Sashiko

Sashiko is a form of Japanese folk embroidery using a basic running stitch. The word "sashiko" in Japanese means "little stabs". This is the same stitch as quilters use. This piece also uses tie dye to create parts of the pattern. I took this picture during a visit to my chiropractor today, partly because it is the only place I've managed to get myself, and partly because I love this work, and the fact that a chiropractic office would have such a fine example of it hanging on the wall.

This is no ordinary chiropractor's office because she is no ordinary chiropractor. She has a beautiful, peaceful clinic which feels more like a lovely spa, filled with original art and fresh flowers. One is truly cared for here, and not allowed to leave after a treatment without resting, tucked under a blanket with a little bag of rice over one's eyes for ten minutes. This sashiko piece brought back a wonderful memory.

Not only is my chiropractor a healer, she is also one of my best friends. We met many years ago when she came to my yoga class and returned at different times with two of her sisters and her husband. I became one of her first clients when she finished school and began a private practice. When one of the sisters was living in Japan, she and her English husband invited me to come stay with them and teach a two week yoga workshop in Tokyo.

We soon became great friends also, living in a tiny, traditional "12 mat" house, and traveling into central Tokyo) on the hellish crowded subway every day. I could never have found my way through the bewildering maze of stations and platforms (all signs written in congee) without one or both of them herding me along and coaching me through the mob. The fact that English husband was 6'7" tall was a definite asset, as he towered over the crowds, but his challenges were too numerous to mention.

We joked that living in a tiny space, pulling out our futons every night, storing them away during the day to make room for the table we ate from, was like camping. At the end of the workshop, the Berkeley sister, joined us for a trip to the mountains, a weekend workshop and a glimpse of Takayama and "traditional" Japan. I will never forget a magical snowstorm like an Ukioye print, and a reviving cup of perfect rich creamy hot chocolate. (The "conveyor belt sushi" dinner we had together upon our return to Tokyo will have to remain a story for another time....)

Seeing this beautiful Sashiko piece not only reminded me of a trip of a lifetime, but of friendships forged in mutual respect, unforgettable experiences, and lots of laughs and good times. That reminds me-- I will have to dig out the little sashiko vest I bought there.