Tuesday, October 12, 2010

On Knitting and Yoga...

I promised to post my finished piece!  Here she is!
                                                                                 


I have been working on lace knitting for awhile now.  I have been an avid sock knitter for years and at the encouragement of my sister Angel, I have begun knitting lace.  I am a member of an amazing knitting community (much like facebook) call Ravelry.  This is an online site where knitters, spinners, weavers, designers gather to share their amazing work, patterns, yarn sources and make new friends.  Amazingly, knitters are friendly people and we all get joy in sharing our patterns, where we purchased them and the beautiful yarns and needles we used.  It is nothing to see over 1700 members online when you log in!  Seriously, the knitting community is amazingly large!  I have included a link above if you want to check it out  on my Ravelry page...warning...it will lead you to page after page of amazing knitters, visit when you have the time to explore it all.

When I started my blog over seven months ago,  I wanted to create a place where I could write down my thoughts and share my inspirations about living the creative life.  As I look back at my journey so far, I am happy with where it has lead me. I have grown in word and in my confidence that others want to hear what I have to say.  So when I find a good place to take you like Ravelry, I want to share it with you.  Perhaps some of you don't know that a place like that exists!

So the title of my entry today was knitting and yoga!  Hmmm, how can I blog about wonderful things that have touched my life without mentioning my yoga practice!  I am in love with yoga and have been practicing  yoga for many years.  I thought about this post after I had returned home from a workout at my local Hot Yoga studio and I was feeling relaxed and energized.  I picked up my knitting to finish my shawl.  As the time was flying by, and the needles were clicking away with a quiet rhythm, I began to think about what these two "arts" did for me that day.  They both created a place of healing, contentment and calmness.  I have always heard the term that "Knitting is the new Yoga",  I do believe they are connected, at least for me they are.

Yoga gives me a sense of health and well being in order to complete whatever I have to do for the day. It gives me a sense of quietness of the mind.   My yoga practice carries me into my day, I do not leave it at the studio or on my yoga mat!  Knitting gives me a sense of accomplishment, calmness, meditativeness and pure and simple joy...the two are connected for my life.  The two correlate to my wellness and quiet mind.  I am lucky to be able to recognize what these two arts do for me, but I always feel that my yoga practice adds to any creative avenue that I pursue.  It is hard to put into words... I am a spiritually healthy person and my faith in God carries me through at all times. When we live in balance, we live more freely.  My yoga practice helps me to balance out the rest of my comings and goings in this adventure we call life.

So if you have never tried a yoga class before, get out there and try.  There is strength in trying something new and if you walk away from a yoga class not feeling euphoric, come let me know!  I know it works for me and my lifestyle, it will work for you.

So I will not choose between yoga and knitting...it is a combination that works for me!  I promise to post a picture of my completed and soon to be  blocked Ishbel shawl soon....I had to finish it in time for fall to wear with my new black leather coat my hubby bought for me!  See...sometimes having a creative deadline is a good thing!




Namaste my friends