Lewis Miller is a professional floral designer by day, and The Banksy of Flower Design by night. He’s created a project called Flower Flash whereby he and his team install large flower displays on city streets under the cover of night. They are put together in less than twenty minutes, and usually vanish within a […]
Why Chant Om / Aum / Ong?
The syllable Om is first mentioned in the Upanishads, the mystical texts associated with the Vedanta philosophy, originating between 1500 – 1200 BC. Om is considered the mother of the bij, or “seed” mantras — short, potent sounds that correlate to each chakra and are used as parts of longer chants. In a class or […]
Winter Solstice Blessings!
Let us gather in the darkness, today we get the most! (painting by Igor Medvedev)
Yoga Joes, Pt. 2 – Now With Advanced Postures!
The Yoga Joes have clearly been keeping up with their practice since we saw them last… They’ve mastered some seriously advanced postures. Look at that strength and grace! These little buddies are currently available on the Colossal Shop for $25 bucks per set of 6, or you can head over to creator Dan Abramson‘s site for more color […]
Meet 98 year-old Nanammal, India’s oldest female yoga instructor
(via Hindustan Times) This is Sri Amma Nanammal who, at 98, currently holds the distinction of India’s oldest female yoga instructor, and second-oldest in the world (the aforementioned Tao Porchon-Lynch is just a few months older). Via Quartz India: “Nanammal, the 98-year-old yoga expert from the southern state of Tamil Nadu, believes that, in its true […]
Happy Summer Solstice!
Happy Summer Solstice everyone! Let the sunshine in!
New study shows that three-quarters of observed sea animals are bioluminescent
According to a new study recently published in Scientific Reports, MBARI researchers Séverine Martini and Steve Haddock have found that three-quarters of the animals in Monterey Bay waters between the surface and 4,000 meters deep can produce their own light. This is particularly exciting because the study is the first-ever quantitative analysis of bioluminescent organisms. Very few cameras are […]
82 Ways to Live Like Alejandro Jodorowsky
Filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky’s keys to being ‘a morally sound human being’ are as follows. Via No Film School: Ground your attention on yourself. Be conscious at every moment of what you are thinking, sensing, feeling, desiring, and doing. Always finish what you have begun. Whatever you are doing, do it as well as possible. Do not […]
New Species of (Possibly-)Bioluminescent Jellyfish Discovered!
This little beauty was found 2.3 miles below the ocean’s surface, deep into the Mariana Trench last week, by researchers on a NOAA expedition aboard the Okeanos Explorer. Via Scientific American: Scientists believe this animal belongs to the genus Crossota, a group of jellies that does not have a sessile polyp stage; all phases of their lives […]
Turban Chic: Léon Bakst and the Ballets Russes
Léon Bakst was a Russian painter, scenic designer and costume designer. He was a member of Sergei Diaghilev’s creative circle that birthed the Ballets Russes, for which he designed exotic, richly-detailed sets and costumes. He was among the first to incorporate the influence of the East into 20th-century high design. He was also, as we’ll see, a big […]
Biofluorescent Sea Turtle Discovered!
(via National Geographic) This beautiful biofluorescent hawksbill sea turtle was spotted by scientists off the coast of the Solomon Islands in late July 2015. This dive marked the first time that biofluorescence had been observed in marine reptiles. I hope these luminous little buddies stick around long enough for us to learn more about them, as they are critically endangered, due […]
Just Breathe…
This is as much a reminder for myself as for any of you. Funny how easy it can be to forget. These beautiful plant-rendered lungs are part of a series by UK artist Camila Carlow. More of her florid organs can be found here.
Turban Chic: Malick Sidibé’s Mali
I’d juuuuust been introduced to Malick Sidibé’s work about a week ago, and today he passed away at the age of 80. Via Jack Shainman Gallery: “Malick Sidibé was a photographer known for his black-and-white images chronicling the exuberant lives and culture, often of youth, in his native Bamako, Mali in the 1950s, ‘60s, and […]
Illustrations Show Which Muscles Are Stretched in Yoga Poses
Ever wondering which muscles are being primarily stretched in a particular yoga pose? I definitely have. I’ve been moving into a more physical hatha-based practice this year, and with this has come a desire to better understand yogic anatomy. These illustrations by Vicky Timón and James Kilgallon are quite helpful! Click here to see the complete set […]
Spring Sprung! Suspended Garden by Rebecca Louise Law
Via Colossal: “To celebrate spring, London-based artist Rebecca Louise Law has placed 30,000 live flowers in the atrium of German shopping and recreation center Bikini Berlin, suspending a colorful garden above the heads of the store’s visitors with copper wire. The deconstructed floral arrangement was…designed to be an installation that would dry over the time of its […]
Bob Doto Interview in Yoganonymous
My friend and fellow Brooklyn yoga teacher/scholar/rocker Bob Doto is interviewed on Yoganonymous today, via Jacob Kyle’s Chitheads interview podcast. Give it a listen!
