Yoga for Designers
Here are a few simple poses to start a basic yoga practice that benefits the creative process.
Mindful Design: What the UX World Can Learn from Yoga
This article is reprinted from the September 2013 issue of UXPA Magazine.
In this article, I will describe how mindfulness practices benefit designers, based on my firsthand experience as a design executive, mentor and yoga teacher.
Designer seeking advice...
Earlier this week I received a message from a young designer asking for advice on how to land her dream job.
Udacity seeks to solve our greatest education and employment challenges
It’s no secret that higher education as we know it today is not sustainable. The cost of going to college is only increasing, and the nation now has nearly a trillion dollars in college debt. And yet, the unemployment rate in the US is around 8%. People are paying sky high prices for college, only to not find a job.
The Nectar of Chanting
We just returned from a family trip to the ashram in upstate NY. Our visit was profound, powerful, and uplifting, in ways that are too deep, personal, and difficult to explain with words. As is typically the case when taking the kids to a new, unfamiliar place, they were uncomfortable at first, but by the end of the week they loved it. Much to my surprise and delight, the kids have really taken to chanting.
Goodbye Google, Hello World!
Yes, it's true: after 6 years at Google, I have decided to leave and move on.
"I'm not good at yoga."
Now that I'm teaching yoga, the topic of yoga comes up in conversation from time to time. A comment I hear often is "I don't do yoga. I'm not good at it." The irony of this comment fascinates me. How come one rarely says, "I don't go to strength training classes, because I'm not strong," yet people say they don't do yoga because they're not flexible?
"Grown-ups like numbers"
We are rereading "The Little Prince" by Antoine De Saint-Exupery during bedtime stories. (Even though my kids are old enough to read to themselves, we still enjoy the nighttime ritual of having me read to them.)
Contemplating non-attachment
Book I, Sutra 15, "Yoga Sutras of Patanjali"
Drstanusravika visaya vitrsnasya vasikara samjna vairagyam
The consciousness of self-mastery in one who is free from craving for objects seen or heard about is non-attachment.
Why do we roll to the right from Savasana?
A question came up in yoga class about why we always roll to the right after Savasana.
Who is the inventor?
The other day, Sophie brought home stencils and coloring pages about inventors including George Stephenson and Leonardo da Vinci. It prompted an interesting discussion with Charlotte as the two of them argued as passionately as I've ever seen them.
Hello Kitty
When I was a child my most treasured belongings were my Hello Kitty accessories: combs, mirrors, address book, wallets, pencils. I loved the compactness of the designs, the attention to detail, the use of high quality materials.
1931: A restaurant that delights
One of the best meals we had while in China was at a small restaurant called 1931 in Shanghai, in the French Concession area. The food could easily stand on its own merit, but there were many non-culinary details of our evening there that made it a delightful experience.