Final Projects!

This quarter for my ILC, I have been teaching yoga classes and planning and organizing the student group, as well as attending classes in local studios and special workshops on campus. My goal was to make something that displays the mind, body, spirit connections that happen all the time during our existence. I want to show how our internal selves, or inner minds, produce the world around us, and are blueprints for what we physically make, as well as our physical bodies. I was particularly inspired by the Chunliang Al Huang workshop in many ways, especially in the way he would live draw Chinese calligraphy symbols to teach postures and meanings. I felt that this ties together visual arts and movement extremely well, and from this felt compelled to learn Sanskrit calligraphy. I took a few online classes, and decided to write in Sanskrit some of the mantras (chants) I teach during my class. I also drew three mudras, Om mudra (left), Lotus mudra (center), and Mayura mudra (right). I drew the symbols to inspire the connections between words, sounds, gestures, and physical movement and posture, to help the onlooker realize they are all the same. How what we say, what we think, how we move, the sounds we make, all are connected and affecting each other at all times, and the practice of meditation and yoga can help improve our well being and purify ourselves for optimal function.

Four my group project, I created a necklace that was inspired by the ancient Egyptian jewelry. I used the lotus in the center because I have been working with this symbol throughout the quarter, and learned that in Egypt it was a symbol of sun worship. I placed an eye in the center to give the piece beingness, and to remind the onlooker that it is alive and is looking back at you.

Thinking Figure 9: Agua

“Turning the tide of negativity is a transformative process that achieves significant reformulation of the link between understanding and freedom. By introducing a non cognitive idea of understanding, the notion of endurance suggests freedom of understanding through the awareness of our limits, and hence also of our relative bondage.” (Smelik, Lykke, 184)

Through my journey of thinking tools, I end at perhaps the most prevalent, important and historic thinking tool on earth…water. Water purifies, cleans, is our greatest necessity in life, has the power to create and destroy. We are made of almost entirely water, and our minds and bodies need it to function properly. It is interesting in a time of intense suffering and chaos around the earth, our water supplies are being destroyed, and the access to fresh water is decreasing. Our relationship with water is changing, and most people, with or without easy access, do not drink enough clean water daily.

From my experience, my brain works completely different when I am hydrated. I work more efficiently, more smoothly, and a less affected by negative emotions, and generally in a good mood. I find anytime I feel sick, or headachy, or in bad spirits, I am dehydrated. The quote above from Bits of Life inspired this connection with water, as I believe water “turns the tides” and transforms our minds. Water is one of the greatest thinking figures, and is often so overlooked in our daily lives.

Lucid Energy is transforming water one step further into energy with profound methods. They instal turbines that collect energy from moving water in major pipes. They simply capture energy from pipelines using turbines. This system is profound because it does not depend on seasons or nature. Here is a video on Lucid Energy.

Sublime Ornaments

Week 9

Word Count: 298

“Bryson says (2003: 154), ‘the mark on paper leads as much as it is led’, alternately sewing the line into the mind and the mind into the line in a suturing action that grows ever tighter as the drawing proceeds. Thus the drawing is not the visible shadow of a mental event; it is a process of thinking, not the projection of thought.” (Ingold, 128)

“So long as the main role of craft in society is to symbolize skill and taste in fighting off the onslaught of industry, no reconciliation with industry is possible. But before the Industrial Revolution, craft was not a symbol, it was the way things were made.” (Trilling, 190)

“…architecture has to slow down experience, halt time, and defend the natural slowness and diversity of experience. Architecture must defend us against excessive exposure, noise and communication. Finally, the task of architecture is to maintain and defend silence.” (Pallasmaa, 149-150)

“Nanotechnology entails a new level of abstraction of subatomic matter initiating a virtual action on the capacities of nature to become culture: the capacities of inorganic subatomic matter to become nanotechnological and in turn the capacity of nanotechnology to become enveloped in subatomic worlds.” (Parisi, 160)

“Bruce Conner created a double edged critique of American militarism with female sexuality that creates a sublime experience, sublime being beautiful and terrifying.” (Artist Lecture, Johanna Gosse)

