It’s funny that one of the most vital of all of our activities is, for many, one of the least considered. Few of us take the time from our hectic lives to think at all about how we breathe, or to even learn how to do so properly. The best ways to master the art of breathing are by practicing Yoga or Meditation. If all of that sounds too complicated and new-agey for you, just start off with this simple exercise:
Sit “Indian Style” with a pillow under your bum. Sit up straight, with your chin bent slightly forward so that the back of your skull feels like it forms a vertical line with your spine.
Close your eyes and press your left nostril closed with your left thumb. Inhale gently through your right nostril. Be patient and calm – it may be very difficult at first to breathe in, especially if you are prone to being congested, but if you are patient, you will be surprised at how your airways will start to open up.
Once you have inhaled, let go of your left nostril, and close your right nostril with your left index finger. Exhale slowly through your left nostril.
After you finish exhaling through your left nostril the third time, start inhaling through that same nostril, reversing the sequence: inhaling through the left, and exhaling through the right. Do this for three breaths as well.
As you breathe in, concentrate only on the sensation of your breath, and it’s effects on your body. You may be able to feel the blood vessels in your nostrils and face start to pulse as your heart beats – this is a good start, so concentrate on this sensation. After you have mastered this exercise, continue on after it simply breathing through your (unobstructed) nose.
Once you get used to concentrating on the sensation of your blood vessels pulsing, start to concentrate on your belly as you breathe in and out. You may even start to feel the food digesting in your very stomach!
Concentrating on your breathing will not only clear your mind of all of the inconsequential gunk that has built up in it, it will also stimulate blood flow through your whole body.
Not only is concentrating on the sensation of your breath important, but how you breathe can effect how you feel, as well. Feeling depressed? You may need to breathe more with your chest. Overly anxious? Maybe there isn’t enough belly in your breath. If you lie on your back with a hand on your belly and a hand on your chest, both of them should rise when you breathe, your chest slightly less than your belly.
Breathing is a simple – yet vital – life hack indeed. Next time you’re cussing out the Escalade that beat you to the closest parking spot to the door of your favorite strip-mall supermarket, just remind yourself that breathing is way more important.
A few years ago, I noticed that there were no resources for Graphic Designers to learn about how to reduce the environmental impact of their print projects. I’ve done some research on the subject lately, and I have found that much more information has been popping up, however, it is scattered throughout the web and trying to sift through it all is overwhelming to say the least.
As you may have heard on my latest Be A Design Cast appearance, I have launched SustainablePrint.org: a wiki that will – with the help of folks like you – become the most comprehensive resource for Designers to consult when trying to reduce the environmental impact of their print projects.
As you can see on the site, I have gotten the ball rolling, but I only know so much about this subject so in order to be successful the project needs the expertise and experience of members of the Design, Paper, and Printing industries. Please help by contributing, offerring your suggestions, and telling every design, printing, and paper expert you know!
Until recently, I was prone to sinus infections – or not so much prone, but rather, I had a sinus infection all of the time. My voice was nasally, I was fatigued all of the time, and I pretty much felt gross. I had seen a number of doctors over the years for my recurrent sinusitis. They tended to test me for environmental allergies, stick a camera up my nose, and ultimately prescribe some bullshit allergy medication that didn’t work, or even convince me to try nasal irrigation – which was actually their best idea. keep on reading »
One of the first web 2.0 type events that I went to when I moved to California was Super Happy Dev House, where I met Vinnie and the other guys from Meetro. At the time that company had as many as 8 guys living and working in a three-bedroom apartment in Palo Alto. It sounds like a totally crazy situation, but whenever I hung out there I found it to be extremely inspiring and energizing – they were passionate to the max about their idea (they still are, but now they have some real office space). Current.tv did a great job of depicting this arrangement and I want to share it with you:
Just can’t afford that designer brand? Or maybe you want the name, but not all of that…class. Well, now you can make your own t-shirt in any brand you want!
Get a blank t-shirt.
Order some letters. bonus typographer points if you can piece together something decent from a sheet full of individual letters.
Spell out your favorite designer brand on the t-shirt, using the letters, and iron them on.
Wear your stylish new shirt proudly on the street.
SustainLane and I have parted ways. It was fun and rewarding while it lasted. No, I’m not currently looking for work, freelance or otherwise. I’m excited – more things to come from me…
As I was trying to assemble a dance playlist for a recent party that I hosted, I realized the shortcomings of the traditional use of the iTunes rating format: the only songs I rated were the songs that I _liked_ – resulting in a large mass of 4-star and 5-star songs – some of which were not uplifting enough to dance to. Thankfully I found enough danceable ones to make the party a success, but clearly I needed a better way to categorize my music.
After much thought, I have devised an emotion-based rating system. Here it goes:
1-star: Melancholy
These songs are friggen’ depressing, and with no hope of recovery. I was surprised at how few of the songs in my collection really fall into this category, so maybe I need to be more liberal in my categorization. What isn’t a surprise is that most of the songs that fall into this category are either Elliott Smith or Bright Eyes songs: “Angeles” and “Lua”, respectively, for example.
2-stars: Wistful
These songs are actually more depressing to listen to than the 1-star songs because they tend to allude – through lyrics, sound, or both – to things just lost or out of reach. This category seems to be dominated by Stars, Bloc Party, and Arcade Fire: “Lover’s Spit,”“Kreuzberg,” and “Intervention” as respective examples.
3-stars: Stable
Given that most modern music is based on The Blues, these may still be a little depressing, but are generally more soothing to listen to. These songs tend to mix subtle happiness and sadness for an overall “Stable” feel. This is where you start to see some Spoon and The Strokes show up: “Lines in the Suit” and “Automatic Stop,” as respective examples.
4-stars: Cool
Now we get into things that are perhaps danceable and have a generally more active feel. The spiraling bass line and breathy vocals of “Stars and Sons” by Broken Social Scene put that song in this category, and that crazy video-game sounding guitar solo in “Born Under Punches” by The Talking Heads is undeniably “Cool.” “Happy” and “joyous” songs would probably go in this category as well.
5-stars: Indestructible
These are those songs that make you want to dance, run really fast, lift heavy objects, leap tall buildings, etc.. This is where much of my hip-hop collection ends up, with N.E.R.D.’s “Brain” and Dr. Dre’s “Nuthin’ but A ‘G’ Thang” being a couple of favorites; and “Abra Cadaver” (no, not “Kadavy”) by The Hives, and Gang of Four’s “Natural’s Not In It” reppin’ other Genres. The ultimate “Indestructible” song goes – of course – to Spoon with “I Turn My Camera On.”
While there may be some criteria – or even specific characteristics of a song – that I point to to justify my ratings, _it’s music_ and thus this rating system is by no means scientific. I may even rate a song “Cool” today and later decide that it makes me feel “Indestructible” – it may depend upon my mood at the moment I rate the song. I have found the mood-based playlists this rating system yeilds to be pretty reliable. Does it work for you?
Attention Chicagoans: I will be speaking in your fine city at the first ever Chicago-based Green Festival. MyteammatesandI will be talking about the potential for social networking technologies to be an effective tool for advancing the green movement.
As you may have seen in my twits, sustainlane.com has launched! SustainLane allows people to review sustainable, “green,” and organic products and businesses, and I’m more excited about it than probably anything I’ve ever done before in my life (yes, I know, it’s “just a website”…this is how simple my life is). It’s going to make it easier than ever for people to find products and businesses that are socially, environmentally, and/or health conscious.
