orange is the happiest of colors

I have found myself more and more drawn to the color orange over the past few years. I had spent most of my life avoiding all shades of this color, but at some point in the past two years I started bringing more and more orange into my life. It's fascinating to me how one's taste in color can change drastically over time, just as one's taste for certain foods.

It all began with an impulse purchase while I was living in San Francisco. I had gotten rid of all my winter items when I moved to California, symbolically shedding the life I had known on the East coast and starting anew. But then I decided to make a trip back home for Christmas and realized that I would need a winter jacket if I was going to survive the elements. Since this was a last minute purchase, all the popular and more appealing colors of jackets were sold out. So I selected what deceivingly looked like a pinkish light orange on my computer screen. Computer screens lie. I know this now.

When the jacket arrived I discovered that I was now equipped with hunting apparel.....it was a shockingly bright orange, bordering on neon, and I had no choice but to wear it because I was leaving for the east coast in the morning. I kept the tags on thinking I'd wear it on my trip and return it afterwards so as to prevent any further scorching of retinas. But I never returned the jacket, and somewhere along the way I fell in love with it. My husband even mentioned it in his wedding vows....how could I possibly not love it now?

I have since found myself introducing more and more orange into my life. They say that this color calls to mind feelings of enthusiasm, warmth, friendliness, and joy. Given the way I feel when surrounded by orange, I'd agree that it evokes all those emotions. Now here's the part that finally connects to a posting of autumn foliage photos: I always feel enthusiastic, warm, friendly, and happy when the leaves begin to change color. I literally smile when driving down a foliage laced road. The feeling is quite overwhelming actually. And this fall I began to connect all of this: orange and the joy it makes me feel, and the fall season dripping with its vibrant orange splendor....color psychology. There are numerous reasons other than the foliage that I love and enjoy the fall, but I can't help but notice that my energy changes when I am outside, completely surrounded by orange.

At any rate, this is the sort of thing that bounces around my head at random.

ayurvedic comfort for fall

Since I am currently contemplating getting my license to practice Ayurvedic healing (combined with a doula certification, possibly a prenatal yoga certification, and maternity and newborn photography of course), I decided to share a little bit about what that means.

Ayurveda is something I am passionate about and try to incorporate into my life as much as possible. Ayurveda is a holistic system of medicine that has been around for over 5,000 years. It aims to heal individuals through food and lifestyle based on a person's specific mind/body constitution, or dosha as it is referred to. The ultimate purpose is to bring people into complete balance and harmony with nature. There are three types of doshas: Vata, Pitta and Kapha. To determine your dosha take this quick quiz: Dosha Quiz.

Without going too much into detail, fall is a Vata time of year marked by cool, dry air and wind, which are elements that throw Vata out of balance. Therefore, to bring us into balance we must introduce the opposite of those elements with things of a warm, moist, heavy and grounding nature.

How do you know if the fall season has found you out of balance? If you experience any of the following symptoms, you may be in need of some Vata soothing: anxiety, insomnia, fear, nervousness, indecisiveness, dry skin, lips or hair, restlessness, weight loss, easily agitated, impatient, digestive issues, sensitivity to cold...the list goes on, but I'll stop there.

So, after that brief explanation of Ayurveda, here are two simple yet incredibly soothing practices that I bring into my daily life during the fall (other things include maintaining a regular routine, gentle yoga, warm oil massages, warm baths and warm drinks).

Spiced Bananas

One banana, sliced

1 teaspoon ghee (clarified butter), melted

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon cardamom

1/8 teaspoon dried ginger

Melt the ghee (or you could use organic, grass fed butter) and mix with all the spices. Toss with sliced banana. Eat slowly.

Simple Aromatherapy

This is also an inexpensive, natural alternative to candles or incense. Simply fill a small pot or pan 1/2 way with water and add spices or essential oils (you can also toss in pieces of fruit such as orange rinds). You can make this as fragrant as you like by adding more or less of your scent, and you can control the degree to which you want to disseminate the scent through the air by turning the heat on the stove up or down.

Vata Balancing Aromatherapy

Cinnamon

Cardamom

Nutmeg

Cloves

have you had a novel experience today?

They say that every time you try something new, your brain forms new connections. Therefore, every time a new taste swims across your taste buds, you drive in a new direction, you take the plunge and finally learn how to surf or play the mandolin....well, you are strengthening your brain. And in my opinion, you are doing more than that; you are living. I try to keep this in my mind constantly so that I can consciously bring more vitality and neuronal connections into my life.

