Chakra Body Map

This is a body map based on my chakras that I made piece by piece after listening to a meditation and then doing a Yoga Pose in a session led and developed by Art 4 All People,  I didn't finish if back then.  It just existed as some marks on a page. I was supposed to finish for homework but instead I started working on a painting from it but I also did not finish.

  2 years later I was assigned to lead a similar exercise with yoga and meditations from Joseph Le Page. As my friend Lisa Miller worked on her map. I decided to work on mine too.  I don't remember which poses I did years ago.  But hearing the meditation for each chakra got me back in the space.  I then was so excited I took it home and worked on it some more.

Here is my final piece.

ROOT CHAKRA

"This is the area at the very base of the body – the perineum. Begin by taking a deep inhaling
breath, hold the breath in, and as you exhale, allow the breath and awareness to flow fully
into this area of the body and become aware of any sensations... Now, begin to breathe
into this area, creating even greater awareness of any feelings or sensations...Explore the area in detail... Does the energy in this center have a particular shape...color... size... or density?... Does the energy feel open or closed?... You may even experience an inner sound or a particular emotion related to this energy center."

I saw the root of a tree and hands holding me or maybe my hands holding myself.  The colors were red and black.

SACRAL CHAKRA

"Now, allow your awareness to travel into the lower abdomen, four finger-widths below the
navel, just above the pubic bone. Take a deep inhaling breath and hold the breath in. As you
exhale, allow your complete awareness to rest in this energy center and begin to notice the
quality of the energy here... Take the breath into this area, allowing the sensations to
gently expand in order to sense the energy more deeply... Tune into the feelings and
sensations... Feel the energy from the front of the lower abdomen all the way to the
sacrum... Notice if the energy in that area radiates out easily into the body. Does the
energy in this center have a particular shape... color... size... density... sound... or
emotion? Allow an image to form of the energy here, holding this part of your being in a gentle and
loving embrace. Make a mental picture of the energy in this center. Allow this image be held
in a gentle, loving awareness, and when you have a feeling of the energy in this center,
come to a place of rest as you hold the feeling of this energy center in your awareness."

(pause one minute)... "

I saw the ocean waves at night and swimming.

SOLAR PLEXUS CHAKRA

"Now, bring your awareness to the upper abdomen, where the ribs meet in the front of
the body. Inhale, and as you exhale, let your awareness enter this area and begin to
explore the quality of the energy here. Is it feeling open and comfortable or tight and
compressed? What’s the emotional tone of this area? Is there a shape... a color... or a
texture... a movement? Allow these feelings and sensations to be
gently amplified with the breath, feeling the energy all the way into the middle of the
back. Which Yoga posture would allow you to feel this energy more fully? (pause) Now,
make a mental picture of the energy in the area of the solar plexus and as you hold this
area in your awareness, come back to a seated position in your own time and express
Manipura Chakra on your body map. As you complete your drawing, return to a place lying
on your back."

I saw red, red lips and the limbs of a tree against a mid day blue sky.

HEART CHAKRA

"Now, slowly bring your awareness up to the heart center, noticing the place where the

energy feels strongest in the center of the chest. If the entire chest were a wheel, where

would the hub be? Take a deep inhalation and as you exhale, allow your awareness to enter

through the hub of the wheel and then gently radiate out through this energy center...

Begin to explore this area... Allow any sensations of warmth, tingling, or tightness to

gently expand, so you can experience the energy fully in this center... Notice how this

energy responds to the breath as it deepens.... Notice the quality of the energy

here... shape... texture... color... density... Is there an inner sound? What feelings and

emotions are held in the heart? ... "

I saw a red lark flying in the clouds

THROAT CHAKRA

"Allow your awareness now to rise up into your throat. Inhale and hold the breath in. As you

exhale, allow the breath to expand through the throat and become one with the energy

here. Notice whether this center feels open to communication or restricted, perhaps a sense

that there are words that can’t be released from the throat (pause). Notice the quality of

the energy here – shape... size... color...density... There may even be a sense of a

particular taste in the throat... What emotions are held here? (pause)

Allow the breath to flow into this energy center, gently expanding the sensations.

(pause) "

I saw an ear that was listening carefully and with attention.