The artist lecture experience yesterday was definitely sublime, and watching Bruce Conner’s innovating films inspired me to dabble with films. His work was very striking and powerful, and the psychological effects films have on the minds of people shined through his work. Films in a sense are where visual arts, music, dance/movement intersect, and the correspondence of all the art forms create powerful peeks into other realms. This intersection of the arts, is what the readings seem to point architecture as well. Architecture creates the space for life, and provides glimpses into the past and future cultures as artifacts. I think that questioning what ornamentation in films/ video is an important question to ask, since we are so immersed in videos. I feel as though Conner’s films were highly ornamented, as the images flashed very quickly and there was a kind of chaotic quality that was intensely busy, more so then other films from the 1960’s. I think that his purpose of re-creating the sublime relates to ornament, as ornamentation creates a sublime experience in its terrifying beauty. Ornamentation, as Katie put it, is, “bringing things to life,” and films bring a new realm of life to our imagination and fantasy. It is interesting that in a time where ornamentation was being rejected, a new art form, film, arises. Is film in itself pure ornament?

Could film be a virtual form of architecture?

I have never seen film or architecture in this light, and have never been particularly interested in film making. At this moment, I am not sure what kind of film I would make, or if I would even seriously want to make a film, but seeing film in this way has sparked a deeper appreciation and love of film, and its sublime effects on society.

Seminar Token 8: Mouth Moving Mind

Week 8

Word count: 248

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“There is an ancient etymological connection between the Lain words for the heart, cor, and for cord or string, chorda, and both – in ‘learning by heart’ as in rewinding – are involved in the production of memory (Carruthers 1990: 172).” (Ingold, 121)

“…the conventional basis of ornament is the same: acceptance of the impossible.” (Trilling, 153)

“The ability to imagine and daydream is surely the most human and essential of our mental capabilities. Perhaps, after all, we are humans not because of our hands or intelligence, but thanks to our capacity for imagination.” (Pallasmaa, 133)

“…I begin to think how learning another language…is, first, a newly aquired memory of the mouth. To learn another language is to take on another culture and all the accumulations of its history into the body. One is touched, and in being touched, one is changed. Then empathy and understanding have a chance.” (Hamilton, 67-68)

“that’s why people work hard, so they can afford beautiful things.” (The Fred Effect-Aaron Tisch)

The reading this week, especially the Ann Hamilton reading, created some clear connections between my projects and the readings. With my project I want to unify mind – body – spirit – through bridging connections and allowing

awareness to various paths. Connecting the breath, mind, and body in a yoga practice is one path, while connecting breath, mind, and speech/sound through mantra, is another path. Connecting lotus flower, lotus symbolism, and lotus

pose, displays another path-pattern, and connecting mudras (hand positions) to concepts or mind – postures is another form of bringing union to our lives. Through my experience I am realizing how creating more and more

connections between seemingly disconnected aspects of our lives brings greater clarity, awareness, and union, which can result to liberation. To many people, the realization between what they eat and how they feel is a life-changing

moment, and there are endless connections to be made.

For my final ILC making project, I want to bring some of these connections together. I want write in sanskrit calligraphy, a mantra, or a portion of writing that means something to me, and helps make these connections clear. By doing

this I will bridge the sounds of the sanskrit language, with the visual and physical aspects of writing. Over this background of text, I will draw a mudra (or two) coming out of a lotus flower. This connects the physical movement of hand

to mental meanings. The lotus will be the connection between plant and human and earth and animal.

Sanskrit Writing

This week I feel inspired to work with sanskrit calligraphy. I took an online sanskrit calligraphy class on the American Sanskrit Institutes website, and found it a meditative process that connected me with the language and deeper aspects of yoga. During the Tai Ji workshop, the teacher, Chunglian Al Huang, would live paint chinese symbols and relate them to the Tai Ji postures and meanings. He would draw a beautiful symbol and say, “…before I tell you what this means, let me show you!” He would go on and make huge movements and dramatic sounds to describe what the symbol meant. The way he intertwined visual art, symbolism and Tai Ji practice, along with music and dance was miraculous, and I still finding myself more and more impressed with his teaching techniques. He really incorporated all the arts, as well as western and eastern philosophy, while making it very fun, light hearted, and interesting. As a person who is working to become a better teacher and guide into spiritual practices, his work was some of the most inspirational I have ever experienced.

This sparked the idea to work on some sanskrit calligraphy, and use them as visual aids in classes. The original writing and sounds of the asanas are an integrative part of the experience.