Float Among the Golden Jellyfish in Palau
In May 2015, a diver filmed what he saw while snorkeling in Jellyfish Lake, a small body of water in Palau that is home to about 13 million golden jellyfish. Every morning the entire jellyfish population migrates from the east side of the lake to the west side, and then back again in the afternoon. Unlike most jellyfish, […]
Earth Clinic – A Holistic Healing Resource
This one’s present-tense relevant, as I’ve been variously under the weather lately. For the past several years, I’ve been able to cure myself of most minor ailments holistically, thanks to Earth Clinic. They have an extensive database of ailments and user testimonials that provide the details of their own effective remedies. After a few minutes […]
South Africa’s Prison Freedom Project Teaches Yoga to Inmates
I teared up a little while watching this…. This comes from an article on Take Part: “Since 2010, the Prison Freedom Project has introduced yoga classes in prisons all over South Africa, a country that has the third-highest ratio of prisoners to population in the world……Implementing yoga is an effort to limit recidivism rates by helping students manage […]
Turban Chic: Nina Simone
I watched the documentary What Happened, Miss Simone? on Netflix last night, and the effect is lingering. The list of reasons why Nina Simone remains the High Priestess of Soul is extensive and beautifully elucidated in this film, so I won’t enumerate them here. However, I will point out that throughout the film (and her […]
Bioluminescent Glow-Worm Cave Photos by Joseph Michael
Bioluminescence is an oft-mentioned topic here at Solid Glow HQ, but glow-worms have yet to make such a prominent appearance. Maybe this resonates so deeply with me because I loved the heck out of my Glow-Worm doll when I was a lil’ one, or maybe it’s simply because THIS WORLD IS MAGIC and these naturally illuminating […]
On Flow
While houseguesting in Berkeley, California this winter, I was poking around my host’s bookshelves and found a book with a simple monosyllabic title. I got about halfway through Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced chik-sent-mi-hai) before I had to reluctantly move on to my next destination. I spent those last few days furiously taking notes, certain that […]
Silhouette Photos by Taylor Allen
Photographer Taylor Allen does some pretty gorgeous work with silhouettes. The universe is within you, donchaknow….
Keepin’ it Light: African Animals Getting Drunk From Ripe Marula Fruit
That’ll do, internet…
Yoga Joes: Plastic Green Soldiers Practicing Yoga
It would be great if all soldiers had to do yoga and meditate as part of their training. Yogi and entrepreneur Dan Abrahamson shows us what that might look like with these fantastic plastic figures. Head to Colossal for more pics.
Yoga Basics: Cat Cow
Cat-Cow is a simple and gentle way to warm up the spine. In the video below, the lovely Chia-Ti Chiu provides detailed instructions on how to do Cat-Cow, explains the many benefits, and demonstrates the kriya. Try it with her! (Photo by Taner Ceylan)
Cuba’s Sustainability (R)evolution
I went to The Commons last week to hear a lecture entitled “Lessons from Cuba: Mastering Sustainability” by permaculture pioneer Roberto Perez Rivero. By the end of it, I wanted to hop a plane to Cuba, or at least convert my roof to a garden. Roberto has been an integral part of the Cuban Permaculture Movement […]
10 Tips to Stick to Your Diet
And by “diet”, I mean your optimal nourishment plan, not some fad nonsense. This one comes directly from Health Haven: Excuse: “Vegetables Taste So ‘Blah’ When I Make Them” Solution: The major mistakes people make when preparing vegetables are overcooking and underseasoning. Whether you steam, sauté, or grill, cut back a little on your usual cooking time […]
Bravo Pancino!!
Oh, this video! Someone’s been reading my diary…. I intend to teach yoga in Italian some day. This helps. Plus, that DOG! Pancino (meaning “tummy”) is a FLAWLESS chihuahua name. L’uomo non è niente male neanche. Mi piace tutti di questo!
The Japanese Garden
My family visited the Portland Japanese Garden recently, on the heels of a trip through the Washington Park International Rose Test Garden (for short), on the first of our multi-day Drink In Our Natural Splendor! tour of Portland, Oregon. Here are a few photo highlights: (Candy Cane roses, a personal fave) (Jizo, the Smiling Buddha)
Rainbow Anatomy by Shok One
London-based graffiti artist Shok One‘s latest series of murals feature rainbow-colored x-ray images. Head over to his Flickr to behold more pieces in all their spectrographic glory. (photo via Colossal)
On Healing: Doña Leova and the Tough Love
She looks like a kindly Mexican grandmother, how tough can she be, really? Lesson #1 – never underestimate the power of a healer (Yogi Bhajan‘s healer, no less). Her methodology was surprisingly rough and tough, and utterly transformative. I’ve been blessed to have experienced a variety of holistic treatment sessions in the last few years, […]
Happy Summer Solstice!
