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Hello Friendly Friends,
Is there anything creating a sense of space and lightness in your life these days? This is your invitation to join me Sunday morning at 9:00 to look for a sense of lightness as we move through 45 minutes of yoga.
Negative space is a key concept in art. It’s the empty area around a subject or subjects. More negative space tends to make an artwork feel light, airy, and open while less negative space has the potential to make the work feel dense, heavy, even oppressive. Negative space provides a kind of breathing space.
In the case of three dimensional art, negative space changes as the viewing perspective changes. Anish Kapoor’s sculpture ‘Cloud Gate’ AKA ‘The Bean’ in Chicago is an interesting example. Viewed from certain angles, it looks like a compact, solid, rounded form. Walk around the sculpture and the space underneath opens up to reveal a more gravity-defying arc shape. It’s quite a change.
Floating around in the back of my mind for a while has been the concept of negative space as being somewhat analogous to the things that allow us to exist comfortably in this big, loud, chaotic world. Sometimes, it can leave us feeling like we need more space to breathe.
This has to do with many things, including perspective. However, changing perspective to influence how we feel in this world is, for many of us, not as easy as just strolling around to the other side.
So then, how to discover a “lighter view” when we find ourselves craving a bit more oxygen? Despite internet ads to the contrary (“This easy diet hack is a total reset!”), there’s no one, simple answer. Perhaps a pragmatic place to start might be considering what practical, everyday-type things bring even a small sense of levity. The idea here is that small things add up to shift the balance over time.
Let’s make a list. I’ll start. Feel free to share your contributions in the comments or send them in a reply. You likely have different go-tos.
Perspective Shifting Possibilities
Take a nap or lie down for a restful yoga nidra.
Visit a gallery or museum or make some art of your own.
Practice uplifting pranayama (breathwork) like ‘Breath of Joy.’
Move your body. Walk, run, jump, dance, do yoga or whatever you enjoy.
Spend time in nature. Go outside, garden, roll around on the ground, get some dirt under your fingernails. Science says it helps. It really does.
Find what makes you laugh—a funny movie, a favorite comedian, or a friend who shares your sense of humor.
Go to a concert, listen to music or sing in the shower.
* The blue, bolded text links to resources like relevant articles or practices. Let me know if you find them helpful or interesting and share any you’ve come across on your own.
Take a virtual walk around ‘The Bean’ with this video:
Hope to see you on the weekend!
Love & floaty feelings,
-Steph
Can’t make Sunday class or just looking for some yoga to do during the week? Here are a few short practices for you!
13 minutes of fun, novel movement using yoga blocks:
7 minutes to twist, stretch, and chill out:
16 minute full-body flow:
