Are you a #mindfuliger

When I started out on Instagram I was living in Dubai, surrounded by amazing skyscrapers. That is where I was, so I decided to photograph the skyscrapers. 

Dubai is a cultural hot pot and offers one a wonderful opportunity to be exposed to, and practice taking different perspectives. We are so influenced by our upbringing, education and cultural backgrounds that it is not always easy to see a situation at hand from the perspective of another or in a way that encourages growth and change. 

Instead of seeing with open eyes, our vision is often blinkered or filtered.  On my Instagram account  I have tried to encourage the taking of different perspectives in all life situations, by mostly posting photographs which are lookups of buildings, photographing from different angles, or editing the photographs in such a way that a new perspective is presented. It is my wish that my photographs will be a gentle reminder to look at life with fresh eyes.  

In my photography I have been greatly influenced by the work of John Daido Loori Roshi. What follows is a transcript from one of my favorite youtube videos, in which he speaks about Zen Photography. 

“Look at what a photograph is. It’s like 1/60th of a second , or 1/120th of a second, or 1/1000 of a second sometimes. So it’s the moment.....

The moment is a fleeting thing. It arrives as it departs. But the moment is where a life takes place.  And unfortunately most of us miss it. We’re preoccupied with the past which doesn’t exist, it’s already happened. Or we’re preoccupied with the future, worrying about the future. It too doesn’t exist, it hasn’t happened yet. And while we’re so preoccupied, we miss the moment to moment awareness of our life. And that’s where our life takes place. We miss the moment, we’ve missed our lives. So that’s the importance of the moment.........”

My photography flows out of my mindfulness practice, but in many ways I use my photography as a mindfulness practice in itself. When I am out photographing, awareness of all that is happening around me is key.  To capture a scene which I will be able to incorporate into my art,  I need to be particularly alert, sensitive to, and mindful of the moment. 

Today I decided to start a new hashtag on Instagram. I suddenly realized again, something I have known for a long time. It’s all about the moment. Being mindful of the moment is a wonderful message to spread on Instagram. 

So are you a #mindfuliger?

I love words especially new ones! This one has a lovely sound to it. It could be from any language in the world! 

I believe the hashtag #mindfuliger has the potential to add an extra dimension to Instagram. 

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”  -Viktor E. Frankl

If you would like to find out more about incorporating mindfulness into your photography,  you might like to take a look at  the website “Seeing Fresh”.  The About and Galleries sections have some wonderful info and assignments to try out. The end part of the John Daido Loori Roshi video also has some wonderful tips. 

“But when I photograph, what I try do is to get out of the way and let the photograph happen. Let the camera photograph by itself.”  -John Daido Loori Roshi

Are you mindful when you photograph? Would you like to be? Become a #mindfuliger and start adding the hashtag #mindfuliger to your work. I’m very excited to see this new stream on Instagram! 

Mindfulness - Starting Out

“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally”. Jon Kabat-Zinn

This implies that what is experienced, be it for example, the breath, bodily sensation, emotion, thought or event, is acknowledged, without judgement, as it occurs in the field of one’s attention.

The practice of mindfulness at specific times and at intervals throughout the day has been proven to help with amongst others, stress, pain reduction, anxiety and depression. Conscious awareness has also enabled individuals to develop more positive habits and outlooks as they become gradually aware of detrimental, habitual patterns of thought and action.

These are all added benefits, as first and foremost, mindfulness helps you to be fully present in the moment as it is happening right now.

Mindfulness helps to bring about what Thich Nhat Hanh calls “the unity of the body and the mind”. Often the body is here, but the mind is completely somewhere else.

Being lost in thought, caught up in regrets, fears, anger, anxiety, plans or perceptions, prevents you from being fully there for yourself or others. Awareness of what is occurring as it occurs, helps you over a period of time to not identify with feelings, emotions or thoughts as they arise. You begin to realize that you are not the pain you are feeling right now. You are not your anger or your happy feeling. The perceptions you hold onto, often hold you as a victim, and awareness of them, without judgement, loosens their grip.

As the breath is a link between the body and the mind it is a good friend to have when you start your practice.

Whether you practice at a set time every day for a certain number of minutes (5, 10 or 15 mins a session is more than enough to begin with); whether you practice once or twice a day; whether you practice seated in a particular chair with your back straight and your feet on the ground; whether you practice lying down upon waking or before going to sleep or both; whether you stop at brief intervals throughout the day for a few seconds - in all of these instances become aware of each breath as it enters your body and then as it leaves. Don’t worry if the breath is shallow or deep. Simply observe it and then repeat the process. Concentration on the in-breath and the out-breath is your practice. When your mind wanders off, notice it and then return your focus to the breath.

After a while you will begin to notice the length of your in-breaths and your out-breaths and the space of time in-between them. Do so without judgment.

After you become more familiar with this practice, you can extend your awareness to bodily sensations as they are occurring in your body. “Oh, my right knee is paining”. “There is a tingling in my neck”.

As you continue your practice over time, you can then extend your awareness to your emotions and thoughts. “I am livid with so-and-so”. “I have to plan for tomorrow’s meeting”. Observe these but do not engage them. By that I mean, do not allow yourself to get caught up in the emotion or go down the lane the thought is wanting to lead you. Simply, observe, and then return to a conscious awareness of the in and out breath if necessary.

A mindfulness practice helps you to observe yourself looking out at the world and all that living entails. Gradually and as your practice overflows into all you do, you are set free to experience life as it is happening right now and in this moment.

If you are able to set aside just over an hour to watch an excellent video on mindfulness by Jon Kabat-Zinn it can be found here.

There is much being written about mindfulness at the moment. If you would like to follow a blog, Elisha Goldstein’s “Mindfulness - Your Present Moment” is a good place to start.

The #mindfulness Daily has various sections with daily articles on mindfulness.

“You are here” by Thich Nhat Hanh is an excellent little book to read.

For those of you with an academic interest in mindfulness, the website of UCLA is a good one.

Mindfulness, I believe, is one of the major keys to a healthier society. If you have already started on a practice of mindfulness and have a favorite book, blog, website, idea, etc that you would like to share, please do so in the comments section below. Shared resources are an encouragement to those starting out with a mindfulness practice.

Compassion and a here2here perspective

This week Karen Armstrong will speak on “The State of the Charter for Compassion”. Having completed her book “The Spiral Staircase A Memoir” last night, I got to thinking again about the Golden Rule and the need for compassion in the world today. 

Deciding to participate in an edit activity on Instagram this morning, I was inspired to try to convey these thoughts through an image.  The photograph to be edited was of the city of Honfleur in France.  

Recently I had come up with two edited photographs combining the cities of Dubai and Cape Town. I decided to attempt a similar edit with the photograph at hand as I suddenly realized that in a sense a theme was developing in these edits.  

Bringing cities together in an image was a reminder of the need to take the perspective of others no matter where they may live, no matter what they believe, and no matter how different we might think they are. 

Compassion does not mean feeling pity but “feeling with”.  It is a stepping into the shoes of the other until the self is totally suspended and we are able to see the world with the eyes of the other and feel with them their joy and suffering.

Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity - Charter for Compassion. 

The image is a powerful tool and one that I believe can assist in an opening of the heart to compassion. (taken from “Linda in Wonderland”). 

As I worked on this edit, fusing as it were Dubai with Honfleur I was reminded again of the wonders of technology, but at the same time was overwhelmed by the opportunities it offers to meet others and bridge gaps.  With the aid of social media apps we are catapulted into the here2here, where we meet people from all walks of life.  And the other we soon discover is not as different as we thought them to be.  In fact we have more similarities than differences. 

I was born in South Africa, have lived for almost ten years in Europe and am now living in the Middle East. The whole experience has encouraged me to take different perspectives and widen my embrace. 

Aware of the value this has brought to my life, it has been my wish when using Instagram that my photographs will encourage the taking of different perspectives. I was honored this weekend to have two of my photographs exhibited at an Instagram exhibition in Padova, Italy, and this wish formed part of the short biography which appeared next to my work.  

And so, my love of writing is beginning to come together with my love of architecture and photography. What exact path this will take I am unsure of as yet. I write of it now to put it out into the world and to express my willingness to step out into the unknown. 

Trend Skyscrapers

A shoe is so much more than the sum of its parts.

Originally looking more like a foot bag used for protection and warmth, the design of the shoe has evolved over time. Functionality soon made room for adornment and this in turn was dependent upon materials available and the culture in which the shoe found itself. 

Color became important as accessories on other parts of the body called for matching shoes. Status in society enabled some to wear shoes that made a statement.  

Today, your choice when buying a pair of shoes is obviously influenced by the shape and size of your feet which are part of your external attributes.  Personal taste, part of your interior being, plays a role. 

But let us not forget that each individual is also part of a collective “we” with its own interior and exterior.  There are habits that are preferred in a particular group, as well as external systems supporting that culture. What this means is that the shoes popular in the culture you find yourself in, and what is on offer because of the manufacturing possibilities of this era, also influence your choice. 

Popular trend, otherwise called fashion, is an interesting phenomenon. 

That there are trend setters of a particular fashion, I comprehend. That advertising agents assist in spreading the popularity of an item, makes sense. That we now have communication technologies offering exponential possibilities for an item to either gain or lose popularity amongst buyers in a very short period of time, is exciting. That this adds a whole new dimension which needs consideration when fashion is designed, is challenging. 

