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23 January 2009

yoga ink

BEFORE....



AFTER...



Forget about wacky yoga studio owners, about how much money yoga teachers don't make (my yoga money goes towards yoga, India trips, and more tattoos, not necessarily in that order), about yoga career changes, hell, even forget about the yamas and the niyamas...let's talk skin art, baby!

We all know that tattoos are trendy and lots of yoga teachers have all types of tattoos. The "tramp stamp" -- and don't act shocked, y'all know that's what a lower back tattoo is called in some milieus -- is ubiquitous on the lower backs of yoga teachers whether it's an OM or a lotus or a tribal thingy. My lower back tattoo is a large sun and moon combination (orange sun/blue moon with pretty eyes) with the Tibetan OM. Read all about how Indian women loved my tattoos.

My first ink was back in the late 1970s before there was AIDS, before tattoo artists starting using a fresh needle for every person. My first tattoo artist was a biker named Snake and he put a little flower on my shoulder (the small flower next to the butterfly in the top photo, the butterfly was added later.) I was so worried about the pain I took a few Tylenols with codeine, but the flower was so small it took less than 15 minutes. By the time the codeine kicked in I was already home. After that flower, I was hooked. Not on the codeine but on getting inked.

I've always loved tats and consider them true art. That is, good tattoos are art, not the bad, ugly, funky looking ones that look like no thought was put into them. Besides the half-sleeve and my lower back, I have a tattoo on each ankle (both Native American inspired) and one on my right wrist -- flowers with a vine and a Sanskrit OM. That OM has been kissed in India. I'm going to add on to that tattoo in March, adding the OM MANI PEDME HUM mantra in Tibetan script swirling around and underneath to meet with a red lotus. The visual perspective will look down into the lotus showing the golden "jewel" -- "the jewel is in the lotus."

One day I want to go to Angkor Wat in Cambodia and then to Thailand where I will get a sacred Sak Yant traditional Thai tattoo on my back. One day.

My tattoos are custom now and I go to Serena Lander when she comes to Chicago. She did my half-sleeve in four sittings and I think she did a beautiful job of connecting the new work with the old work to make it look like one piece. The half-sleeve was not even finished yet when I was in California last June and people literally stopped me on the street to admire it. I know you're wondering about the eye -- Kali's eyes and third eye are peeking out from the vines.



Some of the old work (the red cardinal flowers, the tiger lilies, and the hummingbird) was done by one of the female artists on LA Ink. I won't say who because once she told me she was leaving Chicago to be on LA Ink she never returned my calls or my emails about getting more ink and that certainly isn't very professional. One of my yoga students was even going to pay for my flight to LA. Good for her that she is so successful now, but she went all Hollywood and obviously can't be bothered by her old Chicago clients who knew her before she hit the big-time. No matter, I found someone whose work I like much better.

Tattoos are like plastic surgery -- you just can't stop at one!



10 comments:

Life As I Know It Now said...

oh my. I hate needles so I guess I won't be getting any ink done soon. yours are gorgeous however. the om tattoo sounds awesome!

Grace said...

I don't have any tattoos, but have always appreciated the artisty and the connection the wearer always seems to have to them.

StevenCX said...

That's some impressive ink!

Anonymous said...

I love this post!

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous! As a fellow tattooed person, I love ink and your work is very beautiful. :)

Anonymous said...

I love it! Your blog is great and the tat is awesome.

Anonymous said...

Wow!
xxx
Nadine

Fernanda R. Lima said...

Hi Linda!

Your tattoos are awesome! I have 7 small tattoos.. the last one i made is very special for me.. a lotus flower and a mantra for Durga...

;-)

carlikup said...

Really Beautiful :)

Scott said...

Hehe they're addictive indeed. Love your ink, bet you never saw what I got done last year (see http://www.flickr.com/photos/exploreyoga/2967507306/)

Is there something about the Krishnamacharya tradition that sends us to the tattoo artists??? LOL. Maybe just an opening of the heart and mind...

For the last few weeks I have been obsessively watching Miami Ink every day, am just so in awe of the instant creativity these great artists unleash. I have a few ideas in mind but need to pace myself LOL

Hope you're doing well, I realised I neglected my blog a lot in 2008so am making a concerted effort to write to it every day. Love your recent posts, much wisdom shining through there :-D