3rd EYE CHAKRA 

"Now, allow the energy to rise into the area between the eyebrows. Take a deep inhaling

breath; hold the breath in and as you exhale, allow your awareness to travel back into the

area behind the center of the eyebrows. Feel as if there were a tunnel or doorway leading

you back into the deepest part of your being..Feel the energy here... Is there a form... a

sense of color... perhaps a symbol? Allow the energy to deepen and expand. (pause) Allow

an image of your experience to be held in this space. Is there a Yoga posture, which would

deepen and expand your experience? Now, allow an image to form of your experience of

the third eye and as you are ready, come to seated position and express this image on

your body map. As you complete your drawing, return to a place lying on your back

as we continue our journey of the chakras."

I saw a blue angel ascending.

CROWN CHAKRA

"Now, allow your awareness to rise up into the crown of the head, take a deep inhaling

breath. As you release, allow the sensations to spread through the crown and beyond...

Allow your whole being to merge with the sensations of energy. Is there a color or

symbol? Connect deeply with the quality of the energy here... Sense an opening in crown

of the head like the lens of a camera. Is the lens open to the energy coming in from

above? (pause) Is there a Yoga posture, which would allow you to sense this energy

more fully? ... Now, form an image of the crown chakra and as you are ready, come to a

seated position and express the feeling of this energy on your body map. As you feel

complete here, allow the abdomen to begin to rise and fall fully with the breath. "

I saw Ocean waves at night. A pitch black sky and a crescent moon.

. . . . But Anywhere is the Center of the World - 4 Directions Painting

I am in process of working on this painting for Art 4 All People that I developed after meditating.  The quote below it sums up the painting but I never thought of it until deep into painting.

"I was standing on the highest mountain of them all, and round about beneath me was the whole hoop of the world. And while I stood there I saw more than I can tell and I understood more than I saw; for I was seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things in the spirit, and the shape of all shapes as they must live together like one being. And I saw that the sacred hoop of my people was one of many hoops that made one circle, wide as daylight and as starlight, and in the center grew one mighty flowering tree to shelter all children of one mother and one father. And I saw that it was holy...but anywhere is the center of the world."

Black Elk - Oglala Sioux

Here are the symbols that came to me in meditation

THE ACORN - To the North

The acorn is the seed of the mighty oak tree.  It symbolizes potential and strength.

"The strongest oak of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It's the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun.Closing
- Napoleon Hill

"For every Mighty Oak there was a Nut that stood it's ground"
- Anonymous

During the time of the witch burnings it was practice for one witch to give an acorn as a secret means of telling another witch that she was also a witch.


"A mantra is a one- or many-syllable sound that transcends the mind and emotions. If repeated for it vibrational effect, it brings us to the level of Swaha. A mantra is like a seed: its simplicity hides the potential power it holds. Seeing a tiny acorn, it is difficult to imagine the mighty oak tree within, Likewise, though it might not seem like much, the smallest mantra (like Om), when repeated with the heart, has the pwoer to unite us with our Divine nature." - Nischala Devi, p.110 The Secret power of Yoga

THE WILD ROSE to The East

"To Native Americans in many western tribes, wild roses were a symbol of life. Paiute, Nez Perce, and Interior Salish people believed that wild roses kept ghosts from causing harm to the living, so they were often placed in the homes or clothing of people who were in mourning or felt haunted. Wild roses were also sometimes attached to cradleboards to bring vitality to infants. In some tribes, rose motifs were used in quillwork, beadwork, or other Native arts to represent survival and vitality as well. Wild roses also played a role in traditional Native American herbal medicine, and rosehips (the fruit of wild roses) were eaten as food in many tribes, either directly or as part of a pudding. "

THE CONCH SHELL to the South

The conch is the most ancient musical instrument known to humans.

"A gift from the great ocean, it was held as sacred, and reference is found all over ancient Indian literature.  It is seen in the hands of almost all gods and goddesses, whenever they were happy or going off to war.    In Buddhism the conch shell’s call is meant to awaken one from ignorance, and is a sign of victory over suffering.  In Chinese Buddhism, the conch shell signifies a prosperous journey, and in Islam it represents  hearing the divine world.

