My Tattoo

So it's not completely healed but pretty close. The colors should be a little richer once the skin has finished peeling and it's not so flaky. The location is my right inner ankle and represents putting my best foot forward into the world. The tattoo design is not exactly what I had in mind, but I actually like it even better. This tattoo has many layers of meaning for me. I will try to explain them as best as I can.

The small stick figure in the center w/ the heart for a body is a representation of the Spearhead "Stay Human" logo. I decided I wanted to get that logo in a tattoo about 6 years ago when I first got turned on to Michael Franti.

A few weeks after seeing him perform at High Sierra Music Festival for the first time we heard about a cd signing at Amoeba Records in the Haight. We thought it would be a typical cd release - he'd sing a song or two and close up shop. What actually happened completely blew us away. The band played an acoustic set that lasted 3 hours straight, song after song, inside the record store. Then Michael stayed around for another hour and a half to talk to EVERY SINGLE PERSON and give them a hug. He made eye contact with each person like he was looking into their soul. It struck me so deeply that this man is a walking, talking manifestation of the word namaste. "I honor the divine in you that is also in me." Seriously, he is a musician who walks the walk and talks the talk. And an inspiration for me to do the same in my own life.

To me "Stay Human" means first and foremost to honor the sacredness of being human. It is a reminder to stay authentic, stay genuine, stay present and stay true to myself. To lead with my heart and to honor what makes me uniquely me. But at the same time, to realize that we are all the same. Through the process of recognizing and honoring my own humanness, I will automatically recognize and honor that same humanity in everyone I meet. Every life is sacred, every soul is pure.

I chose to incorporate the "Stay Human" logo within a mandala. The Tibetan word for "mandala," dkyil-‘khor , literally means "that which encircles a center." A "center," here is a meaning, and "that which encircles it" - a mandala - is a round symbol that represents or even amplifies that meaning. The goal of the mandala is to serve as a tool on our spiritual journey since it symbolizes cosmic and psychic order. And this particular design is a mandala within a mandala that reminds me of a flower petal blooming - which of course is a metaphor used frequently in Bikram yoga. To me this symbolizes that my life is in the process of opening up right now.

The colors I chose also have special meaning:

Orange is the color of the sacral chakra and represents creativity. This chakra is the center of the emotional body. It offers the opportunity to lessen "control issues" and find a balance in life, teaching us to recognize that acceptance and rejection are not the only options in relationships. The process of making changes in our life stream through our personal choices is a product of second chakra energy.

Red is the color of the kundalini or root chakra. It represents the element of fire. This chakra is the center of physical energy and vitality, the energy to succeed in business or material possessions, and the center of manifestations. The root chakra is the grounding force that allows us to connect to the earth energies that empower our being. When it is balanced we experience a steady flow of vitality.

Purple is the color of the third eye chakra and represents intuition. The third eye is the avenue to wisdom - learning from experiences and putting them in perspective. The ability to separate reality from fantasy or delusions is connected to the healthfulness of this chakra. Achieving the art of detachment beyond "small mindedness" is accomplished through the development of impersonal intuitive reasoning.

I know... Pretty deep. And now I will leave you with a YouTube video featuring Michael performing "Stay Human" that really captures his essence and the energy of being at a live show. All the freaky people DO make the beauty of the world.

Day #1

Home Practice - Baptiste (45 min) #92

So today I began my own yoga challenge. I am going to do yoga every day consecutively for 101 days(!!!) However, I have decided that I will not be doing the Bikram sequence at the studio every single day.

I want to experiment w/ a couple of Baron Baptiste videos that come highly recommended by an old roommate of mine. One is a 45 minute beginner's Ashtanga practice and the other is a 70 minute Vinyasa flow sequence. I am hoping that this "yoga cross training" will keep my muscles guessing and get me into better shape faster than just doing Bikram alone. Not to mention trying these other styles will help make me into a more well rounded yogini in the long run.

Don't get me wrong - I LOVE Bikram. It will still be my foundation and I will go to the studio 4 days per week religiously. But I really feel like I want to expand my horizons a bit. So I will do one of the Baptiste videos at least 2x per week. And then the last weekly practice will be my choice - either the Bikram audio cd at home or one of the Baptiste videos. Who knows? Maybe at the end of this I will return to doing strictly Bikram or maybe I will like the variety of practicing different styles. Never know until you try.

In addition, I have been invited by Penni Shelton to join her "Big Fat Raw Experiment". For the next 14 weeks, or the duration of my yoga challenge, I will be trying my best to eat a high raw vegan diet and tracking my progress for the world to see. Check out my "Raw Mana" blog if you're interested in the details.

This is sort of active research for a book she's writing. So I am very excited to see what kind of effect the combo yoga and eating a much cleaner, higher water content diet will have on my body. The two seem like perfect compliments to each other.

My ankle tattoo is still healing. I had no problem doing the Baptiste video at home tonight but I'm a little worried about the heat. I'm gonna have to see how it feels tomorrow before I decide if I'm quite ready to get back into the studio yet. If worse comes to worse I'll just do a couple extra Bikram workouts at home this week. They say everyone heals differently and it takes as long as it takes. I really love it and promise to post pictures once it isn't all crusty looking. ;))



Anyway thanks for reading & sorry for the extended absence. I assure you that I'm back with a vengeance!!

Home Practice - Bikram #88
Wednesday (5/5/09)

Home Practice - Bikram #89
Tuesday (5/6/09)

Bikram Hawaii Kai - class #90
Wednesday (5/14/09) 8:05 pm w/ Fiona

Bikram Hawaii Kai - class #91
Friday (5/15/09) 7:00 pm w/ Manny

I took a couple of classes at the Hawaii Kai studio just to change things up a bit. The studio is really nice. Wood floors, radiant heat, very clean and not at all smelly. But after taking these classes I realize that the teachers at Kaimuki are generally more difficult. They tend to hold most of the postures longer, sometimes a lot longer, even compared to the audio cd w/ Bikram himself. I guess that's a good thing. I am learning from the hardcore of the hardcore. A new perspective is still nice, though.

I leave for the Bay Area tomorrow. I am so very excited to see my family and a little nervous to get my tattoo. That means no yoga for me for the next couple of weeks. But I do promise to start back on June 1st - even if it's just at home. And I also promise to post pictures of my ankle once it has healed a little bit.

Aloha & Namaste