Yoga is a practice of serenity. This image argues that the practice of yoga creates peace and contentment in one’s life. The use of coded and non-coded messages work together to show the benefits of this practice by combining multiple cultural connotations that make a universal argument for all of humankind.
The coded messages of the image express symbolic meaning. Looking first at the background, a sunset in New Mexico’s mountainside, shows the romanticized vision of life itself. The sun sets and rises as we move through days, showing a passage of time. The vibrancy of the colors mixing together creates an idealism of the beauty of this world and through it, the beauty of life. The aloneness of the mountainside without city lights or traffic creates serenity and by extension, individuality. There is an emphasis on connecting back with nature to discover one’s inner self and inner beauty. The cultural message that comes through is that as Americans, we are so concerned with progression and development that this kind of natural beauty is rarely witnessed. The image argues that the reclamation of the appreciation for nature would have a great influence on our culture by recreating individualism.
The peace sign made up of peace sign fingers is itself a coded message so inherent in American culture. The sign of the forefinger and middle finger being held up does not have a literal meaning, but our culture assigns it the meaning of peace. It reaches back in our history to the emergence of hippies and anti-war protestors. The root of the word hippie is “hip,” which comes from the African Wolof language and means “enlightenment.” The multiple layers of meaning in this symbol make the cultural connotation that only through knowledge can there be peace. The signs also bring in an international context of peace not just in America, but throughout the entire world. Stop the hating, stop the fighting, stop the injustices, and create harmony between all people.
The forefront image is of a person in the Lotus asana. This pose captures the symbolic meaning of meditation, a major aspect of yoga practices. Mediation introspects into one’s own life and can only be used on an individual level. It is a state of control and centralization by taking oneself away from the outside world. With this connotation comes the emergence of Buddhist and Asian cultures. The integration of these different cultures into our American world symbolizes the convergence of cultures for one common goal: peace. Without inner peace, there is no way to have outer peace, and by obtaining that inner peace it spreads outward to the rest of society. The image brings in once again the international scope. The figure balancing in air without any ground for support symbolizes the transcendence from everyday life that can be achieved through yoga. The middle finger and thumb gently touching together symbolizes the continuity of energy flow and connectedness of the mind and body through this energy that is constantly moving through are bodies and being spread from one person to another.
The coded messages symbolized in the image intersect with the non-coded messages to create a call for action. The non-coded message shows a person literally doing yoga and a landscape that can still be captured today. For the coded messages to take root, one must physically and actively pursue what is portrayed in the non-coded messages. If people achieve the serenity and peacefulness shown through the literal message then the coded messages for peace follow.
Additionally, the two different styles of images work together to convey the overall meaning of the image. The cartoonlike simplicity of the peace sign interacts with real photographic images by combining the physical with the metaphysical. The physical beauty of the landscape and physical positioning of the body are shown realistically because they are realistically attainable. The peace sign is portrayed unrealistically to show the metaphysical aspect of what yoga tries to achieve, the idea of peace and contentment in one’s own life that extends outward to the community and ideally to an international society.
Background landscape by pattizphotos.com, used with permission of photographer Patti Zolnick.
Peace sign image (http://www.flickr.com/photos/beachblogger/2261928256/) by Flickr user beachblogger42, Creative Commons License.
Yoga figure is my own image.
This image of a figure in the Lotus yoga asana set against the background of a New Mexico landscape with a peace sign showing through makes the argument that peace and serenity in one's own life can be achieved through yoga and then extended outward to create a more cohesive society.
Comments
I really like the image
This is a very good image it looks like something that would be posted in a wall. I think it explains what you are trying to say
Peer Review
"The sun sets and rises as we move through days (,) showing a passage of time." - I think maybe adding a comma here helps the flow of this sentence as well as this one.. "Without inner peace there is no way to have outer peace(,) and by obtaining that inner peace(,) it spreads outward to the rest of society."
I think your analysis is really thorough, especially when you go into the symbolism of yoga and what it represents. Your heavy emphasis on the symbolic message is clear in your image, they complement each other well!