Guru-Mooch IV, Downward Dog

The Downward Facing Dog is one of the most well-known yoga poses. It is also one of the most popular, and for good reason. It provides a beautiful stretch that lengthens the spine, improves your circulation, strengthens not only the upper body muscles, but also the abdominal muscles. It will also leave most people feeling invigorated.
During a yoga session, the Downward Dog (as it is called for short) can give the practitioner some time to assess the body. Assessing your body does not mean that you judge it; it simply means that you are aware. Your breath might be shallow, your hamstrings tight, your shoulders may be sore but this does not need to make you feel inadequate or frustrated. If it does, just notice that too....
The Downward Dog is also a transitional pose, which means it will be revisited a few times during a session in which the practitioner moves from one pose to another. At the end of a session you might be pleasantly surprised to feel that your body has eased a bit more into the pose.

For Guru-Mooch however, this pose comes as easily as eating, sleeping and purring. For him, it is sometimes hard to distinguish where yoga begins and the mundane ends. There is most definitely a great sense of well-being, and no feelings of frustration or inadequacy. To be fair, feeling inadequate is not something our feline counterparts suffer from. It is us humans who seem to be very good at that. 
Nevertheless, Mooch has a bone to pick. From his 'humble' opinion, it should have been called the 'Downward Cat'. He is very quick to disregard the fact that dogs love this pose too, and excel at it. His human female, Ivette, tried to reason with him and pointed out that there actually is a 'Cat Pose'. Guru-Mooch was equally quick to point out it is not as well known as the Downward Dog, so he is holding on to his indignation. Ivette simply assessed the situation as 'too-hard', and Guru-Mooch still feels he is 'right', which only fuels his anger! Obviously, at this point yoga has 'ended' for him and he is indulging in something very mundane: a grudge!

Guru-Mooch III, headstands and face-lifts

Guru-Mooch is enthusiastic about yoga, and his enthusiasm is rubbing off on others. There was a tiny bit of information that totally swayed his human female (you know, that big, lumbering thing that sits in front of a computer all day). It especially concerned the headstand. While she was aware of the headstands invigorating effects, she was completely sold after reading an article, suggesting it has face-lifting potential. Guru-Mooch thinks she's being rather silly, like so many of her species. He thinks she looks fine, as long as she keeps feeding, massaging and admiring him. Oh, and open the doors. (They are pesky things. Stupid human invention!). She, on the other hand, doesn't consider herself to be particularly vain, but, when push comes to shove, is rather attached to her youthful looks.
The headstand seems to have many health benefits, ranging from a face-lift to the strengthening of the core muscles, anti-depressant and detoxing. It is even said that it slows the graying of one's hair!  

For those interested in the article that inspired his human, follow this link:

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-5501/10-Reasons-to-Do-a-Headstand-Every-Day.html

Both Guru-Mooch and his human female are aware that this pose should be taught by a professional yoga teacher!

Fifty shades of black...

Some of you already know that besides 'Guru-Mooch' and painting abstract paintings, I also write the Moo-Chi Diaries. Obviously, both Guru-Mooch and the Moo-Chi Diaries are inspired by our well-pampered cat, Moo-Chi! While I am fond of writing these stories, there is one factor that slows me down no end: the illustrations! That might sound a bit strange from someone who is trained in painting instead of writing, but there is the problem: Mooch, as he is often called, is jet-black. (Oops! Correction. I have the problem. It's an artistic one. Mooch, being feline perfection incarnate, cannot possibly have any problems!) 
Nevertheless, when I envisioned a bundle of funny stories with lovely water-colours, I was thinking of something like this:

or this:

Yes, stripes and patches! Or at least a darker face, paws and tail, like a Siamese. This is much easier to paint. If I'm not careful, Mooch ends up looking like a blob of ink with two triangles on top. I am counting my lucky stars that he is not all white though.... Ever heard of fifty shades of white?! Well, neither have I. So, how did we end up with a bundle of glossy, black fur? 

Over a year ago we went to the RSPCA, 'just to have a look'. A volunteer asked us what type of cat we were looking for, and David said that in his experience it was the cat that chooses us, not us choosing the cat. Famous last words. The first kitten I wanted to hold was a little black and white tom. According to his description, he would lie in the sun all day, and sleep on your bed at night. That sounded good to me. I hunched down and reached into the enclosure. Mr Black-and-white didn't respond and stayed well out of reach, whereas his brother, called Midnight, tapped my hand with his paw, looking at me expectantly. 

I ignored him. 

Black-and-White ignored me. 

Midnight tapped me again, with a bit more force. 

I still ignored him. 

Midnight wiggled his bum and jumped straight into my lap. Now he had my attention. I went like: 'Oh, look at him!' I handed him to David and Midnight just flopped in his hands and started to purr. Loudly. We both turned to mush. 'Well', said David, 'I think we have found our cat!' To be fair on the other cats that needed a good home, I decided to have a look at some. All cats that day must have decided to join the dark side of felinity: aloof, uninterested and unaffectionate. A feline conspiracy that day? It wasn't much of a choice in the end. Two hundred bucks lighter, we walked away with a cardboard box containing a gorgeously cute, black inspiration called Midnight; soon to be renamed Moo-Chi! 

