fitting into

Julia . 23 . Design student . and Art Director Wannabe main blog here! The Weight Loss Community

[fitandbalance]

This class was really good! Crista is an awesome teacher, she has a relaxed upbeat style that I really enjoy. There’s a lot of hip opening, like the title suggests which I love and some arm balances too, though most of these are optional. All and all a class just on the verge of being intense but still doable. Definitely one I’ll come back to. 

[fitandbalance]

I think I’m at my lowest weight ever from even I was like, 15. It’s weird because unlike when I was running this blog, I didn’t do any diets, per se. Food just stopped being so interesting, maybe because everything stopped being interesting.

Yeah, depression is a weird beast, and although I had been depressed before, it had never made me eat less, if anything it would make me eat more. So now I’m left with these conflicting feelings, because I hate that I’m depressed but I like that I’m losing weight? And I really would like to loose more, finally reach my goal weight. But at the same time I worry that it will make me wanna continue to be depressed, and that’s messed up.

I don’t even know exactly why I’m saying all that after not updating this blog for years, but I feel like I needed to rant about this somewhere. I guess this is the most appropriate place I could find

[popcandy]

Part 2 (Part 1 is here) of a Visual Narrative titled “LSD”, that Vininícius Mattos and I did for a Photography class. This was one of the most fun things I have ever done, and I’ll forever be grateful to my teacher for giving me this assignment. These photo compositions are a mix of photos we took (including photos of photos projected on a wall), some scans from design magazines, movie festivals’ catalogues and cellophane paper, and some images found online like the Mad Men and Red Shoes ones. The story is, a sad bored girl goes to a really weird party and takes LSD for the first time and it forever changes her. It was obviously inspired by the Mad Men episode about LSD. I don’t do drugs or endorse them, but they sure are very inspiring visually.

[popcandy]

Part 1 of a Visual Narrative titled “LSD”, that Vininícius Mattos and I did for a Photography class. This was one of the most fun things I have ever done, and I’ll forever be grateful to my teacher for giving me this assignment. These photo compositions are a mix of photos we took (including photos of photos projected on a wall), some scans from design magazines, movie festivals’ catalogues and cellophane paper, and some images found online like the Mad Men and Red Shoes ones. The story is, a sad bored girl goes to a really weird party and takes LSD for the first time and it forever changes her. It was obviously inspired by the Mad Men episode about LSD. I don’t do drugs or endorse them, but they sure are very inspiring visually. 

Part 2 is here.

[popcandy]

This is a set of photos I did with Fernando Chavez for a photography class assignment. The assignment was to take pictures in the style of another photographer, and those were inspired by Minor White. 

[popcandy]

Part 2 (Part 1 is here) of a Visual Narrative titled “LSD”, that Vininícius Mattos and I did for a Photography class. This was one of the most fun things I have ever done, and I’ll forever be grateful to my teacher for giving me this assignment. These photo compositions are a mix of photos we took (including photos of photos projected on a wall), some scans from design magazines, movie festivals’ catalogues and cellophane paper, and some images found online like the Mad Men and Red Shoes ones. The story is, a sad bored girl goes to a really weird party and takes LSD for the first time and it forever changes her. It was obviously inspired by the Mad Men episode about LSD. I don’t do drugs or endorse them, but they sure are very inspiring visually.

[popcandy]

Part 1 of a Visual Narrative titled “LSD”, that Vininícius Mattos and I did for a Photography class. This was one of the most fun things I have ever done, and I’ll forever be grateful to my teacher for giving me this assignment. These photo compositions are a mix of photos we took (including photos of photos projected on a wall), some scans from design magazines, movie festivals’ catalogues and cellophane paper, and some images found online like the Mad Men and Red Shoes ones. The story is, a sad bored girl goes to a really weird party and takes LSD for the first time and it forever changes her. It was obviously inspired by the Mad Men episode about LSD. I don’t do drugs or endorse them, but they sure are very inspiring visually. 

Part 2 is here.

[popcandy]

So, I missed a lot of days! Here’s to making up for lost time and never giving up! #thestrechproject

[popcandy]

[fitandbalance]

So joining this challenge!! I really needed something to get me moving again and this is the perfect thing. I will try to do all the poses every day though, instead of one per day, so I get a really complete stretch.

[fitandbalance]

Does anyone have a decent fox live stream so I can watch SYTYCD?

@popcandy

[fitandbalance]

Got inspired by tumblr and decided to clean my bedroom!

[popcandy]

Almost there… #stretching #dancerpose

[popcandy]

Praticando o equilíbrio. #yoga #floripa #dancerpose (em Jurerê Internacional)

[popcandy]

Back on the mat #yoga #mermaidpose #exercise #feelinggood

[fitandbalance]

Hey guys, just wanted to tell you that I’ve been pretty active in my main blog lately, so if you miss me, head over there.

