Sak yant and ramblings

Haven't found time lately to be writing on here, which is really too bad since I haven't been in the best state of minds. Well, mainly slightly depressed, but mainly due to work so I manage to ignore/avoid that by going to the gym or thinking about Thailand and what I'm going to do there in January.

I've decided to search out a Samnak Ajarn Sak Yant, or Sak Yant tattoo master, while in Bangkok to do 2 yants on my back. If you want to read about sak yants, go to www.sak-yant.com which outlines the tradition and history. Essentially, they are geometric tattoos which are meant to protect the wearer, originally as protection during war/fighting times. The origin is actually Khmer, and warriors used to believe that getting tattoos made their skin slippery and therefore they could not be harmed in battle. Only Buddhist monks are allowed to do true sak yants. And it's not done with modern tattoo machines - the monks use a stick with needles inserted on the end and they simply jab the needles in and out of your skin. Ouch!

The three I am deciding between are:

1. Yant Gao Yord: means Nine Peaks, and represents the Nine Peaks Mount Meru; sacred mountain in the centre of the Universe, with the four Continents around it.


2. Yant Paed Tidt: it is representative of the 8 directions of the Universe and has a kata to protect you in each direction you may travel in.


3. Yant Hanuman: The Monkey God, which represents confidence, perseverance and strength.
Below is what an extensive sak yant back looks like.


Pretty cool eh?! I think it's beautiful. I am thinking of going to Wat Bang Pra, which is where the sak yant festival is held each March (it's a temple outside of Bangkok) but my only concern there is hygiene. So I'm attempting to get ahold of the owner of the sak-yant.com website, Spencer, and see if I can have a sak yant done by his master. That way, I can have a more intimate session and he can appraise me to decide which yant would be most appropriate to me. I'm hoping to get it done before going to Sinbi to train and fight. It's a continuation of the ceremony that we respect in Muay Thai by performing the Wai Kruu before a fight.

Otherwise, all's good here. My grandmother was over this evening for supper and, although I was a bit nervous about it, concerned that we wouldn't have much to say to each other, it was a good evening. I dunno, sometimes I feel that I live on such a different planet than the rest of my family and it's difficult to enter into discussions, unless it's to hear bitching about my father or other relatives. So this was a nice surprise. Ah, my mom's side of the family are all talkative anyway, so I should never be worried - I don't have to say and thing and they can keep the conversation going themselves!! Which is sometimes a lot easier. :)

One more day before the Rideau Lakes Tour! Should be a good time, although it's supposed to be stupidly hot so I have to remember to pack extra sports drink powder to rehydrate properly.