cause her work transcends the full physical form. She tries to portray an idea or theme through her images. As evidenced in her name, she uses mandalas throughout her art. Mandalas are used in various spiritual traditions as a guidance tool to help the practitioner through meditation and achieve a trance like state. For Manley, painting is a way to integrate her meditative process. She finds thriving is being able to maintain a balance of all that her spirit and body needs. “All of the experiences I have in my life — yoga, skiing, hiking and spending time in nature — help me put more energy into my art. These activities keep the flow happening by not being stagnant, especially when having to sit for a long time to work,” she says. She finds making art is similar to practicing yoga, because one has to develop the skills or stretch their muscles both physically, like in yoga, or artistically. “It’s never too late to start the practice of something you’ve been missing,” she adds. Manley always loved to draw as a kid growing up in Chicago. “I didn’t know I would end up doing it full time and was told I couldn’t,” she says. She went into college planning to study veterinary but switched to painting and art history. “I had lots of friends who were musicians and invited me to join as a live painting artist,” she explains on her first start into live painting. Later, she taught private art lessons for a while and realized how she could make it a viable income. In 2006, she moved to Colorado because of her love of the mountains and was lucky enough to happen upon the growing art and music movement at the right time. She went from hustle to hustle doing live paintings, collaborating and selling art to being a full-time artist with an upcoming gallery showing this October at the Threyda Gallery in Denver. +
Photos courtesy of ash mills
Check out Manley’s work at morganmandala.com or @morganmandala on Instagram.
KAITLIN EMIG Writer @sunflower_lion
YOGALIFELIVE.COM
Ritual Healing
Intuitive Tattooing
E
ven over Zoom, I can feel the the grounding presence of Ash Mills. As we introduce ourselves, I admire her beautiful plants and her dog who curls up on the couch behind her. Mills’ tattooing journey began when a friend and mentor offered to buy her the setup and equipment she needed in exchange for tattoos. Then, when asked by another friend to give them a tattoo, Mills was given full creative freedom. It was hard to land on a single phrase or image to fully encapsulate her friend, so she let her intuition lead the way. The result was a simple, symmetrical design made up of fine, thin lines. The simplicity of the design and light-handed style of tattooing sets Mills’ work apart from other tattoo artists. The traditional tattoo shop setting was one that never resonated with Mills. She noticed a gap in spaces where people could come and receive a different type of experience while getting tattooed. Ritual Healing was born, and through social media and word of mouth, her clientele grew, and she began designing more symbols. In a session with Mills, clients can expect to spend time grounding through breathwork and meditation. With a 200hour yoga teacher training and over a decade of journey-work in her back pocket, Mills knows how to create and hold space. Some of her clients in the past reflect on their time with her with sentiments like, “I feel so much lighter,” and “I feel really safe.” After settling and grounding, clients will share their story.
She has heard full life stories, from critical chapters to life changing experiences. As the stories go on, Mills will ask questions or simply listen and let her intuition guide her through the design. Once a client feels complete in sharing, Mills will reveal her design. If the client resonates with the symbol (which they typically do), they have the option to get it tattooed on their body. Choosing placement for their new art is often informed by energy meridians in the body, chakras and proximity to the heart. Of course, there’s no requirement to get the symbol tattooed. The concept of making healing a ritual comes from the fact that, “You can’t wave a magic wand and expect to be healed,” Mills shares. “Healing won’t be found in one reiki session; it’s found in continuously coming home to yourself.” The root of the word healing is “to make whole,” and by sharing an experience and seeing a beautiful representation of that experience, we can recognize our journey as a whole one, even as we continue to grow. +
Mills currently tattoos out of Nurture in Denver and is accepting new clients. You can learn more about her and Ritual Healing at ritual-healing.com and see her symbols on Instagram @ritualhealing. KELSEY FOSTER YOGA + Life Ambassador + Contributor @kelsofosta
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