I like these 'composite paintings' from 18th century india. It reminds me of a composite Durga that my friend Dave game me once. Durga was created from the power and the energy of all the Gods. All of the shakti combined made her powerful enough to destroy the evil buffalo demon, Mahiasura. It would be interesting to know if there is any relationship between the Hindu Myth, and these Mughal Paintings.
I found this painting, and many more, on "Journey Round My School"



Also, for your enjoyment, here is a traditional version of "The Mahiasura Mardini Stotram" a song the celebrates Durga as the Fierce Warrior who defeats the Buffalo Demon. Those of you who go to Amma's programs will probably recognize it, it is a favorite.

Several of the images on the Main Line Yoga Website have been lovingly painted by the sweetest devotee, named Annapurna. I first met her at Joel's Bikram Studio on Walnut Street. She was feeding us all the most delicious milk sweets, and telling us lovely things about Lord Krishna. I discovered that she had painted the works than hung on the walls of the school. When it was time for me to put together a website for Main Line Yoga, it was only natural that I went to her to help me decorate it. I am so glad that I did.

She has been featured in the Online Multimedia Art Journal "Public Republic". It is delightful, and inspires much devotion. The article features the painting above, and many others. ENJOY IT HERE!

This is pretty

Sarasvati is the Goddess of the arts, literature, and music. It is by Her grace that we have speech, language, alphabets, musical scales, and recipies for delicious foods. Through her amourous shapeshifting adventures with her husband Brahma, the earth was populated with all of the earth's creatures. No doubt, it was through her inspiration that this project, Sara-Sock-Svati, was concieved and excecuted. Apparently, every year, this couple, jek and jeff, give each other themed sock-monkeys.
from Craftzine
see also Sock Monkey Buddha

I found a ukulele in the thrift shop in P'aia a couple of weeks ago. Well, actually, Carl found it, and told me where it was, but that is another story (like, who is Carl?)
I've really been enjoying it, been playing it more than my guitar. I really enjoy playing for my students in yoga class, and i adore the portability aspect.
I'm also kind of into this artist i discovered on 'boing boing', Amy Crehore. There is a print called 'The Creature" in the back of the yoga studio that she painted. It is a gentle fantasy set in an apparent island paradise, tucked away in a valley. Two beautiful, brown skinned women sit at the edge of a clear blue pool. Both nude except for hibiscis flowers in their hair, one holds a monkey in her lab while the other plays a ukulele! Oh, and the uke player has a tail. I imagine that she is the creaure, as the other two characters eye her curiously as she strums away on her little instrument. A remarkable depiction of magic and wonder, which also happen to be two of my favorite things.
Cool thing is, I liked her art even before I started playing uke, I don't think it even registered in my mind that it was an ukelele in the print until i started writting this post. Trippy.
Amy is having a show in Los Angeles in February/March, called "Dreamgirls and Ukes". Above are some of the sketches for her show. If you happen to be in LA, and make it to the show, send me a postcard, would you?

here it is, written on a beautiful mural

I stumbled across these pictures of nude atheletes, and there seem to be a few in asana.

Tagore, the famous and beloved Indian Poet, Scholar, Activist, and Nobel Prize Winner is depicted here quite creatively. I don't know where this sculpture is located, I found the pictures here

"While re-digging his pond recently, Mongal Member at Sultanpur of Brahmanbaria Sadar upazila found a 10th century statue of Lord Vishnu five metres below the ground.

The night after the discovery, the so-called Magnet Party (smuggling group) of the locality offered Mongal Tk 10 lakh for the statue. He refused the offer. He feared about the safety of the artefact and contacted the local police station to handover custody of the statue.

Meanwhile, local journalist and cultural activists contacted Asiatic Society of Bangladesh (ASB) and urged them to help preserve the statue properly. Editor of Smatat Barta, a local daily of Brahmanbaria, Manjurul Alam said, "We thought it is our responsibility to protect our heritage from the clutches of smugglers.""

from "The Daily Star"

Here is a cute little movie about a nice jewish boy from nyc who travels around the world (mostly NY and India) practicing asana. The movie's producer was hoping to capture some sort of miraculous transformation and spiritual growth on film, taking a beginner from the ground level, all the way up to Enlightenment. Although it is unclear from the website wether or not she achieves this goal, she manages to collect interviews with many inspirational and famous yogis and yoginis. Dharma Mittra, Mr. Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, and Alan Finger, to name a few.
Enlighten Up! Website

From Tripsichore's Performance at Studio 34. Photo by Joe Longo.

The Caves of Dunhuang are some really spectacular caves in Western China. They are so spectacular, that they are called 'Peerless'. Unfortuanately, due to harsh winds, time, and lots of tourists, the caves are rapidly deteriorating. What will become of them?
New York Times Article (with slideshow)
Friends of Dunhuang (preservation efforts)

In 1969, a 14-year-old Beatle fanatic named Jerry Levitan, armed with a reel-to-reel tape deck, snuck into John Lennon's hotel room in Toronto and convinced John to do an interview about peace. 38 years later, Jerry has produced a film about it. Using the original interview recording as the soundtrack, director Josh Raskin has woven a visual narrative which tenderly romances Lennon's every word in a cascading flood of multipronged animation. Raskin marries the terrifyingly genius pen work of James Braithwaite with masterful digital illustration by Alex Kurina, resulting in a spell-binding vessel for Lennon's boundless wit, and timeless message.