Magazine Junkie

Yes, I’m definitely a woman of words, which is why I share a weekly journal with anyone out there who cares to visit, and comment.

Words are and always have been the most important tool of each of my different careers. As a writer and reviewer, newsletter editor, marketing and media relations person, as a yoga teacher. Selecting the words with just the right nuance of meaning, ones that will convey facts, my thoughts and emotions, the movement of my breath and body in a posture.

But I also love pictures, art, illustrations, sketches, photos, the visual and often the companions of words. This may be one of the reasons I subscribe to, buy and read quite a lot of magazines. Apart from my yoga library, most of the books I read have few illustrations.

Books I buy consciously, from bookstores, used book sales (my favourite way as it’s also recycling) or borrow from a library.

Moreover I donate only a few books, but am happy to pass on magazines, mostly the fashion ones. They are read by other fashionistas then often given to hospitals.

Magazines plop into the mail box with lovely regularity. In winter you don’t even have to go out for them. You can skim a magazine, taking in a quick overview of articles and features, then return for an in-depth read or study of all or some. This you cannot do with a book.

These are my favoured magazines, that I subscribe to.

Vogue and Elle, for the fun of seeing the creativity that is fashion, sometimes extreme but still exciting. At several periods in my life I’ve worked with fashion; selling or creating advertising for stores. What I enjoy most about clothing is texture, shape, juxtaposition of colours and fabrics, all aspects of visual art, paintings and drawings that entice me.

I subscribe to Yoga Journal for its insights into the yogic life. The joy of finding deeper meaning in a posture, a better way to share it with my students; to refresh myself about learning and teaching. Yoga Journal also has features on food and book and CD reviews.

Shambhala Sun, the magazine of Buddhist culture, life and thought never fails to stimulate, to offer me support in the quest for an inner, tranquil life, to bring me into contact with some of the most eloquent thinkers and writers of this belief and practice.

Yoga + Joyful Living, published by the Himalayan International Institute, is one I buy when an article attracts me. I’ve studied with Sandra Anderson one of the magazine’s senior editors and an inspiring, very approachable teacher.

Sadly Ascent, the only Canadian magazine in this genre, ceased publication in 2009 after ten years. It offered a miscellany of articles from many perspectives, with emphasis on the environment and contemporary yoga thought. I have issues three to the last one.

My creative studio work focuses mainly on collage; again the blending of colours and textures, often with found objects. As is evident from the covers of Cloth, Paper Scissors and Quilting Arts, two magazines I buy after flipping thorough to see if there are projects I might adapt.

Ornament focuses on hand-woven and hand-made clothing and wonderful jewellery. Hard to find here I buy it as a holiday treat.

Fibrearts is one of my absolute favourite creative magazines. So full of inspiration, even the ads, about anything fibrous, including paper, one of my favourite mediums.

Home décor is one of my ‘off the mat’ interests, I am always re-positioning furniture and decorative items. Finding how differently we look at an object in a different place or light or grouped with something else. That too is an aspect of my yoga practice – looking at life from a new angle, upside down or sideways.

Style at Home is one of my most read home magazines, one I wrote a feature for last fall. Canadian House and Home is also a subscription one. Country Living I pick up occasionally. This issue ‘spoke’ to me as I love white interiors.

These latter are all ‘keeper’s,  though I often take out pages or individual pictures to file for future inspiration. Soon I may have to do more clipping as shelf space is nearing capacity. Words and pictures. Pictures and words.