[siriamardev]

My boyfriend gave Murphy and I a little photoshoot during our daily yoga practice :)

[transluzent]

PRACTICING YOGA: THE FIRST STEPS

First of all: AWESOME that you’re considering doing yoga :) It will make you more peaceful and confident and energetic in many aspects of life. So, what are the first steps? Lately I’ve been giving out tips to a few people via messages but I feel it’s about time to make a post, so everyone can profit from it. Keep in mind: I am a yoga student, not a teacher, but have done extensive reading about yoga philosophy and gained an understanding for a save way to develop a regular yoga practice.

IMPORTANT - What to be aware of before starting out:

Making the first steps under the supervision of a competent teacher is crucial for your yoga practice. Having bad alignment can ruin a lot and trust me, when I compare my yoga practice from the beginning to my current practice, I always think: woah, my alignment in some poses was dangerous for my health. Even now, after about a year of practice, I get adjustments in classes from my teachers. Teachers can also help you find an adequate and healthy modification for poses you’re not strong/flexible enough yet. Therefore, try to search yoga studios in your city/village or just any place you can reach comfortably.

Yoga is for everyone. Don’t think you shouldn’t do yoga because you’re not flexible - you do yoga to become flexible. Don’t be intimidated by the stereotypical image of the skinny, female yogini. Yoga is for men and women, no matter how much they weigh. Yoga will form your body in a natural way and it will definitely improve your body-image :) You also can’t be too old to start practicing yoga. Back injuries can be healed through yoga and studies show it helps dealing with asthma and depression. Really. Just do yoga. You’ll see.

But what if I can’t afford to go to a yoga studio/there is no yoga studio anywhere near me?

I really recommend you save money to go to at least 3 beginner classes. Maybe ask a parent/grandparent for financial help, just explain them doing yoga is good for your health - but only when practiced the correct way. Even if saving money means you have to wait a little longer to start out. Many universities offer cheap classes and most studios will make price reductions for teenagers/university students.

If there is no yoga studio in your reach, I suggest learning the basic yoga poses following all the instructions by Kino MacGregor on her playlist Yoga for Beginners on YouTube. She has practiced yoga for about 14 years. Even though she mostly refers to Ashtanga yoga, many of the poses will be of use for the majority of yoga styles. Her explanations are very accurate, spot on and explain in detail how to safely get into poses without injuring yourself. If you can, let other people check your alignment in comparison to Kino’s. If you have no one to watch you, you can also film yourself and look at the video afterwards or send it to me via e-Mail and I can help.

What to wear to a yoga class:

Any kind of tight clothing that isn’t too warm will be sufficient. You don’t need extra fancy stuff. The tightness is important because of two aspects: first, it allows your teacher to see your alignment in a pose and help with adjustments and second, the clothes won’t come in your way (or if you’re female: your boobs won’t fall out of your shirt/shirt reveals too much of your torso in inversions, e.g. headstand).

How to establish a regular yoga practice:

After you’ve learned the first basic postures (asanas) you can now either keep going to a studio, or mix studio and home practice (in my opinion the best option) or only do home practice. To visibly gain strength and flexibility, you should consider doing yoga at least 3x per week for 20-30 minutes. If you can do more already, great! In asana practice, the theory is important of course, but practice is what it’s all about. Like Sri K. Pattabhi Jois said: practice and all is coming.

What if I realize I don’t like yoga?

Before abandoning yoga I strongly recommend trying many different styles. This is important, because some styles might bore you or seem too intimidating at first. When you’ve found your style, you will know it, but remain open to other styles as well.

For people with no experience in yoga whatsoever or health problems I suggest starting with an Iyengar yoga beginner’s class. It’s more of a static form of yoga that uses props like blocks and straps to help when you’re not flexible enough yet and pays so much attention to proper alignment. I still go to an Iyengar class once a week even though my heart fully beats for Ashtanga yoga (a very demanding, fast-paced form of yoga that makes you really flexible and strong).

See yoga in a holistic way:

Last but not least, I think you should definitely be aware from the beginning that yoga is not an exercise and it will make you feel some level of spirituality eventually, depending on the regularity of your practice. Of course it does involve strengthening the body, giving you more flexibility and better breath. But this is only the 3rd limb of yoga philosophy. You can read about all the limbs here: The Eight Limbs of Yoga. Obviously, you can be Atheist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Neopagan or anything you call your religion and practice yoga.

Useful Links:

Kino MacGregor’s YouTube Channel Kino Yoga. She’s not only amazing at explaining postures but also gives an overview about the philosophical aspects of yoga and Pranayama (breathing, the fourth limb).

ABC-Of-Yoga has a very useful site with mini-descriptions of many yoga styles and a link to a more detailed description.

Surya Namaskara (sun salutation) is the foundation of most yoga styles, therefore it’s good to have a cheat sheet in the beginning. Two basics are Surya Namaskara A and Surya Namaskara B.

The Lazy Yogi is a pretty wise guy on tumblr that offers advice about meditation and many philosophical questions concerning the ego, mindfulness, peace and living in the present moment.

I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST FOR YOUR YOGA JOURNEY AND FEEL FREE TO MESSAGE ME IF YOU HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS :)