Young Coconut Juice from India

Speaking of coconuts...

I had a double take when this guy started climbing the coconut tree like it was nothing. It probably took him 30 seconds to get to the top. And he cut down some young coconut with a machete and then climbed down from the tree. The whole transaction probably took 3 minutes. Wow! I thought I was good at climbing trees, but this guy put me to shame.
I was introduced to the wonder of the young coconut juice in India. A slightly sweet clear liquid packed with nutrients and electrolytes did the trick for me on hot afternoons between yoga sessions.
pictured: myself and my yoga peeps enjoying a young coconut

Wishing I could go back to that life right now.

Tip for back and neck pain

Remembering to move...


As a graphic designer I've found that sitting still in a chair for 8 hrs is very hard on your neck, lower back, and hamstrings. It's something that nobody really talks about, but I'm pretty sure it affects a lot of people. I was recenetly rear-ended which has amplified my pain. My chiropractor recommended a timer to remind myself to get up and move every 30 minutes. I went home and immediately downloaded this free timer for macs. It's very easy to set it up to chime every 30 minutes. It's a subtle reminder to nod your head yes and no and stand up for a second to stretch and to be more aware of your body so that you can sit with correct posture. Ahhh!

Other tips that work for me:
• Back bends such as camel pose to counter act the hunching forward. Laying on the edge of the bed with your head hanging off seems to do the trick for me too.
• Ice the area that hurts for 20 min.
• Wet heating pads help relax tense shoulders. Here is a DIY tutorial on how to make your own.
• Yoga is great for keeping the spine and overall body healthy. I use Yogatoday.com which gives me unlimited yoga classes streamed from the internet for 10$ a month.

What do you do to cope with your back/neck pain?

Inner Body Works New Identity

I wanted to share one of my freelance projects I designed last summer. Inner Bodyworks yoga studio came to me needing a new identity and website. I decided to get out the india ink for this project because the loose organic lines felt right for a yoga studio. After covering my living room floor with india ink sketches, I narrowed down to the best few and showed those concepts with the client. We ended up going with a simple abstract representation of the word innerbody. It can also read as a person with their hands interlocked above their head. I included a bit of my process so you can see what that is like.

The website is designed to be simple and easy to use while evoking the mood of the studio. The patterns used in the collage are from the studio. I also softened the photographs to communicate calmness.