Mia and Elliott's Yin Blog

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Mia and Elliott Van Veen Loeb (and Figgy's) yin blog for Love Light Yoga, 2024

“I like Sundays because then we see Danielle and I can fall asleep next to my mum on the yoga mat with lots of blankets and our Yinnie dog Figgy. Danielle’s voice is nice to fall asleep to. One day I want to make a yin children’s book with my mama because I think more kids would appreciate experiencing it.”
— Elliott, 8
“She has onyx eyes!”
— Mia, 29 (Hospital)

Mia:

In one of the earliest yoga classes after Elliott was born, her and I laughed together on the yoga mat while we moved from one pose to the next. It was such a magical moment, like we said in a secret language to each-other: We made it! The transitioning from one posture to another have since then developed new meanings and insights through studying the art of Yin.

Working as a Metal Artist, the element (arms) and lungs -metallic representation in the body. In metalwork there is a softness yet sturdiness constantly in a dynamic dance with each other.

Elliott:
Lay down and pretend that the roof is the sky

Sit with your legs crossed and say Ooooooooom

I like to just lay on the ground and relax and focus on the good stuff that is happening in your life. I have a yoga teacher named Danielle, you may have heard of her - she’s really pretty and a really good teacher. She likes yin and she likes to read. She’s very into yoga and that is so nice. Cause when you’re stressed it makes your body goes a little ‘coco’ and when you do meditation your body gets slower and calmer. Your body feels nicer to live in. And when you meditate it’s not so hard to be crazy. But if you do get a little crazy, it’s ok because there’s someone there to help you. There’s always someone who is good and not bad.

One time I drew a really pretty flower that turned out so nice that my mum put it up on the fridge so we could look at it each time we are stressed. Then we could look at the flower. And one thing that always makes me more calm - it’s a good hug. So if you ever feel stressed - it’s ok! If you don’t know what to do - here are some things you can do : To hug, To meditate, To draw, Smell some rosemary oil, Close your eyes, Find stillness, Breathe and Long exhales.

Mia:

Merging ideas from visual art and yin theory/practice, one of the thematics that inspire my work is the Fascia, the interconnective tissue that holds our body together. In a 2020 exhibition at Jane/K.O.S.A (NO), curated by Sara Yazdani, Vera Wyller and Sverre Wyller, part of the research was the conceptual aspects of Faciae.

In “ F a s c i a e ” Van Veen investigates boundaries existing within human and nonhuman bodies, things and infrastructures. Her man/made/organic fragments exist within, above and underneath bodies, technologies and natural landscapes, constantly negotiating within their surrounding environments. They are guiders, leaders, manipulators, knitters connecting as much as rupturing externally and internally, fissuring and fusing the human body with the natural world.

Even while situated in the protected vicinity of Maridalsvannet—the essential supplier of drinking water in Oslo— “ F a s c i a e ” draws inspiration from quantum physics and its relational world-view. For her installation Mia Van Veen brings forth aqueducts, signals, heatwaves, and quantas. Her focus lays on making visible hidden structures and energies by emphasizing the transformative encounters between living and nonliving matter. She makes a prothesis for water, organs (iris), and plants (iris)–in energy waves on steel, a figure with a heat pool of molten silver and tin. Her concrete skin piece calls up the smallest human cell or a grain of sand—a moment between mind, matter and technologies of nature and its forms. Behind the glass in the diorama, the sculptures model a universe where air, heatwaves and water flow, move below and above earth.

Curator's statement/text by Sara S. Yazdani, 2021

Conversation between Mia and Elliott:
M: Do you remember when you started with yin?
E: I was so little that I couldn’t remember
M: Why do you love yin?
E: Because it makes me calm and I love drawing in class.

Mia:
Metal is strong, but adaptable. It represents grief, sadness and bravery. We hold grief in our lungs and upper body, and it can be challenging and irritating to breathe in and out. Yin uses the principles of the meridians, by stretching the fascia you are stretching the meridians. These highways of energies through our bodies. It creates a kind of organized chaos, just like polishing metals-it is scratches put into order. Or a web with no weaver.

“Fascia is the felt sense”
— Danielle Hoogenboom

A short story by Elliott:

There was a girl who was going to yin and she was named Tina. Tina had a lot of talent, and not everyone had it. And she didn’t just have a regular talent, she had a special talent. She could rest and sleep. 

Good night, love from Elliott✨

“My yoga dog - she is the best dog ever, Love yin”
— from Elliott ❤

Yin Pets!

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During the first few years of the virtual yin studio, we really got to know the pets all over the sweet yinnie world. One of the greatest surprises of the times, was the way our furry roomies showed up to join us. Enjoy this little collection of besties.

Returning h'OM'e to Yin

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It's very easy to preach and preach, but when put into action, practice and self reflection are what affect community change. Yin is more than a style of yoga, its a vibration, an essence. This feeling of slowing down and moving more mindfully allows the cycles of life to do their thing. With the energy of spring all around us, it’s easy to get caught up in the energy of growth. If we are the ones that direct our attention and intention, nothing could be more potent than stopping and stilling.  Think of it as nurturing the nature of the foundation of future growth.

I have spent the last few months shifting, traveling, working, writing, planning, supporting, building and shifting. The winds continue to change for me, a self employed young woman building a small product and service empire on the road.  Although I practice daily contemplation, meditation, and take solo time to reflect, it seems my asana shifts in the spring. There are so many things happening and many things on the spring cleaning, planting and sorting list.  It’s hard to rein in your own energy at times, when in fact this is the exact time to do it.

There is pulsation to go go go, move move move. This is when our practice is needed the most. When the world is shifting and changing, when the pressures of the outside world grow heavier, it is time to retreat inwards to set the tone for future endeavors.

I use gardening as a metaphor for this process: Time is of the essence, nothing can be rushed and we must use our senses and inner nature to feel into the right timing. There is no map or plan to gardening, just like no map to life.  Prepping the soil, making the lists so all the timings are just right for seeds, for starts and for the planning of future outcomes. All of these things take a moment to step back and sort.

The great thing about your Yin Practice is that it will always be there for you to return to. Now is the time. Stop drop and YIN! Simplify the moment, take an easy shape and slow it all down. Connect to the beating of your heart, and use the power of your breath to slow your systems. Link up with the vibrancy of the inner worlds, feel their potency move through you, and shift. In this place, we can make peace with change.