I'm Creating A Yoga Zine...

June 11, 2020 Madeleine Beckett

So, I have decided to make a zine. A zine full of illustrated animals doing Yoga. I'll explain, but first, for those that don't know...

What is a zine?

A zine is basically a little magazine that creative people fill with cool stuff that they like to make, such as paintings, illustrations, photography, sketches, and even just doodles. They are usually home made by the artists themselves.

Why am I making a zine?

I have seen lots of beautiful zines made by illustrators I admire and have had it in the back of my mind to have a go myself for a while, but I wasn't really sure what it would be about, or even whether I would actually get around to making it. That being said, the idea never really went away, it was always in the back of my mind, and it really came to fruition over the COVID-19 lock down.

Lockdown has been a really difficult time for everyone, and to be honest, it has been the most difficult time of my entire life. The timing of lockdown couldn't have been worse for me, as it happened to coincided with my brother, and only sibling, being in a very serious accident. The first two weeks of this were extremely stressful, heartbreaking and often horrific. That being said, and even though I felt so helpless, I somehow managed to find some solace in just being able to sit next to his bed while he slept. So, when lockdown happened and I was no longer able to visit, I felt like I might go insane. It also became almost impossible to get through on the phone for updates, which is totally understandable. The poor NHS staff were rushed off their feet, and obviously looking after patients is more important than answering the phone, but when all you want to know is whether your loved one is ok? Are they stable? Are they back from theatre? Did it go well? Am I too worried? Maybe I should be more worried? ... I drove myself insane, like proper insane. I was finding myself unable to focus, unable to sleep, even at times unable to breathe properly. I couldn't remember when I last ate, I found myself in rooms around the house thinking 'when did I even enter this room?'. Usually when I'm anxious, uncertain, or low, it really helps me to be creative, but I couldn't even contemplate creativity. I felt so outside of my body and all over the place, it just wasn't happening at all.

So, Why Yoga?

I needed something, an anchor, to be sectioned?.. Just kidding! I really just needed something to help me feel grounded again and bring some sense of calm. I usually listen to a lot of podcasts and watch videos on YouTube. I happened to load YouTube up one of the days and, pretty much let the algorithm decide what I was going to watch. That's when Yoga with Adriene popped up and I thought, you know what, yoga is good for you, and it'll help me take control of my breath, which is what I'm struggling with right now. So I watched the video, and it helped. That's when I noticed the video was part of a playlist called 'Home'. I had a gut feeling that this was more than a random video, and it was. It was the start of a journey. I came to see my daily Yoga videos as check points. These videos gave me sense of motivation. They were something I could do every day, which helped create a little routine, a structure, a check in. It was the anchor I so needed. I began the 'Home' yoga journey and, this probably sounds dramatic, and totally over the top, but, as I showed up each day, connecting with my breath, and feeling connected to the ground, it felt like pieces of me slowly started to return. The anxiety, and the chaos started to lesson, and one of the things that returned was my creativity. I started doing little doodles, then sketches, and then some bigger ideas started to emerge. That's when I created the first illustrated yogi. It was a sloth doing Sukhasana. So that brings me to where I am now ... Here are some photos of the zine in progress below!