The spiral formation inside the conch is symbolic of infinity.  The space , which gradually expands in a clock-wise direction.  The shell is like the human journey of life.  The hard casing protects life.  The pearl inside (a scallop or oyster), and its aquatic nature associates it with the feminine, lunar, and virginity that is symbolic in music. The conch shell’s spiral form and relation to water cause it to represent the beginning of existence. "

http://www.csseashell.com/shells-as-religious-symbols-and-the-meaning-of-life/

A DIAMOND to the West

"Through Remembering the Sef, or Vairagya, we become lucid and vibrant like a diamond. Millions of years of pressure on a simple limp pf solid coal transforms it into a pure, transparent diamond the reflects and refracts light. This prismatic effect showers rainbows of colors on everything without discrimination (viveka). The diamond also appears to take the color of any object nearby.  But once removed it is perfectly colorless again. Likewise, when our minds and hearts clearly refelct our true nature, we may acquire many things, but nothing permanently taints our clarity." - Nischala Devi

". . . the Diamond Self is a reference to our essence, the energetic presence we came into the world with and that is and will always remain intact despite external circumstances." - Diane Mandle

Diamonds represent faithfulness, love, purity, innocence, and relationships filled with love.
They inspire creativity, ingenuity, inventiveness, faith, endurance, and helps in manifesting abundance in all areas of life. 

"Diamond is a symbol of the richness of the Self. As the hardest mineral of all, it is especially esteemed owing to its beauty, purity, and ability to reflect light in a special manner. Diamond brings purity, and clear positive resolution of all problems that bother us, especially after we have become willing to admit our wrong perceptions and approaches, or our unreal expectations. Diamonds work together with other crystals in accentuating their vibratory, healing qualities and can be used for example in crystal healing therapy.

Diamonds are created far within the depths of the earth.  In the normal course of events, a human being cannot make a diamond.  It requires the pressure and heat of the depths to do that.
Jungian therapy is aware that “the depths of the earth” often symbolize of the unconscious depths of the psyche.  A diamond symbolizes the reality of the self: it is forged without human intervention in the depths, just as the self is created in the depths, in the vastness of the unconscious, independent of the conscious mind and ego.

Diamonds are famous for incredible hardness and durability.  They symbolize the durability and resilience of the true self, and of the yearning that we all have for a connection to the lasting persistent nature of psyche, and of our own deepest identity  In the times of life when we often feel most fragile and vulnerable on the conscious level,  Jungian therapy knows a deep need of the individual is to come into contact with the reality and persistence of the self.  Often the meaning of dreams revolves around encounters with this reality.

Diamonds have very complex shapes.  They often have many, many facets.  In this way, they bear a resemblance to the human personality, which has a multitude of dimensions and aspects.  Jungian therapy lives in the awareness that, like diamonds, we are multi-facetted — many facets not even being conscious.  To understand the meaning of dreams containing the symbol of the diamond, we must understand the multi-dimensional beauty and wonder of the diamond as an image reflecting the endlessly diverse and multi-facetted reality of the individual self."

Diamonds concern the fundamental reality of who we are.

YogArt Book

"In yoga philosophy, the universe is composed of a trinity that has both masculine and feminine aspects. " - Mukunda Stiles

Creative Force - masculine is Brahma, feminine is Sarasvati
Nurturing Force - masculine is Vishnu, feminine is Lakshmi
Transformative Force - masculine is Shiva, feminine is Kali

"The microcosm is the same as the macrocosm... When we affect a positive change within ourselves, we are also positively affecting a change in the world around us." Stiles, Mukunda

Butterfly Pose

Art/Yoga Fusion Mandalas

This are some YogArt Mandalas I made in December.

From Caterpillar to Butterfly - Musings on Paschimottasana, Caterpillar Pose and the book, The Unfolding Self

Part of my final project for my Art 4 All People training is to do some writings from Ralph Metzner's book, The Unfolding Self.

The introduction from this book is called: From Caterpillar to Butterfly.  This reminds me of the work I am trying to do in my Yin Yoga Class on Saturdays at The Yogi Tree.  I believe if we can meditate on the qualities and energies of the animals in the yoga poses we can use their energies and archetypes to transform our own lives.

"There is nothing in a caterpillar that tells you it's going to be a butterfly." 

Richad Buckminister Fuller

Caterpillar Pose in Yin is what is called Pachimottanasana  in Hatha Yoga. Bernie Clark says the difference between Caterpillar and Paschimottanasana, is that in Caterpillar we are not trying to lengthen the spine or stretch the back muscles. Instead of bringing the head to the feet, round the spine so the head comes to the knees.

Bernie Clark in Caterpillar Pose

BKS Iyengar in Paschimottasana

According to Satyananda "this asana stretches the hamstring muscles and increases flexibility in the hip joints  It tones and massages the entire abdominal and pelvic region, including the liver, pancreas, spleen, uro-genital system, kidneys and adrenal glands.  It helps to remove excess weight in this are and stimualtes circulation to the nerves and muscles of the spine.

"What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the rest of the world calls a butterfly." 

