino

Some items in the dream closet of adurableheart:
Alexander Wang Draped satin-jersey gown, $695
Vivienne Westwood Anglomania New Drape jersey dress, $525
Folded cocktail dress at karenmillen.com, 180 GBP
Alexander McQueen Draped cashmere-blend sweater, $860
Helmut Lang Wool-blend jersey draped cardigan, $380

Walking is a Miracle

An exquisite description of walking appeared in Yoga Journal on October 6. 
("Daily Insight" email, subject "Amazing Grace").

If you have a moment to ponder the following words, I  think you will also be convinced about the veritable nature of walking as miracle.

WHY IS WALKING A MIRACLE?

When you walk, you are

"Balancing the weight of your torso on two long supports,

while smoothly transferring this weight from one support to the other,

and all the while maintaining a constant rate of motion

and perfect balance".

Wow. Humans are amazing. Graceful. Strong. Poised. Immaculate. Let's try to keep it that way.

NOTE ON BALANCE:
Coming soon from @adurableheart are some of Roger Cole's anatomically sound tips on perfect balance and some literary persuasions that inspire me to execute those tricky one-legged balancing poses !
Sketch by French freelance illustrator Jean-Yves Coulaud.

Donna Karan - First Lady of Stylized Integrative Health - Inpiring - Amazing - Extraordinary - Incredible - A True Hero -

I am amazed by individuals who create empires from the fabric of their dreams - like Donna Karan and her cashmere empire. No one can touch her. She loves TED and makes the best, most beautiful and practical perfume/clothing on the planet. She once said that "When you see a problem, there is a solution. I think that's why there are problems. It's sort of simple."

Shinichi Maruyama captures india inks and water colliding mid-air with photography. That inspires her.

Above all, Donna Karan co-founded URBAN ZEN FOUNDATION - an organization dedicated to raising awareness and inspiring change in the ares of well-being, preserving cultures and empowering children. That inspires me.

Someday I will be an influential contribution to an organization like Urban Zen Foundation.
This amazing Donna Karan Photograph was taken by Brigitt Lacombe to accompany Donna's interview with Calvin Klein in Interview Magazine