summer solstice today is pretty much the most beautiful day of the year in collinsville, connecticut. i am worshipping the sun (in moderation of course) today; as well as yoga-ing, swimming, screen printing, and going on a bike ride! i genuinely love my life right now. i love this very moment, but i also love losing myself in dreams of what i imagine my future to be. me working in my lil room in a bit of sunshine :) burning a screen thoughts of mine today: one has gotta put the hours in, the hard work. my work, i am finding, is what keeps me satisfied. i resist it at first because of some fading unworkable thought patterns i've developed over some lazy years. i am beginning to feel joy at working more hours on purusha than i thought i'd ever want to. i mean, why not?! i am here living on this earth, why live without the things and the dreams i really want?! i have been dealt a pretty good hand to start, so i should use this to my advantage- and spring board from some of this good luck! summer sun life is but a dream.

my yoga room i have been sooo busy with late summer/autumn designs for purusha (they'll be posted in a few short weeks!), a collection for drishti santa barbara, and on a new purusha website... but i always make time for my yoga :) it's all about balance! i thought i'd share with you my lil yoga space ! the door leads within you 3rd floor room, complete with a 4 sided inversion wall (enclosed chimney hehe) i even have a sunlit view where it all begins- the mat <3 today i'm dying and screenprinting all day- what fun! i'm gonna get some photos up of me in the process ! xoxo

cute tee sometimes i am just so anxious for purusha to grow! i know it takes time to build a business, but i'm eager for it to develop into what i imagine! once i have more startup money i look forward to using only organic cottons, hemp, modal blends, etc. i'm not normally a huge 'be present' yoga clothing fan, but i gotta say i love this hemp cross back tee. i'd love to carry something like it, with a purusha twist of course, in the future. --> hemp wrap tee by be present

my practice i've been practicing yoga for about 9 years, off and on. it's never been a really consistent thing for me until just recently. and now that it is, i can't believe i've waited so long to take the plunge! over the years i've been practicing, sometimes i went through phases where i practiced 4 days a week, then got caught up in other things and practiced around once a week, if even. practicing this way does not lead to much advancement in yoga, i can tell you this! i'm learning that with yoga, like any discipline, consistency and dedication are the keys to success. there's this little 3rd floor room in my house i've turned into a homey yoga space for myself. i've been so happy to find that my morning practice is the highlight of my entire day. :) taking a moment to be alone, breath, and slow down before the day speeds up is so critical for me. after my practice i approach my day with much more patience, less anxiety, and a focus for what i want to achieve. trying more difficult poses is also very very exciting! i know advancing in yoga (in certain poses especially) can be slow, but i am already noticing an improved strength and confidence within me! when i can accomplish something scary and difficult in exercise, i feel much more ready to take on the daunting events in my everyday life. plus, i'm getting flooded with serotonin and endorphins- can't hurt! i got certified to teach yoga back in 2006 at yandara yoga institute in todos santos, baja, mexico. i had a very interesting experience there, but when i was finished i felt pretty turned off from yoga. i learned a lot about iyengar style yoga and now know how to correctly position my body in most postures. but, i also learned way too much about yoga 'mysticism', i like to call it. as soon as yoga becomes some sort of magic that people subconsciously consider themselves 'better' than others to 'learn', well i just kinda shut down to it. i am very anti-religion, as many of my friends know, and i don't want my yoga practice to resemble any sort of fabricated religious experience. it is what it is- a series of exercises centered around the breath. anyone can do it and advance in it with dedication. yandara had a lot of amazing teachers, but i really wish we had spent more time on the science of yoga and on the human anatomy. much time was spent on 'rebirth' ceremonies, chanting to indian gods, and satya 'truth telling' (talking about something painful in your life in front of strangers and crying, basically). i know a lot of other students there agreed with me that we didn't sign up for psychotherapy conducted by uncertified 'doctors'. gazing into a group of strangers' eyes after breathing in a way to flood the body with oxygen for 45 minutes doesn't make me feel more connected to anyone, it just makes me feel insane. i know i'm not the only one that gets fed up with some of the bs that comes along with yoga... so yeah, i left yandara thinking- i don't want to be apart of yoga... and what is yoga anyways? i've been searching for my own definition for the past 4 years to find that is can be whatever i want it to be. and for me, yoga is exercise. pretty much any discipline can be yoga- music, running, biking, art, science. so why do the asanas?? if yoga is discipline to exist in the moment in whatever practice, why do the poses? this is what i want to be able to explain when i start teaching. my boyfriend patrick is becoming my first student. he, like many men, has been very reluctant to try any poses. and i totally get it, yoga has become very feminized and sometimes just appears downright silly. i dug up one of my books i bought to study at yandara (which we never even picked up, go figure)- 'anatomy of hatha yoga'. it's definitely a tough read, but i am determined to be able to explain to others simply why asanas are good for the body, and exactly what's going on in the body when you practice. no more chakra and prana bull, i really think those terms almost cheapen the practice. plus i would feel like i was lying to my students if i told them these magical terms that have no scientific grounding. i just want to be real with yoga. and i want to teach with a real wealth of knowledge of the human body. i turned 27 yesterday on june 7th, and this year already looks pretty bright! i can't wait to see where purusha, my own practice, and teaching take me! poised on pigeon on my birthday :)