Buckminster Fuller

In Light on Yoga, BKS Iyengar writes that the pose is also called Ugrasana or Brahmnacharyasana

"Paschima literally means the west.  It implies the whole body from the head to the heals.  The anterior or eastern aspect is the from of the body from face down to the toes.  The crown of the head is the upper or northern aspect while the soles and heels of the feet for, the lower or southern aspect of the body.  In this asana the bacck of the whole body is intensely stretched, hence the name..... Ugra means formidable, powerful and noble. Brahmacharya means religious study self-restraint and celibacy.

Bikram Choudury claims that this pose relieves chronic diarrhea by improving the circulation to the liver and spleen and improves digestion. He also says it increases the flexibility of the trapezius, deltoid, erectus femoris and bicep muscles, scaiti nerves, tendons, hip joints and the last 5 vertebrae of the spine.

What I teach about caterpillar pose is that the caterpillar is symbolic of preparing for the upcoming journey. Packing your suitcase.  Getting Prepared.  Putting everything in order before you go on your adventure.

"The caterpillar does all the work but the butterfly gets the publicity." - George Carlin

In the Unfolding Self p. 17 Metzner writes "There exists in human experience another kind of transformation, a radical restructuring of the entire psyche that has been variously referred to as a mystical experience, ecstasy, cosmic, consciousness, oceanic feeling, oneness, transcendence, union with God, nirvana, satori, liberation, peak experience, and by other names."  This radical restructuring for me the change of the caterpillar into the butterfly.

Evolution biologist Elisabeth Sahtouris tells the story:

“Inside a cocoon, deep in the caterpillar’s body, tiny things biologists call ‘imaginal disks’ begin to form. Not recognizing the newcomers, the caterpillar’s immune system snuffs them. But they keep coming faster and faster, then begin to link up with each other. Eventually the caterpillar’s immune system fails from the stress and the disks become imaginal cells that build the butterfly from the meltdown of the caterpillar’s body. . . If we see ourselves as imaginal discs working to build the butterfly of a better world, we will also see how important it is to link with each other in the effort, to recognize how many different kinds of imaginal cells it will take to build a butterfly with all its capabilities and colors.”

The caterpillar archetype means pure potential, the promise of new life  that dwells  with our own bodies. The caterpillar reminds us that at some point, all the ruminating, processing and soul-searching will unfold into remarkable results. "Caterpillars are a blessing on new ideas. They indicate promising outcomes to projects in their initial stage, and offer good juju in terms of fruitful completion of goals.the caterpillar is a symbol of evolution and transformation too. Specifically, they convey a unique level of patience as they surrender to the process of transformation. Let's face it, once a caterpillar begins the process of transforming into a winged beauty...there's no turning back. In essence, caterpillar is a symbol of never looking back on the old versions of ourselves. Rather, the caterpillar encourages plowing forward with ever-evolving, more brilliant versions of our beauty and potential. "http://www.whats-your-sign.com/symbolic-caterpillar-meaning.html

When we change from caterpillar to butterfly Unfolding Self p, 19 "this kind of experience changes the way we feel about the world-our emotional attitude of basic trust or mistrust, faith or doubt, acceptance or rejection-and the way we feel about ourselves, our self-acceptance, self-esteem, self-love."

The caterpillar self-actualizes "brings into actuality of something that has been a latent potentiality".  But it also loses its caterpillar self.  The caterpillar is earthbound but the butterfly flies. Just as the shamanic healer undergoes a symbolic flight the butterfly has literally flight. Metzner writes that mystics "are butterflies who try to awaken the human larval caterpillars to the "immortal heritage" that awaits them."  The caterpillar is reborn as the butterfly.  Metzner writes p. 29 "There is always an ending, then a neutral, or intermeditate, zone, then a new beginning. "

The term metamorphosis is often used for the caterpillar's change into a butterfly.  It gives us the hope as humans we can change just as significantly as the change from a caterpillar to a butterfly.

When we think about doing caterpillar pose and it is actually a very difficult pose for me.  We can identify with the caterpillar that does not know what it is going to become but is living in the present moment of its life as a caterpillar.  Doing caterpillar things.  Be one with caterpillar when you are in caterpillar pose and be one with the butterfly when you are in butterfly pose.  Both are necessary stages with equal benefits and important experiences.

The last word in this blog post and in the introductory chapter of the Unfolding Self goes to Chuang Tsu.

