Photo Idea's #1, Judging a Digital Image by the Histogram

Judging a Digital Image by the Histogram

Is Like being on holiday and, instead of sending back Vibrant postcards or JPEGs filled with high-watt-age RGB-type escapades, you send back—a gray card.
“Wish you were here.” Your correspondent looks and thinks, “Glad I’m not.”

Winter Solstice Celebration Smithfield/ Christmas Get together Elbow Room

Sheriff Street Hoardings come down at last

Sierra Madre Spain

© Brian David Brady

How to give yourself a Foot Massage



photograph © brian d brady



    There are days when I don’t do a vigorous asana practice. I might have a full teaching schedule, might be menstruating, I might feel kind of sore, or just might not able to convince myself to strong work that day (we might just call that one a lazy day, probably?)

   Still, on these days I like to get onto the mat and connect and feel that I am doing something for myself. These are the perfect days for a foot massage.

Done in the morning, vigorously rubbing the soles of the feet, thus stimulating all the nerves,  a bit like in Reflexology, it can be  refreshing and awakening.

   If done at night, with gentle, slow strokes and calming fragrant oil, it can be very soothing and relaxing, just before bedtime is a great time to do that.

   I feel that massaging my own feet is a generous gesture of acceptance, nurturing and self-care, I feel that it is much needed, especially on these low-days.

   I would make sure that the room is warm enough, sit down on my mat and start at my right big toe. Of course this can be done sitting on a chair, a couch or anywhere else.

   I like to begin with the big toe and working towards the little toe, taking each toe individually, rolling the toe between thumb and forefinger, gently squeezing the end of each toe, wriggling, bending back and forth, circling, any movement that I can think of and that feels good.

   I am then working up each single toe, top and sole of the foot, Kneading the sole by holding the foot with one hand and making a fist with the other, using quite some pressure into the sole and the instep. I continue stroking on the top of the foot along the lines/ridges of tendons that run along the foot from toes to mid-foot.

Holding the foot with one hand, using the other hand to rotate the limp, passive foot, first at the ankle, and then near the ball of the foot, gently. I repeat a few times in each direction. Then I do the other foot.

   Is this really part of my yoga practice? Yes, to me yoga is more than downward facing dog. Anything that is done with great care, in an attempt to heal body, mind and spirit, aiming to connect to god, to the world around me and to my true deep self, I call that yoga.

Namaste 

Photoshop, Raw File Before and After Processing, Spanish Electrics?

Geometrics #6

Yoga and Photography Workshop/Retreat Spain

Roses

Made with a forty year old russian lens, on a digital body

On the descent from the Sierra Neveda Mountains to the Tabernas Desert.

Moorish Drinking Fountain, 11th Century

Retreat Location: The Gift of Peace

New Yoga and Photography Workshops for Next Year

White Water

Spot the Swimmer

Carnival/Fair Ground Sculptures

Panels

This is number 5 from a new series of work. "Panels"








Ibex, Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park

Adult Female Ibex

So I am standing about 5-7 meters from this beautiful animal and need to photography her. She is baby sitting 4 inquisitive kids and is on high alert. I ignored the SLR around my neck and slowly took out the Lumix and made about 15 shots without making sound,

The clatter of the SLR shutter would have spooked her.

I felt truly privileged to be so close to these wild animals

Mother taking the Kids home

The Castile at San Ramon XVIII, Cabo de Gata

Equivalent. What do you see ?

Andrea's Silent Retreat

Silence

    For a long time now I have had the wish to go on a silent retreat, to find out what happens to me behind the distraction of talk, mindless and meaningful, essential and unnecessary. I booked myself in for a few days to the Glendalough Hermitage Centre and took a vow of silence for four days and nights. When I arrived at the centre, I was greeted with a very warm, friendly welcome by the sisters and staff in the centre, it was all gentle, calm, unintrusive. While the centre is a place of silence and rest, there was some talk among the other pilgrims, twice daily prayers and meditations were offered, just no mindless chat. I loved it. I loved it and it was easy for me to be silent, apart from a few times, when I started to mutter something to myself, like: where did I put the keys? Or: ah, that’s a nice cup of tea!, these kind of things. But I caught myself each time and didn’t feel the need for a chat. One day a dog showed up on the premises and I forgot and I started talking a bit to the dog until I remembered. Does that count? Anyway, I stopped talking to the dog quickly as well. I felt calm and content, I prayed, meditated and walked a lot during my stay and enjoyed every minute of it.

   There is this reccurring dream for me, a nightmare rather. I am followed by a dark shadow through my dream, running, fleeing. When the shadow nearly reaches me, I open my mouth to scream, but, that is the worst part: I am mute, no sound comes out of me and I am paralyzed with terror and then I wake up. I do believe that this dream is about something that happened to me when I was a child, when I didn’t have the power to speak or to protect myself. I also had this dream while I was in Glendalough, a few days into my silent time, and that time I woke up screaming my head off! This was a scream of liberation and it felt really good and I felt that something had come together within me. It was about 3 am when it happened and I hope I didn’t scare anyone of the neighbours too much. I got up, closed the windows of my hermitage and went back to bed, snuggled up, safe and relieved. The next day I thought a lot about the freedom to speak and the freedom, or choice to be silent. Both is valuable, both I find is necessary to learn.

   

   I also learned once again, even with the friendly welcome I got at the centre, that Christianity is still freaking me out. I love God, I am in search of spirituality every day of my life, but all the talk of our Father here and our Lord there is something so alien to me. But that’s of course just me, I happen to like my God/ess/e/s a bit more abstract.

 I would love to take a silent retreat again, maybe a bit longer next time. I also feel that it is a great luxury to go into retreat and I got a lot of peace out of it. It occurred to me that, unfortunately, when I was in great pain and my live was in turmoil, it wouldn’t have crossed my mind to do something like it, use the opportunity to step back, breath and be silent and just wait what comes up in stillness, and I know of friends and fellows that it’s the same for them, the peace doesn’t come when it’s most needed.

The Glendalough Hermitage Centre is open for visitors and guests, their website is
Glen da lough hermitage Center