At the same time, users of products are beginning to take an interest in how a particular product influences the environment. Social issues, such as the unfair treatment of the laborers involved in the manufacture of a product can no longer be ignored. That both these factors must be addressed in fashion design, is becoming crucial.   

That there are designers who give direction as to what the fashion of a particular season will be, I understand. What intrigues me, however, is what these designers are inspired by. What for instance has led to skyscrapers dominating the autumn fashions now to be seen in window displays in the northern hemisphere? 

Skyscrapers? 

A look at the history of skyscrapers sheds light on the question at hand. 

In 1922 the discovery of the tomb of King Tutankhamen and the treasures which had been undisturbed for more than 3000 years captured the imagination of the world. The decorative art movement which began in the 1920s and which was later called Art Deco, was greatly influenced by the discovery. The fascination for ancient Egypt was expressed in the design of jewelry, furniture, clothing and architecture. 

Stories were told by ancient Egyptian art and so it became popular to put symbolic images on buildings. The Chrysler Building in New York, which for a short time was the word’s tallest building after its completion in 1930, is adorned with hubcaps and images of cars.

Art Deco skyscrapers also suggested Egyptian pyramids in their design. The Empire State Building in New York is one example of stepped design.

When we consider that the 10th anniversary of the collapse of the Twin Towers is still fresh in the memory of the collective, and that the world is still buzzing with the news of the Arab Spring which gained great momentum in Egypt, it is perhaps more understandable now why skyscrapers are influencing fashion.

Giorgio Armani, a leading designer giving direction in fashion, has a hotel in the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building at the moment. Could this be influencing fashion design choices?

When the world experiences a crisis it is not uncommon for creative people to find opportunity. Skyscraper fashion encourages individuals to stand tall despite the current economic crisis. Super-high heels were also in vogue during the Depression that followed the 1929 Wall Street Crash. Could designers be cashing in on our insecurities? Can we blame them for this? 

Would it not be better to be mindful of all these influences?

These are my perspectives, influenced perhaps by the fact that I live close to the foot of the Burj Khalifa. 

The shoe depicted at the start of this blog has skyscraper heels and sequin adornment. 

 Hopefully, you will now view it with slightly different eyes.

Grounded Flight

It is approaching Spring in South Africa and in Pretoria buds and blossoms are beginning to appear here and there.  The general impression when looking at the landscape, however, is still one of dryness. 

When we lived in Germany and returned to South Africa for a visit, the first thing our children commented on at the time was the soil. They noticed that in their opinion South African soil is red while German soil is brown! 

Reminded of that while driving through to Pretoria recently, I wondered how many of us even notice the color of the soil in the area we live. Habits blend us into our surroundings. Surroundings reinforce habits. Perspectives become limited unless consciously challenged. Horizons are narrow unless broadened by awareness.

Returning home to a town once lived in, things never noticed before, suddenly glare at one.   Nothing has changed except the viewer who has gained distance not only physically, but emotionally as well.

Distance lends enchantment to the view, the saying goes but that I feel is only one side of the story.  Distance also enables one to see perspectives not visible from within a particular environment.

In the past, such distance could only be gained by physically moving away.  This was the privilege of a minority and so cultural habits and beliefs were reinforced from one generation to the next.

Today modern travel but more especially technology, has blasted this all apart.  People of different cultural backgrounds can meet online, beliefs are suddenly challenged, new ways of doing things become apparent. 

If I so wish, I can look at pictures of soil in Germany or soil in South Africa, or soil in wherever, read about it or even chat to personages knowledgeable in that field.  

The challenge, however, is two-fold. Perspectives need to be broadened, but at the same time we need to be grounded.

We need to feel the soil beneath our feet, if not barefoot, then through mindful awareness of the sensation of connecting with the ground as we walk. We need to be aware of where we are at and where we are coming from, especially when online where the temptation could be to escape.

As we realize that the other is not so other as always imagined - similarities outweigh our differences; we all want to be happy; we all wish to be freed from suffering; soil may vary but it is still soil - we open ourselves to new dimensions of being. 

here2here offers such dimensions. We meet here, are here together, but at the same time are each somewhere else. 

In such a “place”, in such a “space”, perspectives can only broaden. More importantly, however, mutual acceptance and hospitality allow the collective, meeting here2here, to be grounded in a dimension invisible to the physical eye, sometimes visible to the eye of contemplation, but definitely visible to the eye of Spirit. 

Collective consciousness, shared participation, shared responsibility and shared innovation are soils rich in potential, waiting to be stepped into, holding out gifts of creativity in ways unimagined before.

Let's feel the soil beneath our feet as we take off!