"When one is changing, how does one know that a change is taking place?  When one is not changing, how does one know that a change hasn't occurred? Maybe you and I are still in a dream and have not yet awakened . .. Be content with what is happening and forget about change; then you can enter into the oneness of the mystery of heaven."

Autobiography

My name is Nya Patrinos.  Nya means guide in Sanskrit, It comes from the verb ni which means to lead or guide.  My life purpose is to act as a guide for myself and others to use art and yoga for healing and transformation. This is one of my favorite paintings I have made about the fusion of Yoga and Art.

I grew up in a political active mixed race household.  My parents are black and white and Christian and Jewish.  I never felt like I fit in anywhere.  My feelings of being an outsider led me to art and writing as vehicles for self comfort.

I was a competitive athlete from the age of 6. At 30 my body started to fall a part. I began practicing yoga seriously as a way to heal chronic knee pain after all else failed. But yoga is now much more to me than a pain management strategy it is a way of life.

I have a BA in Environmental Design and a MFA in Scenic Design.  I have worked most of my adult life as a designer. Yoga wise, I have certifications in Therapeutic Vinyasa , Yin Yoga and Yoga Nidra.  I take yoga class about 5 times a week and I am devoted to a hot yoga.

I am very interested in the fusion of art and yoga. I studied the combination of these disciples at AyurYoga Eco Ashram in Kerala India and Otis College of Art.  I have taught several workshops at my yoga studio, The Yogi Tree under the title Art/Yoga Fusion.  I enrolled in A4AP to develop my skills as an art yoga teacher.

My career goal is to work full time as a Yoga Therapist, Yoga Teacher, Artist and Transformative Art Teacher.  I would like to work with people with both physical and emotional challenges.  I would like to write some books (Stretching  the Emotional Body, Nyasa Yoga Nidra, 5 Element Yin, Yin Yoga for the Chakras), lead teacher trainings, travel and teach and have a steady lucrative practice in Los Angeles. I also want to learn Sanskrit and spend a few months at Santosh Puri Ashram in India which is a center of Art and Yoga.

Who are my influences???

I was asked for my Transformative Art Training to explore who are my influences.


Hokusai

I love his paintings for the simplicity and compositions. He says so much with so little.  There is an economy of color and line. I hope to achieve that in my work. Nature is a force and has a personality.

Hokusai has an inspiration passion for art the inspires me. This quote by Hokusai is something I live my life by.

"From around the age of six, I had the habit of sketching from life. I became an artist, and from fifty on began producing works that won some reputation, but nothing I did before the age of seventy was worthy of attention. At seventy-three, I began to grasp the structures of birds and beasts, insects and fish, and of the way plants grow. If I go on trying, I will surely understand them still better by the time I am eighty-six, so that by ninety I will have penetrated to their essential nature. At one hundred, I may well have a positively divine understanding of them, while at one hundred and thirty, forty, or more I will have reached the stage where every dot and every stroke I paint will be alive. May Heaven, that grants long life, give me the chance to prove that this is no lie."

Nathan Fowkes

One of the best teachers I ever studied with was Nathan Fowkes.  He was all about commitment, being prepared and putting in the hours.  I took Head Drawing with him but what most inspires me about him is his land sketches that he does in a gray or brown paper sketch book.  I love his bold brush strokes. As a teacher he inspired me to work harder and make a serious commitment if I expected to get better.

Kathe Kollwitz

I discovered her in my grandmother's house and her people look like my grandmother's side of the family.  Her mark making is amazing.  Her emotions jump off the page.

Emil Nolde

The bold colors of Emil Nolde is what I love the most about his work.  He uses color is completely forceful and energetic.  I try for that in my work.

Laura Amazzone

Another one of my favorite teachers is Laura Amazzone.  She taught me about the Goddess.
I have taken three classes with her at LMU and some at her Venice home.  When I have more time in my life I want to get to her weekly Goddess circle and be one of her disciples. She makes the South Asian Goddess completely relevant to our everyday life.

Paulie Zink

Paulie Zink is my Yin Yoga teacher.  He taught my the power of embodying the animals in the Yoga Poses.  Making Yoga accessible and fun.  I am amazed by his flexibility and humility. He is the TAO!!

Mantak Chia

When I studied with him this summer everything he taught was about healing.  Exercise, being in shape, any of that was not part of the discussion.  He wanted to connect with the North Star and heal the Body,  His practice of the 6 healing sounds and the inner smile are very important parts of my teaching right now.

Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Her audiobooks and Women Who Run with the Wolves have shaped my ideology