September is over and already we are flowing into October! Or, perhaps it feels more like a stagger as we move towards the end of yet another year. What I am aware of is that my little bit of a blog inspired by the latest Om Yoga magazine is somewhat late in its creation!
Therefore, if you are keen to really keep up to date click on the link at the side of my post and sign up to receive your own copy…
There are reasons for my tardiness; gorgeous daughter’s wedding followed swiftly by a wonderful trip to Riva del Garda. Now it is time to take up the everyday things and settle back into my work and yoga practice.
I read some of my Om magazine whilst I was a way, in the quiet moments at the end of our jaunts up mountains and round incredibly beautiful lakes.
I love books and have done so all my life. I do believe I’ve written a little on the subject in a much earlier post. I spend money on books rather than clothes! I read voraciously and once into a good book there is no moving me. It follows then that I am always on the lookout for new inspiration and always read the recommendations in any magazine I pick up. Looking through September’s edition of Om the books featured were all about Creativity.
They seem to be a great place to start if we feel afraid or out of our depth when considering drawing/art. Although Quantum Creativity by Amit Goswami may offer a wider approach; “he offers unique ways to nurture and enhance your own creativity.” Two of the books are colouring-in books by Sophie Leblanc which I have already heard about and sound like a wonderful way to simply switch off and breathe gently as we did as children.
Many years ago when I was a Supply Teacher I was asked to teach a class of Reception children who had not long been at school. My task was to convince them that they really did have to stay all day and that there were no longer tiny snacks available on The Special Table whenever they needed them! The youngest, if I remember rightly was only just four years old and I am sure his day felt very long…
I took in an enormous bunch of red tulips and a lovely clear glass vase. These bright, cheerful blooms had pride of place on the art table and through the day every child got time to paint their own version of The Tulips. What a joy! Needless to say there were many and varied interpretations and each one was magnificent.
No one in that class was too afraid to pick up the brush load it with colour and simply go for it! At day’s end I had 32 masterpieces. Naturally, not everyone saw the need to paint the flowers red and, of course, artistic license allowed for a little light foliage to be woven into some of the arrangements. The painting that will remain forever in my memory was by the youngest member of the class. He was a serious little boy with wonderful red hair. As each child completed their picture I asked them to tell me about it. When his turn came I was truly intrigued to know what he would share with me. His vase was perfect and he had painted in the line to show the water level….then painted above the vase and lying on their sides were the individual tulips, so they hovered in the air horizontally. He had neatly painted each tulip so all the flower heads faced the same way. Some of the other children were somewhat puzzled and asked why the flowers weren’t in the water so I asked him to explain again to them what he had told me….”those tulips have been in the water all day and had had enough to drink and now they need a rest”! Who was I to argue and the rest of the class seemed perfectly satisfied with his explanation.
As we grow up we generally lose the freedom to be creative and worry too much about getting it right and wondering what people will think if we simply tap into our own ideas and inspirations. To take it on a step further from drawing and art I believe that creativity encompasses everything…baking, gardening, climbing a high hill, breathing in a different way, stepping on to my yoga mat and simply waiting until the movement begins. I am often asked by my students what yoga poses to practice when I take a break from teaching. Over the years I’ve tried to get people to simply unroll their mat, sit down, breathe and wait to see what occurs..there is no right or wrong way to enjoy yoga. We must just keep on moving from one shape and feeling to another.
You may be wondering what the relevance of the photographs is….they were all taken by me and as I take them all completely spontaneously they are my creation! I do not spend time weighing things up and composing the perfect snapshot. I simply work utterly from my heart…I like what I see and I record that image. It delights me later to see exactly what I have captured. It is a new thing for me. I take photos to pop up on my Twitter feed and everything you see there and on my blog is totally mine!
And so the photographs show; The Meherangarh Fort, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, Lake Ledro, Italy, a tulip from our garden, stone carving at Angkor, Cambodia and a view from high above Lake Garda.
As always I hope all who read my blog are left feeling somewhat lighter and more joyful or, simply more peaceful. My love to all and enjoy your week.
Namaste.