Student Spotlight: Charlotte’s Quest for Stillness

Charlotte, Vision Board, Collage, 16 x 20 inches, April 2011

It’s time for another student spotlight.  This April, I had the pleasure of having Charlotte, a yoga instructor, in my vision board workshop.  It was so insightful to hear her thoughts regarding constructing a vision board from both her career and personal perspective. I’ll let her take it from here…

Charlotte, Yoga Instructor, 2011

Charlotte, what’s your background?

My background is one where I have worked in a financial corporate setting for 25 years. With a university degree in psychology I have always been interested in personalities and what makes people behave the way they do. Over the years I noticed how as the office changed to a very fast paced environment the levels of stress in people also increased.  To work on my own stress levels I started taking Yoga classes. After a car accident and many orthopaedic injures I saw how Yoga was a great benefit to my recovery and decided to certify to teach. I think I was always meant to be a teacher. So at this point in my life I’m coming off doing fast paced corporate work to more activities that are true to my authentic self.

What made you feel you needed to take this workshop? 

I always admired and loved other people’s collages and what they represented. I was telling a friend (Maggie) over lunch that I wanted to create my own but did not know where to begin and how to get the inspiration. The stars must have been in alignment that day as she told me about the workshop she was about to do with you. After she did her first one with you she contacted me and said I have to do it.

Did you have a particular vision/dream in mind before the workshop?  If so, what was it?

Yes, I had just completed a weekend retreat where I practiced YIN Yoga for the weekend. This kind of yoga is all about letting go and holding poses for longer periods of time. As you hold the pose you notice how the mind can become very cluttered with thoughts and the only way to work through it is to let these thoughts go and focus on your breath. With time, by doing this practice, the mind opens up with more space to allow creativity. I wanted to reflect a vision of searching for this stillness and peacefulness. Resolving to be still. The sky and water in my board is a metaphor for “true nature”. We rarely see who and what we are because there is so much drama in our lives. So many thoughts and distractions prevent us from seeing who we really are and what is really there for us. The vision of our true nature is possible only when the clouds of thoughts have drifted away and the result is stillness of the mind for clarity.

As a professional in the area of yoga and meditation, what do you feel are the benefits of using the visioning process to fully engage in your dreams?

Benefits of the visioning process: “Pictures say a thousand words.”  The process is meditative. The feeling of being creative even when one does not feel they are artistic. The great feeling one gets with hanging out with a like-minded community. The whole visioning process compliments a yoga practise.

Did the process of collaging reveal any new insights about you or your vision?

Yes I did gain new insights about myself. Not to fear proceeding with my creative side and accept every part of the process without judgement. Creativity is FUN.

Where is your vision board now?  Is it working for you?  If so, how?

I have my own room in the house where I practise yoga. In this room I have artefacts and art work that have meaning to me. My vision board has gone into this room. I see my board on a daily basis and it always inspires me.

Charlotte’s board immediately evoked a sense of peace within me.  Her thoughtful selection of imagery has much to do with this.  Everywhere the eye wanders across her board, characters, objects, scenes and icons (the lotus, Buddha and canoe) lead one on the path to reflection.  I particularly love the images of the child looking out at the lake (top right) and the flute player in the river (lower left)… activities one can lose themselves in… activities done in the heart of nature where one can escape from their everyday lives.  The auditory qualities of Charlotte’s board are also noteworthy.  The repetition of water-based imagery, not only adds soothing cool tones to her board, it also invokes the sound of calm rippling of waves traveling across the water’s surface.  I could even imagine the tune being played on the young boy’s flute!  By paying attention to elements that relate to both sight and sound, she makes meditating on her board an even richer experience.  Thanks for sharing your wonderful insights, Charlotte.  It was a great privilege to have someone with your expertise in my class; I learned much from you.  I’m glad you gathered enough courage from within to discover that creativity can be fun and useful too!  If you’re searching for quietness and stillness in your life, as well as calling upon it through a vision board, you might like to try complementing it with some sessions with Charlotte at the Yoga Station.

Vision Board Tip:

Use one, two, three or more senses (ie. sight, sound, taste, smell, touch) to invoke your dream/vision when selecting imagery for your vision board.  It’ll make meditating upon your board a rich multi-sensory experience.

Away for A Bit:

For the next week or so I’ll be taking a break from blogging to prepare for my upcoming show and opening.  If you’re in Ottawa, please stop by and check out the exhibition; I’d love to have your comments.  Stay tuned for news and photos of my “Pieces of Me III” exhibition!