Adamantine Stretchmarks by Rieko Kani

A collection of knotted figures - lines transformed into yogic hieroglyphs, mnemonic tools elaborately transcribed…by each practitioner acting as scribe, recording the secrets of an ancient holistic science. Drawings by students from Basia's Yoga Basics Training Course, International Yoga Center Tokyo, Japan.

Agile Stretchmarks by Naho Owada
Altruistic Stretchmarks
Balanced Stretchmarks by Mima Fukushi
Bold Stretchmarks.jpg
Comfortable Stretchmarks by Haruko Suzuki
Coquette Stretchmarks by Ryoko Sakuma
Experimental Stretchmarks
Humble Stretchmarks
Openminded Stretchmarks by Yuriko Tanaka
Serene Stretchmarks
Stoic Stretchmarks by Chinatsu Oshiro


BE a knot that speaks

As humankind&apos s use of communication developed, knots took on new meaning by way of representation. As people learned to count days, they counted them with knots on a string. A string with a number of knots tied in it to represent the number of days until the event. They would be untied one per day until time was up. By far the most elaborate record keeping ever done was on knotted strings, or quipus, by the Inca of Peru. Each quipu was a system of many strands branching off a central cord. The knots on these strands represented all the data needed to administer an empire, including mathematics, census figures, taxes, crops, herds, and many other things. Using knots allowed the Inca to record and calculate data without having a written language. For yoga, its language of asanas, claims to provide the essential therapy maintenance plan to stay healthy and in control of one&apos s emotions. Similar to the quipu, the asana knots are stringed together, forming an impressive mnemonic device of the path that transcends opposites – the path to Self-Realization.1 This is beautifully represented in the meaning of one of the auspicious symbols in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition - the Endless Knot;

This latter image signifies the dramatic interplay and interaction of the opposing forces in the dualistic world of manifestation, leading to their union, and ultimately to harmony in the universe. This fact is amply reflected in the symmetrical and regular form of the endless knot. The intertwining of lines reminds us how all phenomena are conjoined and yoked together as a closed cycle of cause and effect. Thus the whole composition is a pattern that is closed on in itself with no gaps, leading to a representational form of great simplicity and fully balanced harmony. Since all phenomena are interrelated, the placing of the endless knot on a gift or greeting card is understood to establish an auspicious connection between the giver and the recipient. At the same time, the recipient is goaded to righteous karma, being reminded that future positive effects have their roots in the causes of the present. This is because the knot represents a connection, a link with our fates, binding us to our karmic destiny. Not surprisingly, this is one of the most favorite symbols in Tibetan Buddhism. 2

1The terms self-realization and god-realization are used interchangeably in Yoga, with the underlying belief that the true nature of the self, revealed through the practice of yoga, is of the same nature as god.

2 See www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/symbols/