GuruMooch 2

Mooch is trying his hand..uh...paw at yoga. Strictly speaking, his attempts to meditate are also a form of yoga. Here in the west though, yoga is equated with hatha yoga, mostly known for its postures (like standing on your head!). However, this physical type of yoga is only one of many pathways open to us. Yoga is a practical aid, not a religion. Yoga is a Sanskrit word which, translated into english, means: 'to unite', to join', 'to attach' or 'to add'. It is an ancient art based on a harmonizing system for the body, mind, and spirit. The promise is that a continued practice of yoga will lead you to a sense of peace and well-being. The practice of hatha yoga makes the body strong and flexible, and it improves the functioning of the respiratory, circulatory, digestive, integumentary and hormonal systems. Yoga also brings about emotional stability and clarity of mind. While this is true, some practitioners are hoping/aiming at something more than a healthy mind and body. The 'true seeker' wants nothing less than the (presumably) pure bliss of 'enlightenment', 'union with God', 'atonement', 'white light' or... well... you-name-it. That indefinable bit that we have heard of and that seems to be missing from who and what we are right now. Or so it seems.... Mooch is definitely a seeker of this kind. 'Just sitting' in meditation is not enough- even though cats in general  excel at it. Now he will try to bend his body in every possible way; making it obey his will- also something cats excel at. Something cats do not excel at: standing on their heads.

Disclaimer: I do not recommend doing a headstand without having had the proper guidance of a qualified teacher. Nor am I an expert on yoga, meditation, enlightenment or even cats....

   

Brisbane Square Library

This week was the culmination of many weeks of work and about two years of creative development. It all came together in the Brisbane Square Library. I know I have gushed about my love of public libraries before, and now I will do some more. Public libraries are places that are freely accessible for anyone who wants knowledge, entertainment, a place to study, to go online, to read the newspaper and more. They are an oasis of quiet in our busy lives. The Brisbane Square Library is located at the end of the Queen Street mall. The library is in the blue section of a high-rise block, and sports diagonal windows, visible from across the river. Its modern architecture contrasts with the neoclassical building opposite - ironically, a casino.

So there was I, car loaded with thirty paintings of various sizes, and an appointment 
with Anita, the library technician who is looking after the displays. She was very warm and also very enthusiastic about her work at the library. She equipped me with a large trolley, a ladder and an allen key in order to hang up my work. People who were quietly sitting on one of the many comfy chairs along the windows were gracious in their reaction to my intrusion. Anita came back after an hour or so, had a look at my work and gushed: 'They are perfect!'. I agree, if I may be so bold, that they do indeed look beautiful in the modern and airy space of the library, but the spontaneity of her comment made me float for the rest of the day! A yellow painting with a bowl seemed to made especially for the wall I had selected for it. Even the the colour of the wall paint seemed to match. 

My paintings will be there for the next three months. Even if you don't like my paintings, the library is still worth a visit!

GuruMooch

O, the distractions during meditation..... Sitting down for peace and quiet, but the mind just flits between thoughts about tonight's dinner, a conversation you had yesterday and some 'helpful' commentary on how bad your meditation is. 
Food, off course, can be a very powerful lure. I must admit that I have been on a meditation retreat where I was the first to arrive in the dining hall, and the last to sit down to meditate.

Meet: 'GuruMooch'

It has been a while since I've written. After my 30-day challenge there was time for 'three Rs'! Obviously not writing, nor 'rithmetic or reading. No, it was time for Reflection, Research and some Recreation. Yes, I needed a short breather. (To be honest, that did include some reading!)
However, the reflection on my 30-day challenge gave me a few useful points:

• Producing and processing a drawing on a daily basis was pretty challenging. Too hard for me to continue. So, to all you cartoonists out there who produce a daily cartoon in a paper, or bloggers producing a daily drawing/cartoon: I take my hat off for you...... You totally have my respect!
• I couldn't help thinking about the times I bought a small drawing to hang up on my wall.... and I'm still thinking. Granted, I produce most of my wall-coverings myself, but there is not much money in making small drawings unless they get multiplied.
• Can I make images that will easily go on a mug, t-shirt or canvas bag? And what do I need in order to do that?
• Last but not least: I am happy with some of the drawings I did and some of the feedback I got! A big thank you to all the readers who kept liking and sharing my work!

The research went into 'cartoonising' my Moo-Chi, and finding a suitable design program that was free. At this stage I am not going to buy Adobe Photoshop.
Mooch, from the 'Moo-Chi Diaries' is again a willing model, and many sketches were made. This time he'll be teaching yoga and meditation. 
Finding a software program that I could use proved to be a bit of a challenge. 
I've written before about my complete 'techno-crud' background. A few short years ago the small task of putting a picture on facebook was.... well.... let's just say you could wait a loooong time for it to show. Producing, scanning, editing and publishing a drawing for 30 days straight was a genuine accomplishment for me. 

To cut a long story short, I ventured into new territory. I researched various free software programs, downloaded and deleted a few, and I am still finding my way around my latest program called Paint.net. 
I've also been spending a lot of time on You-Tube, looking at tutorials. Again, many thanks to all those geeks out there recording, publishing and sharing their knowledge!!! I am sure Google and You-Tube have transformed the process of learning for many people.
This is my first GuruMooch picture. Or, to be more precise: the first picture that survived. I've made some before in a program called Inkscape. What I found was that that was too cumbersome for what I want, and the pictures that I saved can't be found anymore. Ho-Hum. As for this picture, it survived. However, I realise now it's also been saved in the wrong format. It looks rather cloudy around the text. And yes, four toes on one side and three on the other... But I guess a start has been made....