If you have the chance, bask in the loving rays of Mother Sun. Today she gives the most! (photo by Boguslaw Strempel)
Astarius Miraculii – “Spirit Rap”
I’d been working my way through the XLR8R podcast archive, and was listening to a mix by the Crystal Ark. It opened with some soothing ocean sounds, then a (surely magical) man began reciting this prayer/affirmation/mantra with majestic intonation and absolute certitude. WHAT? IS? THIS? Why had I not heard it before? How is he […]
Vikram Gandhi and Kumare
Have you seen Kumare yet? Admittedly, I am way late to this party. I had heard a bit about the film from friends awhile back, then I made it a point to see it after I stumbled upon an extensive conversation between the director Vikram Gandhi and comedian/podcaster Pete Holmes on the latter’s weekly show You Made It Weird. They cover […]
For All the New Graduates
……and for anyone, really. A healthy reminder of our human volition, courtesy of a longtime fave, the dear departed David Foster Wallace. This video by The Glossary takes a portion of the audio from a famous 2005 commencement speech Wallace made at Kenyon College and sets it to visuals and music, to heartswelling effect. […]
Miya Ando’s Flotilla of 1,000 Bioluminescent Leaves
A favorite phenomenon of mine, in the art news once again!! Via Colossal: “Last year artist Miya Ando traveled to Puerto Rico where she released 1,000 non-toxic resin leaves coated with phosphorescence into a small pond. During the day the leaves would “recharge” and at night would give off a ghostly, ethereal glow much like the […]
Know Your Sugars
(via Health Haven)
The Gospel According to Jonathan Meese
15 minutes of pure inspiration from one of Germany’s most progressive painters. “Art has to come into power. There is no other way”. So many quotable philosophies!
Transcendent Music: Mountains – “Centralia”
As Blurt so aptly states, “Mountains composes the soundtrack to dreams you didn’t know you had.” (via Thrill Jockey) The longstanding duo of Koen Holtkamp and Brendon Anderegg have just blessed us with a new record! The album’s title “Centralia” shares its name with a long-abandoned Pennsylvania mining town that’s now home only to a […]
Two More U.S. Airports Open Yoga Rooms
It has been almost a year since San Francisco International opened America’s first airport yoga room, and now more airports are following their lead! The yoga room in the Dallas/Fort Worth airport (above), open since July, is located at Terminal D at Gate D40 and is stocked with yoga mats, hand sanitizer, and a yoga […]
Captured In Asia: Photos by Sir Richard Bishop
American avant-guitarist, record label co-founder and renaissance man Sir Richard Bishop started a Tumblr on Christmas Day, sharing images from his travels eastward. It appears he’s got an excellent eye AND ear. Presumably the rest of his sensory organs are similarly advanced. More here. It’s definitely worth a good long look. For an immersive experience, […]
Attitude of Gratitude (On Holiday in Paradise)
2012 was a year of extremes for my family. When it came time to plan the upcoming end-of-year festivities, we hesitated, thinking back to what we were doing this time last year. My father’s illness had taken a turn, and he was rushed to the hospital on Christmas night. Less than 2 months later, we […]
Happy Black Water Snake New Year!!
It is 2013, we are in the Aquarian Age, the Flying Star positions are back to the original Lo Shu, and there are auspicious signs all over the place!! This is the year of the Black Water Snake, according to Chinese Five Element astrology (though the actual New Year is ushered in with the first […]
Turban Chic: Paul Poiret
(Woman’s Turban, 1911, courtesy of LACMA) I know I know, we’ve been talking turbans for over a year, and I am just now getting around to covering The Man himself, the O.G. of 20th century westernized turban appropriation (and arguably the most important and influential figure in the history of modern women’s fashion), the one […]
Neon-Lit Blown Glass Human Organs (and more!) by Jessica Lloyd-Jones
Via Colossal: “Anatomical Neon is a series of blown glass lights by North Wales-based artist Jessica Lloyd-Jones meant to focus attention on how energy is used by the human body”. God I LOVE these: Her latest work, entitled “Aura“, pushes her energetic exploration even further: “Aura” explores the development of the electromechanical machine to the […]
Chakras: A Brief Introduction
(via Collage Calamity) THE LOWER TRIANGLE: First Chakra —– Muladhara —– Earth —– Security & Survival LOCATION: The end of the spine between the anus and sex organs ORGAN/GLAND: Organs of elimination COLOR: Red QUALITIES: Grounded, centered, secure, loyal, stable. Healthy functions of elimination SHADOW: Fear, insecurity, life as burden, feeling excluded, weak constitution, elimination […]
10 Non-Dairy Sources of Calcium
(via Health Heaven)
Bronze Meditation Sculptures by Sukhi Barber
(via Colossal) Bronze sculptures by UK artist Sukhi Barber who spent twelve years in Kathmandu, Nepal studying Buddhist philosophy and lost-wax bronze casting. From her website: Sukhi’s sculptures are intended to bridge the cultures of East and West. Embodying the peace and compositional balance of ancient devotional art, they represent complex philosophical ideas with a […]
Hooray for Greens!
We should include ample portions of greens in our regular diet. Wanna know why? This handy infographic breaks it down for us. Click pic for larger version: (Via Make Me Sweat)