Jasper Johal

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Jasper Johal posts

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Revolved Chair pose (Parivrtta Utkatasana)

“Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.”– Rumi

Mermaid pose

Before death takes away what you are givengive away what there is to giveRaise your words, not voiceIt is rain that grows flowers, not thunder– RumiPHOTO: In yoga, mermaid pose, a variation of the king pigeon pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana), combines a twisting heart opener with a hip stretch. Some believe tight hips are associated with suppressed feelings, which lead to a heart that is closed off, and afraid of love.Yoga’s physical practise, ...

Sea of Love

Thou wast that all to me loveFor which my soul did pineA green isle in the sea loveA fountain and a shrineAll wreathed with fairy fruits and flowersAnd all the flowers were mine.And all my days are trancesAnd all my nightly dreamsAre where thy grey eye glancesAnd where thy footstep gleamsIn what ethereal dancesBy what eternal streams.– from a poem by Edgar Allan Poe

Love arrives

Love arrivesand in its train come ecstasiesold memories of pleasureancient histories of pain.Yet if we are bold,love strikes away the chains of fearfrom our souls.– from a poem by Maya AngelouPHOTO: Luna is a circus performer and aerialist that visited my California studio some years ago. Loved working with her.

Vitiglio

PHOTO: Vitiglio is an auto immune condition that causes depigmentation of the skin. It can be the cause of much anxiety and depression in those suffering from it. In an effort to educate the general public about this and other conditions that affect mental health, I try and include it in my photos when possible, instead of hiding it with makeup.

Mingle

THE fountains mingle with the riverAnd the rivers with the oceanThe winds of heaven mix for everWith a sweet emotion;Nothing in the world is singleAll things by a law divineIn one another’s being mingleWhy not I with thine– Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)PHOTO: When reading about the human form, much has been written about the beauty of a face, or breasts, or legs. But it is the strength and muscles of the back that appeal to me. There is a ...

Wild Rose-briar

Love is like the wild rose-briar,Friendship like the holly-tree—The holly is dark when the rose-briar bloomsBut which will bloom most constantly?– Emily BrontePHOTO: Pilates floor exercises have some interesting moves. This one involves holding one's ankles and rolling like a ball.

Phantom of Delight

She was a Phantom of delightWhen first she gleamed upon my sight;A lovely apparition, sentTo be a moment's torment– from a poem by William Wordsworth (1770–1850)PHOTO: Getting ready for a yoga shoot, Silvia doing an updog pose. Combined with a down dog pose, this is the most common warm up sequence in yoga.

I would be true

I would be true, for there are those who trust me;I would be pure, for there are those who care;I would be strong, for there is much to suffer;I would be brave, for there is much to dare;I would be friend of all—the foe, the friendless;I would be giving, and forget the gift;I would be humble, for I know my weakness;I would look up, and laugh, and love and lift.– hymn by Howard A. Walter (1883–1918)

Like a little prayer

Life is a mysteryEveryone must stand aloneI hear you call my nameAnd it feels like homeWhen you call my name it's like a little prayerI'm down on my knees, I wanna take you thereIn the midnight hour I can feel your powerJust like a prayer you know I'll take you there– lyrics by Madonna and Leonard Patrick Raymond

Join the dance

“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.”―Alan W. Watts (1915-1973)

Skin

As if you were on fire from within,the moon lives in the lining of your skin–– Pablo Neruda

Come, my love

Come when the nights are bright with starsOr come when the moon is mellow;Come when the sun his golden barsDrops on the hay-field yellow.Come in the twilight soft and gray,Come in the night or come in the day,Come, O love, whene’er you may,And you are welcome, welcome.– from a poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872–1906)_PHOTO: Sometime in the 1960s the western world became obsessed with tan skin. Pale skinned individuals find themselves the bu...

Serenity

“Be willing to trade expectations for acceptance. That is the path to serenity.” – Buddha

A Play of Passion

What is our life? A play of passion;Our mirth the music of division;Our mothers’ wombs the tiring-houses be,Where we are dressed for this short comedy.Heaven the judicious sharp spectator is,That sits and marks still who doth act amiss;Our graves that hide us from the searching sunAre like drawn curtains when the play is done.Thus march we, playing, to our latest rest,Only we die in earnest – that’s no jest.– from a poem by Sir Walter Ral...

