Yoga and Art (Yoku): You as part of nature

inspirational books and drawings

Last night was another Yoku session and it was all about Autumn and its colours and how you related to nature. Autumn really started last weekend, from one day to the other Summer had finished. 

Before we started our yoga session we were asked wether we felt connected to nature and in what way that expressed itself. I am very much enjoying all the colours of Autumn, but I notice that the evenings are becoming shorter, there is less day light and as a consequence I am less likely to go outdoors in the evening.

The yoga session was focused on the heart, because whether we like it or not Autumn has arrived and we need to embrace it. Running away from it is not an option. After a few exercises I became warm in the chest area, which is a sign that the heart energy is flowing.

Our first drawing assignment was to take light Autumn colours and to colour a sheet of paper in an abstract way, so no form or shapes. We would then take a leaf from the table, colour it with a darker shade of chalk and rub the chalk from the leaf onto the paper like in the picture above. In this way you could visualize the outline of the leaf.

Working his reminded me of kindergarten although I do not actually recollect this specific activity  I felt like I was doing this for the first time and I was playing around with it a little to get myself acquainted with the material. 

I added a green leaf to my drawing which I had previously used for rubbing green chalk onto the paper.

 When our time was up, we sat down for tea and some delicious apricot balls (handmade by Vir) to evaluate. And again all our experiences were different and personal. I realize this is one of the reasons why I like the Yoku evenings so much: we can tell each other our personal feelings and stories, show our very personal works without any reluctance because it is a very warm and safe place to be.

My final drawing; I love the exuberant colours and the subtle outlines of the leaves. It is all about Autumn for me.