I am at the last steps of grant writing class, and am working on the common grant application. I have started teaching a yoga class from 7:30-8:30am in CRC room 314! I am now teaching twice a week, and going to many classes, some part of the club and some off campus. I have learned a tremendous amount teaching and have picked up a few regulars. Seeing people grow and seeing their minds and bodies transform is such a blessing.

It feels really good to offer a service that helps people bring more awareness and healing to themselves. I see people become more confident and in tune with their yoga every class, and from my personal experience, I know that that resonates out to other aspects of life. I think if we want to heal the world, we must start with ourselves, and the yoga lifestyle is one path that leads to liberation.

Thinking Tool: Coffee

I only drink coffee once or twice a week, but when I do, it amazes me. My thought process in a sense is completely heightened, and I can flow much quicker through my thoughts. At times, a good quality cup is extremely helpful in getting through classes and seminars, and helps me stay focused. At other times, when I drink it too often, the caffeine makes me too anxious and instead of helping my thought flow, hinders it by overshooting. It amazes me how so many people all over the world depend on coffee to think. It is the fuel that drives people to work, that wakes them up and allows them to function. We all know that coffee is addictive, and is drug that much of the world is on. After crude oil, coffee is the most sought commodity in the world, and over half of Americans over the age of 18 drink coffee everyday. (http://www.businessinsider.com/facts-about-the-coffee-industry-2011-11).

In Bits of Life, the question is raised, “…how do digital technologies affect acts of cultural memory?” (115). I also wonder how the various drugs and foods we intake affect acts of cultural memory, and specifically how coffee affects our cognitive function. I also wonder how the foods and drinks that civilizations ingest affect their cultural memory, and the art that they make. Coffee is an integral part to so many lives on earth, not only for drinking but also living, and it must have a huge impact on our individual thinking processes, as well as the collective.

I remember harvesting and roasting coffee beans in northern Thailand on a farm, and it was a beautiful experience. It felt really good to be a part of this process, and familiarize myself with the labor involved. Something many people may not know is that you can eat the berries, and making delicious jams is the best way to eat them (in my opinion). The oils that contain the caffeine are also in the fresh berries, and can get your really amped through just touching them and rubbing your hands in the berries for awhile.

Living Tao

This weekend I had the honor to learn from master Chungliang Al Huang, a renowned Tai ji (not Chi (: ) teacher. His powerful energy, words of wisdom and lessons resonated with me very deeply. I had practiced some Tai Ji and studies Qi Gong with a master in Chicago, but I had never been to a workshop like this one. He inspired such movement and freedom, and I had never done Tai Ji to beautiful classical music for one moment, and then the next dancing my heart out to a jazz singer. It was fabulous and unlike any other experience.

The connections he made between the eastern and western world, and his extensive knowledge of both western and chinese culture was inspiring. He described himself a bridge between the eastern and western world, and I have been seeing this idea appear more in my life. I personally have been wanting and planning to carry out this type of work for awhile, and feel that this is a major step to the unification of people, which brings peace.

One of the highlights of the workshop for me was the Tai Ji movement and meaning that goes along with the movement; embrace tiger, return to mountain. This was the finishing sequence. When embracing the tiger, we embrace our all aspects of ourselves and our life, the happiness and the hardships and take it all in. Then when we return to mountain, we return to the the point we are at presently in our lives, our current position and state of growth, and are content and understand that we can only grow from this point. He stated that when we reach for something ahead of ourselves (as he reached to the side dramatically, almost falling over), we instantly become out of balance. When we lose sight of where we are at now, we no longer have firm ground beneath us. This is very beautiful and enlightening to me, and really embraces the truth in our present moment.

The guest teacher, Lynn Sellars, was also inspirational. Some of the main points she discussed was about the five kleshas that lead to suffering, as discussed in Patanjalis Yoga Sutras. The root klesha is avidya, meaning ignorance, and that all suffering in its root is from ingorance. From their stems ego, attachment to pleasure, aversion, and fear of death. She stated that yoga is the realization of the self, and that similar to an eye that can only see itself in a reflection, that the self can only see itself in a reflection, like a mirror or in water. She used the mind as the water in which we can see ourselves in. When the mind is busy, chaotic and wavering, we get a very distorted image of ourselves, while when the mind is calm, still, and clear, we see the true reflection of ourselves. This metaphor is extremely inspirational to my practice. She went on to say that to remove these obstacles, we need to follow the moral codes of compassion, and that at the root compassion eases all suffering. She also spoke about the importance of eating sattvic foods, meaning pure foods.

