Thanks to one of my fantastic colleagues, I finally watched “Helvetica,” from beginning to end, fully focused on it. What an enjoyable film! Watching it was a hedonistic thing to do with 80 minutes, for a designer, but it was great to place faces on several of the names I know so well, such as Massimo Vignelli, David Carson, Seymour Chwast (though he was not interviewed in the film), and Neville Brody. Watching these designers and others talk about type and culture was very life-affirming, for me (because, as a designer, design is life, not just career; we can’t avoid it. You try and read an ugly menu!). And, of course, learning so much about the life of Helvetica was a great exercise. Even just a few hours after I watched the film, I am already more aware of how ubiquitous this typeface is.

So, this post is about awareness, and with it, I’m moving to a new blog template. I’d love to say that “HELEN’S NEW LOOM” is in Helvetica, but it uses the presently more versatile knock-off, Arial.

Awareness is the word of the day because this week, my classes start, for the yoga teacher training course I’m taking through a local power yoga studio. And, before our very first class session, I’ve been asked to write a short essay, telling the reader what yoga is for me. I feel that it’s about awareness, and on as many levels as it applies, on any given day. My essay goes a few lines longer than that, but it’s the gist.

We’ll see how much energy I have to make more posts about my training, during the next 8 weeks, but I’m going to take a stab at it. They tell me this training course will be a journey; I do wonder if this blog will take on the form of a travelogue, then.

I’m taking the course because doing so will help me fulfill two of my Big Picture goals: teaching something, and getting yoga into my life every single day. Along the way, I hope to do the following, as well:

• Improve my speaking skills
• Get a glimpse of a more one-dimensional life, for awhile. Normally, my weeks are full of any mix of running, skiing, yoga, rock climbing, walking, swimming: I can’t say no, and the variety staves off overuse injuries, usually. But that variety can be exhausting, not to mention greedy for the time resources that my husband, cooking, and creative endeavors could use
• Gain a bit more knowledge about physiology and some of the language of yoga
• Get to know some other people who practice yoga
• Get more physically flexible and strong. Maybe do a forearm balance away from the wall, for longer than 1 breath
• Share my love of yoga with others, by teaching it

I’ll keep you posted. I can’t promise there will be photos.