Wings to your feet

I remember I never could catch you,For no one could match you,You had wonderful, luminous, fleet,Little wings to your feet.You were always afraid of a shower,Just like a flower:I remember you started and ranWhen the rain began.And your mouth, it would never smileFor a long, long while,Then it rippled all over with laughterFive minutes after.And your eyes, they were green and greyLike an April day,But lit into amethystWhen I stooped and kissed;–...

Upside down eagle pose

Your task is not to seek lovebut to seek all the barriers within yourselfthat you have built against it– Rumi

Affection's tale upon the cheek

There is a face whose blushes tellAffection's tale upon the cheek,But pallid at our fond farewell,Proclaims more love than words can speak.There is a bosom all my own,Has pillow'd oft this aching head,A mouth which smiles on me alone,An eye, whose tears with mine are shed.There are two hearts whose movements thrill,In unison so closely sweet,That pulse to pulse responsive stillThey both must heave, or cease to beat.–– Lord Byron (1788...

Forward bend

From the wreck of the past, which hath perish’d,Thus much I at least may recall,It hath taught me that what I most cherish’dDeserved to be dearest of all:In the desert a fountain is springing,In the wide waste there still is a tree,And a bird in the solitude singing,Which speaks to my spirit ofthee.— Lord Byron (1788—1824)

Lounging

She walks in beauty, like the nightOf cloudless climes and starry skies;And all that’s best of dark and brightMeet in her aspect and her eyes;One shade the more, one ray the less,Had half impaired the nameless graceWhich waves in every raven tress,Or softly lightens o’er her face;And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,The smiles that win, the tints that glow,But tell of days in goodness spent– from a poem by ...

Ink Mistress

For some artists, their own skin is the canvas for their art. Dorian has one of the most unique collections of ink all over her body. It serves to accentuate the perfection of her torso and limbs. When we started shooting I turned on the music. Her slow sinuous movements added yet another spectacular dimension to the art she creates for my lens.

Freeform dancing

Betcee was always such a delight to hang out with! She would drop by my studio from time to time and her radiant spirit just lit up the place. My camera loved her too; I couldn’t take a bad picture of her.

Walking on air

My Venice Beach studio had a high enough ceiling to hang a trapeze in there. Add some cool lighting, a skilled aerialist and viola! we were all set to create cool images.

Lazy afternoon

Sometimes doing nothing is the best thing to do. Liz reclining in her backyard pool’s shallow end.

Sweet serenity

Serenity and happinessflow from a heart full of compassionAs sweet sap flows from a maple tree– Pardesi PyaraPHOTO: I am sometimes struck by how a camera, an instrument designed to record the physical world, manages to capture and show us a person’s spirit, their inner beauty.

Living Yoga

AndFor no reasonA thousand birdsChoose my head for a conference table,Start passing theirCups of wineAnd their wild songbooks all around.– from the poetry of Hafez (1315–1390)PHOTO: My dear friend Hallie is a true yogi, who doesn’t just do the moves, but lives by the philosophy. She has learned to let the hard knocks of life soften her, not harden her.Instagram: Hallie

Aspire

“Where there is ruin, there is hope for a treasure.”– Rumi

Raven tresses

She walks in beauty, like the nightOf cloudless climes and starry skies;And all that’s best of dark and brightMeet in her aspect and her eyes;Thus mellowed to that tender lightWhich heaven to gaudy day denies.One shade the more, one ray the less,Had half impaired the nameless graceWhich waves in every raven tress,Or softly lightens o’er her face;Where thoughts serenely sweet express,How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.– from a poem by L...

Counting our tears

We wear the mask that grins and lies,It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—This debt we pay to human guile;With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,And mouth with myriad subtleties.Why should the world be over-wise,In counting all our tears and sighs?Nay, let them only see us, whileWe wear the mask.— Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872–1906)