the future of fashion last week during my break at work i decided to go to westfarms mall- h & m in particular. i keep commenting on people's clothes and then they'll tell me- 'oh i got it at h & m for only $15!' or some other ridiculously low price for a great looking piece. i haven't gone to the mall or h & m for quite some time, so it made for an interesting and stimulating experience! i really don't like malls. i like to know what im shopping for, get in get out. i used to love to shop when i was younger, especially at westfarms. i could spend hours in that windowless merchandise castle drooling over the wealth i wanted to look like i had... thankfully i've grown older and less materialistic, more conscious of the choices i make and how they effect everyone else. while looking into the shops cleverly displayed with the same recycled looks from last summer, the artificial lighting and perfumes, the crowds of people....i can't help but wonder-- what are we doing here? why do we need to buy so many things???!! i begin to feel claustrophobic and don't want to be apart of this place! i press on, focused on my destination, h & m. and wow... walking in and seeing the cutest little pleated prairie girl style tunic top for only $13 made me want to quit purusha right then and there. i mean how can i compete?! these huge companies can deliver the trendiest looks at such a low price! i hold the shirt up, want it badly for a split second, then put it back on the rack. i cruise around the store and see someone else about to buy the same shirt. that makes me feel better about not getting it. -that and it's made in china. practically everything at h & m is made in china.. explains why it's all so inexpensive! i leave h & m with a shirt for patrick (he needs clothes more than i do!) and some little hair clips for myself. pat's shirt was $14, lovely, and made in china. shopping is such a strange experience these days because it is sooo easy to forget where the items for sale come from. i've been learning a lot about the food industry and how the modern day grocery store almost disconnects us from the reality of food. produce and other foods from all over the world are available to the consumer. papaya from polynesia, spinach from china, kiwis from italy. it's quite insane how fortunate we are if you think about it! the luxury of shopping the world in your own grocery store. but then, i remember... this papaya is not organic, it took much fuel to get it here, and it's most likely not very fresh if flown in from so far. would buying this help or hurt the planet? i'm not even going to go into animal products here because that is a huge issue and a problem the u.s. is going to have to deal with sooner or later... but back to the fashion industry. it's kinda like the food industry in that we can (and probably prefer to) forget how and where the garment was made. it looks pretty and it's cheap, buy it! most retailers have their clothing made in sweatshops by women that work 18 hour days in poorly ventilated factories for very little pay. that's the reality of it, and sometimes i would really like to forget that's how a lot of items i buy are made. i realize i need to be more conscious of this. this experience at the mall, like many 'negative' experiences, i will use as fuel to fire me up about purusha and what i want it to become. i think more and more people are getting fed up with quick fix solutions, with cheaply made items that don't last, with products that negatively effect the planet and its beings. purusha will never be like h & m, it will never fit in at westfarms mall. and i don't want it to. i want purusha to be the forerunner shop for the new consumer, the one that wants his or her every hard earned dollar to support something quality and healthy for all people. i feel beyond excited when i think about where purusha will take me in the future. i have a vision of a frank lloyd wright style building, effortlessly blending in with nature- with a shop in front lit up by sunlight, filled with consumers that love the planet as much as they love themselves and with employees that love purusha and make a great wage in a tea sipping environment :) behind the shop i picture 'the factory'... but it wouldn't be like any factory i've ever seen. seamstresses and silkscreeners, dyers and marketers, making a fair wage for the labor, showing my thankfulness for them with much respect, sensible hours, kindness, and health insurance of course :) i hope to impact others lives in a positive way~ and i want to dress them well too! these dreams of purusha keep me going when i feel like it's too much work. i've been busting my ass recently, but i know it's gonna be worth it ! thank you mainstream chain stores for helping me realize what i don't want!! ... to the future i look! “I look to the future because that's where I'm going to spend the rest of my life.” - george f. burns

purusha summer giveaway now for a limited time only - free boy short panties with every purusha order over $50! no pair is alike! your panties will match whatever garment you order :)

jeans for yoga! i love wearing my roll down yoga pants most days of the week. they're comfy, and when i feel like stretching throughout the day- i can! but... they're tight, and not quite appropriate for all occasions (though i kinda think they are!) i was thinking about jeans for yoga today... cruised the internet for a bit and discovered a great yoga jean company in canada! second denim co. has some pretty hot looks! and they're all stretch denim legging style. i love these 'lollypop' low rise skinny jeans. sexy! check em out! ---> second denim co.

lovin this... i am really enjoying the styles of the lovely clothing company, spool no. 72. i cannot wait for purusha to grow so that i can design my own looks from scratch! spool no. 72 sure inspires me! fox island blouse needlepoint blouse my absolute favorite, heirloom dress the woodstock romper this is the style i am going for... where vintage becomes modern, and trendy becomes timeless: spool no. 72.com.

birthday cake friday, may 14th, my baby guy had his birthday :). after much celebrations of his birth, he came home to reflect on his dreams for the year in the light of his birthday carrot cake!

dreaming last night i had a dream about making scrambled eggs. this morning i made scrambled eggs. sometimes dreams are so wild and adventurous- incredible! and other times they are just like your normal life. last night i had a little of both! i love when i remember my dreams <3 today i am creating new hang tags for my clothing. here they are! front side back side today i'm going to try to figure out a way to make my adventurous dream come true too!

give yourself a gift i think it's so important to treat yourself well. of course don't go overboard and spoil yourself, but please don't neglect yourself either! you deserve to give yourself a gift from time to time. i always think, what's the point of working so hard if you can't enjoy your money a bit? so go ahead and give yourself a gift of purusha :) ! every order comes beautifully custom wrapped in vintage/recycled fabric with a bow and a card just for you! it's your life, if you don't treat yourself right no one else will! after working hard; sit back, relax, shop online, pamper yourself, and wait for your special gift to come in the mail! xoxo