Last weekend I tried a concord grape for the first time. Is it strange that I am 30 years old and have never eaten one? I'm not sure. I bought a box of what looked like beautiful blueberries from a farm stand, and when I referred to them as blueberries the farmer took the time to show me how to eat a concord grape. It was a new experience and a new taste....and a new texture rolling around my mouth, which I have to say kind of bothered me. But, I loved the whole process of gently squeezing the fruit until the inner goodness beneath its skin popped through, then feeling for the pit in my mouth and spitting it out. I thoroughly enjoyed it and the slow pace at which the farmer introduced me to concord grapes.

So try something new today! It will do you good.

fallen leaves

Yesterday was a spectacular fall day here in Connecticut.....a warm 70 degrees and the foliage almost at its peak. I couldn't help myself from stopping at my favorite park in New Canaan to enjoy the splendor of such a perfect day. A spirit of freedom and appreciation began to fill me up as soon as I started walking across the sprawling lawns, so much so that I flung my shoes off and sank my bare feet into the cushiony grass beneath me. I spent an hour meandering my way around from beautiful tree to beautiful tree, all the while intensely feeling connected to the earth through the bare skin of my feet sliding across sticky grass, damp dirt and crunchy leaves. It was heavenly.....and I took quite a few pictures which only made it more amazing (these are only a small portion of them and are nothing great, but they make me happy).

I have to say I am mesmerized by falling leaves. Something in me feels a release followed by great freedom watching the tantalizing yellow, juicy orange, and brazen red leaves unhitch themselves from their branches and float in a swaying dance down to the earth to be reabsorbed. And I love to see the ground carpeted in them....I am genuinely sad when I see people raking up the leaves the minute they fall.

More fall goodness to come....

om baby baby

I light up with passion and inspiration when I am photographing, but what takes that experience to a completely different level is when my subject picks up on my energy and we begin to flow like one stream of creativity. Sometimes this happens when I pick up on my subject's vibe and I begin to imagine their experience of life....somewhat like an actress getting into character. And sometimes my subject picks up on my particular way of seeing the world and take it on as they pose. This doesn't always happen, mind you.....but when it does, it's an exciting experience of being in the moment, fully alive.

On that note, I thoroughly enjoyed photographing Nicole because we share a spiritual, yoga-centric understanding of life. And given Nicole's admiration of all things hippie, I am able to pull her more in my direction. As she put it, her husband was going to notice that she came home from my house smelling like Patchouli, slathering herself in the bar of homemade soap I gave her (aptly called "Om"), and speaking of meditation beads and the natural beauty of her pregnant body. Love it.

farmer's market

I felt very inspired by the fresh produce at the Farmer's market over this past weekend. I'm often inspired by what I eat....awed by the tasty beauty the earth has bestowed upon us and all the magical nooks and crannies to be found inside their skin. Fruits and vegetables are honesty breathtaking to me, as dramatic as that sounds.

This particular Saturday full of autumn sunshine, local farmers and my sweet husband's hand holding mine as we wandered the tables of produce was somehow more perfect and inspiring than other Saturdays. It's amazing how buying something straight from the source makes you feel more connected to your community, to what you put into your precious body and to the experience of life itself. It's profound.

Alex and I actually have a dream to live on a mini farm in Vermont. We are hoping to move to the Green Mountain State this coming summer (cross your fingers that we find jobs there and can make it happen!), but the mini farm is probably farther into the future. It's just something that brought us together....this borderline Thoreau-vian life we have dreamt up and are partly living already. We envision ourselves someday, in this country home, making as much as we can from scratch, growing as much of our food as possible and enjoying a more simple existence than we're currently living. Ahhhh to dream.....

beautiful belly

I have quite a few pregnancy shots to post so I'll let them trickle out little by little. This is actually the first maternity session I've ever done, and it's something I've been looking forward to for a long time. I have become more and more enthralled and awed by pregnancy over the past few years. Perhaps it's my own biological clock becoming more attracted to the idea, but I happen to think it's more than that. I am beginning to think it's more of a calling, and am currently meditating on the idea of becoming a doula. After taking these pictures of the lovely Nicole, I felt more drawn to the idea because of how inspired I felt by the experience and because Nicole shared with me that my nurturing energy made her feel so comfortable and beautiful. I was honored by that comment. I also realized that I could combine all my loves by becoming an Ayurvedic doula (so I would be practicing natural healing and providing support during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum), I would offer maternity photos, newborn photos.....and eventually I would like to publish a book about the experience.

Stay tuned.....I should be making a decision soon!