Body art is a practice much like yoga. The word “yoga” means union. It is the connection of the bodily self to the divine self, the union of body and mind. Modern yoga is in large part a practice of the body, by which we may attain stillness of the mind. Applying symbols to our bodies is a lot like practicing a series of poses: Our body is our base and our medium. We come to both practices with a willingness to discover through tactile practice something transcendent. Only when we are grounded within our physical form can we hope to see beyond the bounds of ego. Similarly, in applying ink to our bodies, we create a bond between the physical and the metaphysical. We utilize our skin to depict something in the realm of the spiritual; of our inherent union to all things.
But where did it all come from? Why has this form of adornment persisted through the centuries? There are several different types of body adornment, dating back to ancient communities.