This week held much learning and growth! I am very grateful to have shared time with these two wonderful teachers.

I think that the similarity between these two symbols is amazing, The basic being empty whole and the filled wholes, and the curves of nature that bind them together,

Jewelry That Speaks

Week 7

Word count: 210

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“Played out on the global stage, the history of ornament is a many-faceted drama of creation and renewal, remembering and forgetting.” (Trilling,104)

“Artists (Paleolithic) did not make their own media, but accepted what nature gave to them…the creative process began with found materials.” (Trilling, 93)

“We live in worlds of the mind, in which the material and the mental, as well as the experienced, remembered and imagined, completely fuse into each other” (Pallasmaa, 127)

“Does thought lie in the interaction between brains, bodies and objects in the world, or in the correspondence of material flows and sensory awareness wherein consciousness to recall the words of Deluze and Guattari, is the ‘thought of the matter-flow’ and material the ‘correlate of this consciousness’…?” (Ingold, 98)

“Humans and their and their artifacts grow organically into large complex systems characterized by cycles of growth, blooming and dying off…There is no plan behind it all. These are natural processes.” (Gast, 67)

I have ideas for my jewelry design. I want to make a necklace with a wood long centerpiece that I carve either a pictorial story or sanskrit letters across. I also want to make more beads out of paper, of written text that I value and love. I want the beads to hang off the necklace in a way that you can unwrap the beads and be able to read the text.I want this piece to actually tell a story, concept or idea. I connect this with ornament being a “global stage…many-faceted drama of creation and renewal” (quoted and cited above).

I want my jewelry to literally speak to the audience, to make the cognitive connection between ornament and language. This piece would be wearable as well as readable, and plays with the boundaries between accessories, gathering information and communication. I haven’t found anything quite like this online, and am starting to draw sketches. I have not decided want I want my jewelry to say, but I may go to a used book store, or thrown out magazine for inspiration.

I am very inspired by the Egyptian style of jewelry, especially for the wood centerpiece. I think the the pictorial forms and symbols in Egyptian art communicates powerfully.

Guest Teachers and Tai Chi

SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES!

This week we organized a special guest, Lyn Sellar to teach a two hour class. She was trained by master Dharma Mittra, and has much experience. I am familiar with Dharmas teachings, as I did an internship and extensive study at a dharma yoga studio in Chicago. This is so exciting! The yoga classes have been full, and we are making more and more connections. A friend of mine mentioned an eco village in washington that wants people to visit, and we are talking about organizing a workshop on their land in spring. Also, we are applying for a budget to go to the Yoga Service Conference in New York in May. Four students went last year through the club, and learned a lot! There are workshops, classes, and many renowned teachers attending all weekend. http://www.eomega.org/workshops/yoga-service-conference

I also taught a morning class on friday, from 7:30-8:30am. The Evergreen Yoga Service Collective is going to take over morning classes as well.

I bought myself a tingsha (picture at top)! These Tibetan cymbals are used to clear the body and chakra field from static blocks. They have a beautiful resonance, and clear the energy of the room as well, similar to burning sage. I have wanted to use these in my practice and classes for awhile.

I am also participating in the Tai Chi workshop held on campus. It is three day workshop.

I was inspired by the native art in the Burke museum. The jewelry was a beautiful part, and I want to work off of some of these images.

Yoga Class and Trip to Portland!

This began with my first yoga class at Evergreen! A couple people came, which was excellent for how long our advertisements have been out. I received positive feedback, and have been getting regulars since. This is such a great outlet for me to hone my teaching skills while deepening my knowledge of yoga. The yoga team has been so great and supportive, and we will continue having classes and starting on budget proposals.

On friday I visited Portland for the first time. I was amazed at the energy and artisanal culture. I was only there for the day, so I was limited in my explorations, but the strong community was apparent and back-to-roots outlook was visible. It was really inspiring to see the presence of small businesses and how they seem to flourish much more compared to the rest of the USA. It is a place I will be visiting more often. In Portland I saw a band play called Lettuce. They are a funk instrumental band, who are known for their awesome shows and fantastic music. A group called Break Science opened for them, who played digital dance music with a live drummer (the drummer from Lettuce). It w

This is a picture of our first partner yoga class!!!!!
I found this picture in Portland and thought it was hilarious. It amazes me how people play with yoga and how many forms it can take.

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