I love, love, love this video! I wish there were more videos like it for little meditators. Give it a try!
Monday, April 22, 2013
Monday, April 8, 2013
What's a "miniBodhi"?
The name miniBodhi came to me very quickly. "Mini", because I intend the artwork to be for young people. I chose "Bodhi" for a few reasons.
"Bodhi" is a Sanskrit word meaning "awakening," or "enlightenment". Buddhist teachings say that a man named Siddhartha was meditating under a fig tree when he achieved enlightenment and became Buddha - the fig tree then became known as the Bodhi Tree. Also, a "Bodhisattva" is a person who has dedicated his or her life to being like Buddha. To me, simply put, that means living very compassionately and peacefully. I rather liked the idea of "little Bodhisattvas", and so "mini-Bodhi" had a special ring to it. Lastly, I liked that "Bodhi" is kind of a homonym with the word "body". I hope to reach many brilliant beautiful hearts within small (growing) bodies.
As I breathe in, I feel a friendship with the mini-Bodhis around me.
As I breathe out, I welcome understanding.
Friendship, Understanding. Friendship, Understanding.
Friday, April 5, 2013
3, 2, 1, Launch!
Welcome to the launch of the miniBodhi blog! I am so excited about bringing this project out into the world.
The idea for this art project came to me after a meditation session, of course. After I sat for about 20 minutes on a Saturday afternoon, I made myself a cup of coffee. Suddenly, I just HAD to paint. I'm a professional illustrator, so I get inspired to draw and paint often, but this flash of inspiration was nothing like I'd ever experienced. I remember thinking, "whoa, that was one freaking strong cup of coffee!" My hands were jittery and moved quickly, like they had a life of their own, and within an hour or two I had sketches done, twelve panels prepped, and the outlines painted out. Somehow I just knew, deep down, that these paintings needed to get out into the world, so I looked into opening an Etsy shop (something I had dragged my feet about for years), and spent several days to lovingly complete the first round of paintings. I have many other ideas for miniBodhi in the works, so stay tuned!
This project itself is proof of the power of meditation. I am still an amateur yogini so I cannot explain it very well, but from my daily meditations, some space was cleared in both my mind and my heart, some seeds were planted, and the rest seemed to unfold on its own. This 'magic' is something I deeply want to share with my own children, and it is my hope that my miniBodhi artwork will send the magic to many more children (and adults), too.
Thank you for joining me in this exciting new endeavour.
As I breathe in, I feel so much gratitude.
As I breathe out, I radiate the joy of new beginnings.
Gratitude, Joy. Gratitude, Joy.
The idea for this art project came to me after a meditation session, of course. After I sat for about 20 minutes on a Saturday afternoon, I made myself a cup of coffee. Suddenly, I just HAD to paint. I'm a professional illustrator, so I get inspired to draw and paint often, but this flash of inspiration was nothing like I'd ever experienced. I remember thinking, "whoa, that was one freaking strong cup of coffee!" My hands were jittery and moved quickly, like they had a life of their own, and within an hour or two I had sketches done, twelve panels prepped, and the outlines painted out. Somehow I just knew, deep down, that these paintings needed to get out into the world, so I looked into opening an Etsy shop (something I had dragged my feet about for years), and spent several days to lovingly complete the first round of paintings. I have many other ideas for miniBodhi in the works, so stay tuned!
This project itself is proof of the power of meditation. I am still an amateur yogini so I cannot explain it very well, but from my daily meditations, some space was cleared in both my mind and my heart, some seeds were planted, and the rest seemed to unfold on its own. This 'magic' is something I deeply want to share with my own children, and it is my hope that my miniBodhi artwork will send the magic to many more children (and adults), too.
Thank you for joining me in this exciting new endeavour.
As I breathe in, I feel so much gratitude.
As I breathe out, I radiate the joy of new beginnings.
Gratitude, Joy. Gratitude, Joy.
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