yoga ink redux

There are three things that I spend most of my yoga earnings on: more yoga, India, and tattoos.

This is (dare I say it?) the completion of a tattoo project that started in the late 1970s, an era before AIDS when tattoo artists used the same needles on everyone after sterilization in an autoclave. My first artist was named Snake. Snake tattooed that little flower that is to the left of the butterfly. I took some Tylenol with codeine because I was afraid of what a tattoo needle would feel like. That little flower took all of 10 minutes and the codeine didn't kick in until I got back home. Now look at me, and what you see aren't the only ones I have.

It's the Kali yantra surrounded by hibiscus, her flowers. They will be red and "this form of the Kālī yantra is used for her representation as one of the ten Mahavidyas or main forms of Devi...an additional Shakti triangle is "hidden" by the circle and ring of lotus petals circumscribing the central portion of the yantra. This probably signifies the "hidden" true nature of Devi as Maya (illusion)."

"In the center is a group of five triangles. Each point represents one of the fifteen Kali Nityas or eternities, one for each day of the waning Moon. In the eight petals are eight Bhairavas and eight Bhairavis, coupling together."

"The Kali Yantra contains within it the transformative energy of change.

When we internalize this energy and surrender to its sweet transformative power of love, we begin our inward journey toward healing and spiritual growth. According to the Tantric tradition, the 36 corners of the Yantra represent the 36 principles (tattvas) of creation, from the Most Transcendent to the most minute expression of Materiality. The bindu is the central point, the seat of the soul, the Atman; the internal link with Brahman the Absolute. The bindu is also Kali, and all the phenomenal world emanates out from Her. In the Tantric tradition, Kali as the energy (Shakti) aspect of material nature is united with the Absolute (Shiva) for the sake of creation."

In an arch above the yantra will be "love devotion surrender" in Sanskrit.





Put a fork in it. I'm done.
(tattoos by Serena Lander)


"Sadashiva is without energy (lifeless) when Mahakali is manifest. He also is like a corpse when in union with Shakti. Clearly, without Shakti, the primordial god is lifeless and cannot act." -- Todala Tantra, I

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!