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

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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.

Thinking tool: Gertrude Stein in Clay

This week I created a clay bust of Gertrude Stein as a collaborative project. I forgot how much I love ceramics, and how calming and meditative the process is. I love the feeling of sculpting and having the total control over the piece that clay offers. In relation to the text, it is like our hands are giving life to the clay, and the union between clay/ material and hands, like woman and man, or In-Vitro process and human give life. Also, the way I learned to approach clay modeling is to start with a ball, then from the ball create an egg. The egg is a starting point where anything can be created. If you want to create a woman, the egg is faced up, for a man, faced down because men are usually more top heavy. Animals and other things can be started from the side or any angle. This reminds me of the process of creation in biology.

While working on the project, I learned about Stein and her work, and got a taste of the passion that people have over her work. It was inspiring to hear how Kenna and Cameron felt about poetry, and the magic that words had on them. Personally I have never been an avid reader or poet, and words never had such a strong presence in my life, but hearing their feelings spoken made my connection with text deeper.

Weekly Yoga Classes Are On!

Since the end of last quarter, I have been leading The Evergreen Yoga Service Collective in starting up as a club again and getting a weekly yoga schedule out. Last thursday we released our weekly schedule, and have five classes a week! I am so excited, and it took a lot of work and planning to get here. From meetings, contacting people, getting a new advisor, workshops, and more, I am really proud of the other coordinators and myself.

We are offering FREE yoga classes to STUDENTS and NON STUDENTS, and have a variety of classes from acro/ partner yoga, flow classes, advanced classes and a chakra workshop. We are now aiming to go to the Yoga Service Conference in New York this May, and host other workshops and collaborate with other clubs.

My passion is to share and practice yoga, and having this space to teach and learn from others, while increasing the accessibility for yoga in our community is so fulfilling, and is allowing me to learn quickly.

This week I also wrote a piece of my grant for the grant writing class, and found it an extremely repetitive and timely process, but very rewarding. I am learning how to write with rigid guidelines, and write very directly with as much information in a small amount of space as possible. I feel like its boosting my left brain thinking, which is difficult, but needed.

3D Printed Flowers to Avoid Extinction

Here is an article about a women who 3d printed flowers to “reveal what currently exists before its lost.”

“3D printing has provided me a new way of communicating about a pristine and special world to a busy culture that may be unable to explore such things in their everyday lives” (Darlene Farris-LaBar)

I found the article really beautiful and inspiring, and have been toying with the idea of 3d printing plants.

“It is Farris-LaBar’s hope that her 3D printed flowers can act as “3D field guides”, showing off the flowers’ unique characteristics to onlookers, while also working as an educational tool to create awareness of the dangers that these species of plants are faced with.” (Darlene Farris-LaBar)

Here is a link to the article!

http://3dprint.com/14758/3d-printed-flowers/

Thinking Tool: Tea

“Here, it is not the sperm, but the egg and the woman’s body that run the show.” (Lykke, 88)

The switch between viewpoints that this chapter reveals is revolutionary. The idea that the woman’s body has the control and intelligence in the reproductive process makes way more sense, and should be heard. It amazes me how societies project their beliefs and notions into scientific research to this extreme, and how culture and science are so interconnected. Our understanding of the world seems to be so based in beliefs and cultural environments.

When contemplating my thinking tool, I was inspired to reflect on the things that I surround myself with, especially when thinking. I realized that while studying or reading, or during class I am usually sipping on a delicious and calming cup of tea. The act of drinking tea helps me focus, helps me stay alert and calm, and helps me stay hydrated (as I sip and write). It is a great tool for thought, and I believe has aided people through history in thinking, writing and discussing.

The Yoga of Grant Writing

This past saturday was my second grant writing class, where we started learning how to write the first steps of a common grant: Into, Needs, Objective. While this may seem easy, I assure you it is an extremely intense and strategic process, that requires a lot of time. The amount of research, the amount of guidelines, and amount of care and particulars with writing is great. I won’t go into details, but its no surprise why more people don’t even attempt to write grants, and why nonprofits often struggle to survive.

Even though its challenging, I am learning how to think as a corporation or extremely wealthy individual, which is interesting. I have put my mind in their world and figured how they view the issues of charity and money. The amount of knowledge and 40 years experience that the teacher Don Chalmers has with nonprofits is incredible, and his personal experience is fueling my desire to learn. The amount of change that he has helped nonprofits accomplish is outstanding, and how he manages to bring millions of dollars back to the hands people impresses me. It astonishes me how there is billions of dollars sitting waiting to be given to grants.

Meanwhile, I started watching Yoga Unveiled, a three hour documentary on yoga from the roots to present day. I learned things that I never knew about yoga, and appreciate the clarity its brought me. One aspect I enjoyed in particular is that yoga is a lifestyle that is designed to return the human to its true, innermost nature, peaceful and happy; “heaven.”

The concept of connecting the Eastern and Western world was another theme in the documentary. It was stated that the East, particularly India, is the complete polarity to the West, particularly the USA. India culturally and historically being preoccupied with the spirit, and the USA being preoccupied with the material. Bringing these polarities together may be a key in evolving and transcending much of the negativity existing. I have toyed with this image for awhile now, and feel it could create a strong unity in the world.

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