I’ve found myself doing yoga much more than I used to. Taking pleasure and seeking out the peace of mind that the ritual of yoga brings, especially the focus on breathing.
I’ve wanted to design a bandana that could help us with this part.
The surrender of all the other stuff that is going on in our head, community, family,
friend group, world and for the next 30-60 minutes,
just breathe.
That’s your only job. breathe...
As I began doodling, I found myself thinking about a type of breathing my dear friend’s daughter taught me: square breathing, she called it, proven to calm your nervous system.
IN for a count of 4 - - - - HOLD for a count of 4 - - - - RELEASE for a count of 4 - - - - PAUSE for 4
I thought about how our lungs fill with air and pictured a flower opening and closing with each contraction of breath. Like a desert flower blooming in the night and closing in the day to protect itself from the heat, opening and closing, blooming and contracting, being active and resting.
I illustrated the flower and created a dotted pattern along the border to act as a guide for this style of breathing. Follow the dots like a mala, and just breathe.
It is such a powerful act, this paying attention to your breath. By shutting out all the
distractions of life to just breathe, you bring ourselves back into your body and
connect to the simple, miraculous source of life that proves you are a miracle yourself.
just breathe...