Insanity: Day 13, part 2; 21-Day Challenge: Day 4

I know that I've been taking things at my own speed and I've missed some days.  One really good thing about a lifestyle change is that you just pick yourself right back up when you miss a day (or three).  I started out my workout doing Mariel Heminway's YOGA NOW 10 minute AM energizer.  It's a good warm up for ANY workout.  Then I went on to Day 4.  That was a lot of standing exercises.  I needed a block and strap.  I know, sounds kinky; but they help you stretch yourself farther than you can on your own.  The thing that really kicked my butt was the Insanity Cardio Abs.  OMG!  I just have to keep remembering that I'll have some bad a$$ abs when I'm done with this routine.

What's the Best Journal to Use?

I was on the tanglepattern.com website and ended up responding to an article about papers and pens.  I wrote so much that it seemed more like a blog entry, and I decided to include it here. Writing my thoughts made me realize that I need to get back to including my doodles, collages, figurework, etc. in my blog on a daily basis.  Practice is the doorway to personal magic.  Anyway, here's my response...
There are two differnt notebooks/journals that I use. The first is Miquelrius. It’s the Spanish version of Moleskine. The second is the GIANT JOURNNAL made by Michael Roger Press.


The Miquelrius that I use as a grid. It’s looks like it’s glued, but it opens fairly flat. When opened to a full spread, the journal is a little smaller than a full sheet of paper. The pages are thin, however the journal has 400 pages. I love this. I’m a writer, composer, and visual artist. I tend to be a magpie and use my journals as catch-alls. The small size lets me carry it everywhere.

The GIANT JOURNAL is spiral bound. It’s pages are 5.5″ x 8.5″. It comes lined or blank. The paper is typical sketchbook paper. It’s selling point–500 pages! The drawback is because the paper is thicker, the journal dimension a little bigger, and the addition of 100 more pages; it’s harder to carry in my purse. (Notice that I didn’t say impossible.)

If I could only have one I’d get the Miquelrius. I originally got it as a replacement for my GIANT JOURNAL. Barnes and Noble were out of the big one and didn’t know when another shipment was coming in. Apparently, I was one of a select few who appreciated its size. The Miquelrius came closer with the page count, so I decided to try it. Having that many pages and being able to fit it in my purse make it my number one choice. I get around the thin paper by glueing in a blank behind my tangle page. Then I use that sturdier blank page as a collage/gluebook page. When I’m in a waiting room or watching TV, I sometimes go back and tangle in the nooks and crannies of those pages. I like the layered effect.

Living Outside the Imagination

I LOVE Daisy Yellow Blog.  Tammy is AMAZING!  I have yet to go to her blog and not be inspired in some way.  Yesterday she had a post called Creating Outside the Imagination that was very interesting.  She referenced an article by Phil Shepherd of the British Origami Society.  (I am so impressed that she found this.  Really, this woman  could do research and development for a major company.)  All of this prompted me to ask the question, "How do we step outside our imagination, outside ourselves, and get to those things that we just couldn't possibly imagaine?  Moreover, how do we do this on a daily basis?  How can we change this into a lifestyle and live this way?"

I think that I've experienced something similar to what Shepherd is talking about when I knit or zentangle.  The patterned motions somehow allow my subconscious mind to make contact with my waking world.  I'll suddenly get an idea for an art project, or a possible solution to a problem that's plaguing me. I think many people share that experience.  What I haven't experienced is the creation of something completely new.  Does this crossover require engaging the hands in activity so that the ego-mind is busy or can this be achieved through the stillness of mediation?

My curiousity has been piqued, and my desire to find a better way to create and live have ignited my quest.  I'm going to search for answers to these questions.

Day 1 of the Yoga Journal 21 Day Challenge

Okay, I know I was supposed to start that challenge on Monday, but I started it today.  In the past, I would have told myself to wait until next Monday then start.  The only problem is... I don't always start on that next Monday.  Then the next thing you know, I've lost doing a daily practice before I've begun.  There's no reason Day 1 can't be Friday.

I just finished the vinyasa for Day 1.  OMG, if that's supposed to be the beginner... WOW!  Take a look at it...



I surprised myself.  I feel pretty good now.  Energized, but relaxed.