Yoga Calendars 2013

Around Thanksgiving I bought the Cute Overload Wall Calendar with the decision to forgo my usual yoga-themed calendar in 2013. While I love cute animals I was later disappointed to run across a yoga calendar I really wanted. I don't need two so I can only tell you guys about the best yoga calendars available for 2013 (that I know of), and be happy that I chose death by cute.  Hopefully this will help you avoid the same fate.

Briohny Smyth Yoga Calendar $16

Jasper Johal "Body as Temple" Calendar $24

Be Present Calendar $10

Yoga Journal Calendar $14

April Heather Art 2013 Illustrated Yoga Calendar $20

Calendar Time

It's that time of year again. 2011 is drawing to a close and I need a new calendar. Does everyone keep a calendar? I'm wondering if calendars are a massive waste of energy, money, and paper; but with all the things I write on mine I can't imagine what I'd do without one.

For quite a few years now I've been buying this one from YJ, but I've been feeling antsy. I like it because it's huge and pretty. However, the pictures are starting to feel stale and oft-repeated. I need something else.

Source: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ashtanga4life

I'm really considering this one from the Ashtanga4Life Etsy shop. It's smaller than I'm used to which poses some challenges for me. It's so pretty and the images would be new to me. Yoga Sutra text over each month would be awesome... and I'm intrigued by the lack of binding. This seems like it just invites creativity and original thinking. I feel like a big frame (for one page at a time) and dry erase markers might be my answer.

What do you guys usually do? Does anyone go calendar-free? Certainly lots of people do.

Toss me some ideas.

Star Wars Yoga - Interview with Artist Rob Osborne

If you haven't heard of Rob Osborne you're missing out. If you haven't seen his new-ish Etsy store then you are absolutely unfortunate. Let me help you.

Meet Rob Osborne -
"I'm an artist, a writer, a creative thinker, a runner, a husband, a father, and everything else. I draw cartoons, design things, make things go." - via his blog profile

Whether you know who he is or not - you've probably seen his work around the internet. People like it, so it gets flashed about a fair amount. I came to know of Rob through his Star Wars Yoga series, so I'm showcasing that work today. Visit his Etsy Shop to purchase signed prints for as little as $19 each. Non-yoga work also available.

She must do hot yoga...

"...But I had a burning desire, so I did the only thing I knew to do. I got busy making comics." 

- Rob Osborne

I thought these prints were so interesting that I strong-armed Mr. Osborne into doing a short interview. Yay!

So star wars characters doing yoga - what inspired this series?
I found the notion to mash up these two wildly different concepts, Star Wars and yoga, to be completely absurd and funny. The longer I pondered the concept, the more excited I got.

The Star Wars yoga series started with Boba Yoga. Even the phrase "Boba Yoga" was amusing to me. So it had to happen. When I did my first art print show, people went bananas for the Boba Yoga print. From there, the series took off.


Do you practice yoga? If so, what are your most and least favorite poses?
I started practicing yoga a few years ago. Went to my first class, and have been hooked ever since.
Least favorite pose: Chair. I've spent an inordinate amount of time in chair pose. I don't like it. I don't crave it. I don't want to "move with it". Yet I persist in deepening the pose and experiencing searing pain in my thighs. One of these days, I may just pull up a chair and sit down.
Favorite pose: Crow. The first time I tried it, the pose was impossible for me to do. With a little practice, I can now rock the crow pose. That feels pretty awesome.


What does Rob Osborne, graphic design super-genius, want for christmas?
A new family truckster to haul all of us, dogs included, across country for the holidays! Oh, and whirled peas, of course.

This is not a sponsored post. I was not paid or even asked to talk about this art.

Creatures of Infinite Possibility

"I love that we are creatures of infinite possibility. I hope that we are living well, living for each other, doing good and going slow." - MamaKs (via Etsy Featured Seller Interview)

I really like this quote. I think I'm going to adopt this one for myself for the coming year. Maybe I'll write it down and stick it on my vision board.

Exuberant Giveaway

After all this meditation talk, I'd like to take an off topic day. As I mentioned a week ago - I've reopened my Etsy Shop Mayhem Arts, and I've been filling it with eye pillows that I make myself. This post is primarily about a specific pair of eye pillows. They're not sold as a pair, but they inherently exist together.

I have two eye pillows listed under the "Upcycled" category in my shop - they're hand tie-dyed organic cotton (not dyed by me) and they once led a completely different life. Well not completely different. Before they were eye pillows - they were my favorite pair of yoga pants. Shining Shakti "Exuberant" pants in bright yellow and pink. See, I love my Shining Shakti pants. I own a couple different pairs, but the Exuberant pants were too long for me. I chopped off the bottoms to a more appropriate length and was left with a fab pair of pants and two circles of fabric. I wasn't sure what I'd do with them - I figured I'd wear them as headbands or something, but I set them aside because I felt like the answer was something other than "chuck em". Finally one day after I'd started on this crazy eye pillow-making spree I came across them again and realized that they were the perfect size to make eye pillows! That was that. The Pink and Yellow Shakti eye pillows are the softest in my shop and I seriously considered keeping them for myself.

In non-me news - The Dainty Squid is having another giveaway! This time she's giving away something from someone else's shop, but it's still amazingly cute stuff, so check it out. Here's the details:

What? $25 gift certificate from This and That from Japan. They sell tons and tons of super cute crafting supplies including fabrics, Japanese craft books, trims, clay molds and more!

When? October 25th- 28th

How? Leave a comment telling us what your favorite thing in the This and That from Japan shop is! (Make sure there is a way to contact you if you win!)

Extra entries? Of course! You can earn one extra entry by posting about this giveaway on your blog, tumblr, myspace, twitter, etc. Just leave a SEPARATE comment with the link for each place you mention the giveaway.

Who can win? ANYONE, anywhere in the world!! Winner will be announced Friday morning.

GO HERE TO ENTER

P.S. I'm Sick. Have been for a couple days, and I don't think it has peaked yet. Blech. Think I'll lie around and watch scary movies all day.

Mayhem Arts Grand Reopening

You may or may not know that a couple years ago I ran an Etsy Shop called Mayhem Arts - where I sold fantabulous handmade malas for meditation and general accessorizing. I had an entirely different blog at the time too, so a lot has changed since then. Nonetheless, I've recently been busy making eye pillows of various sorts and have decided to Reopen My Shop.

Eye pillows are a must have for any yoga studio, practitioner, or anyone that just wants to truly relax for a bit and destress. There are currently 3 different types of fillings and 3 different colors to choose from. They vary in weight and price... and there are more options coming soon. This is just a starting point, so please check out Mayhem Arts and contact me if you want different colors, certain fillings, or a bulk order.

That's all for today - but tomorrow I shall return with a little chit chat about meditation!