cohosh

aw thanks for this <3 <3. i feel really shitty about it to be honest. if i was a rich bitch i wouldn’t give a shit (although i’d still appreciate the credit) but i’m a struggling artist, sometimes making rent is hard. and people steal my work and use it to promote their blogs. it’s disgusting. but i don’t really get fired up about it much — well, sometimes — because there’s nothing i can do. douches will be douches and i can’t let this steal my energy, i need that to make more art.

thanks for the kind words about my drawing also.

i use hand drawn sketches and photoshop cs5. the gifs are usually 3-10 frames. thank you so much! (i added this question to my faq btw as it pops up quite a bit)

i’m glad you’re liking it! yes, it most definitely will go away with practice — unless there are contraindications such as very old age or misalignments/injuries in your back that only a chiropractor or surgeon could fix. how much practice it will take is highly individual of course. inflexibility should never mean you have to do a pose ‘wrong’, rather, if you have a good teacher they will show you variations of the pose or a different pose with the same dynamic that work for you. for some poses that require legs out front or crossed legs you can prop your butt up with a block or pillow to help straighten your back. doesn’t work for all of them but can be great. for increased flexibility i recommend yin yoga by the way, it’s a very quiet style and if done regularly really helps, not only with stiffness but stress too. some say bikram (hot room yoga) is great for this kind of thing; i’m not a huge fan personally but maybe it could work for you as well. best of luck!

the physical aspects of yoga (breathing and posture) are just two of the eight foundational limbs of the art. so … if you’re into doing just those two i suggest you look up beginner’s videos that explain pranayama — breathing techniques — and asana — postures. i’d recommend getting a better understanding of the whole practice though, because it stretches into all aspects of life — to get the most out of it for yourself and also to show respect for an ancient art. not saying i know everything, far far from it but i’ve studied and i’m continuing to do so. the eight limbs are outlined beautifully in patanjali’s yoga sutra, a very small book which i couldn’t recommend warmly enough if you’re serious about getting into this.

i practice a lot of my yoga by myself, not really by choice but because i can’t always afford classes. having an instructor is actually unbelievably valuable whatever level your practice is at. not saying all your yoga needs to be teacher led (yin yoga for instance i love doing alone), but at least some of it should be, especially for beginners. there are a lot of things to be aware of when starting yoga practice, especially if you have health concerns (physical injury, illness, pregnancy or mental health issues). little things like when to breathe in or out, alignment in poses, how to create a practice with a good flow to it, even how to wind down and calm your mind after you’ve practiced, these things can be difficult even if you are experienced.

ok, i hope none of that scared you off because my very favourite thing about yoga is that absolutely everyone can do it. i’ve been told “oh yoga is all well and good for you, you’re limber, i’m about as bendy as a refrigerator” about a hundred times from different people. but they can do yoga just as well as i can. it’s not a sport. it’s philosophy and practice, inner and outer. it’s about working where you are at, listening to your body, quietening your mind and and exploring your unique limits and abilities.

so, if you can — take a beginner’s class or course before you begin your home practice. there are so many different styles of yoga .. if you’re already physically fit and like a challenge some form of vinyasa or ashtanga may be fun, if you’re more calm try classic hatha. if you can’t take classes, read the yoga sutras and watch lots of yoga on youtube. listen carefully and be aware of your body. don’t be afraid to take it to it’s limits, but listen and know when to back off and be careful. be wary of your knees if you’ve never practiced hip openers before, remember the knees should never rotate, and healing an injured knee can take ages. breathe lots. learn about bandas. have fun and don’t be afraid to fall on your ass!

i hope that helped and wasn’t too wordy!

xoxoxo // n

ps. thank you kindly.

they are not from one ring shop, but gifts from friends and family as well as treasures i’ve found traveling. they mean a lot to me so i keep them on nearly always. glad you like them!

no. are you?

this is what my tumblr is about, my inspirations. it’s hard to explain, easy to show.

heeee it aint that amazing but: yoga, walking or biking everywhere, eating whatever i want except i don’t indulge ALL candy or cake cravings, occasional fasting days. i don’t really fast for my figure though, it’s for my health and cause it feels good.