Wholistic Fitness

I’ll be adding more over time, so please check back. If you have a question of your own that you don’t see answered here, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

What does the Wholistic Fitness™ logo mean?

The Wholistic Fitness logo made its first appearance in 1982. My original symbol included a yin/yang symbol interwoven around a dumbbell, surrounded by a zia. Our newly enhanced version honors this fusion of Native American and Eastern elements. It’s designed to pay tribute to the petroglyphs found on rocks across my beloved American Southwest, as well as the brushed style of zen calligraphy always fond to my heart (see the HP Yoga® logo, for instance). I extend my deep appreciation to Master WF Student Mike “MahaManas” Singer and Chris Vacano for their artistic intelligence to align my affinities to the American Southwest, my long years of study and appreciation of Eastern spiritual traditions, and moreover the essential spiritual truths that underlie each and every practice in Wholistic Fitness.

The Wholistic Fitness logo is intended to be far more than “corporate branding.” It’s a visual reminder of the essential practices of Wholistic Fitness, a mandala-like symbol that is a microcosm of the Universe from a spiritual athlete’s perspective.

The logo is composed of three elements:

• A Hand
  A common Native American symbol, The Hand represents the presence of man, all that he has worked for and achieved, as well as his personal history. It also represents man as a vessel for the Creator’s power and expresses the hallmark quality of ‘sweat’ alongside spiritual study. A well-calloused hand is truly a manifestation of sacred sweat.

  In the Wholistic Fitness logo, the five fingers of the hand also represent the “Five Fitness Disciplines”: Strength Training, Cardiovascular Training, Yoga, Meditation, and Nutrition.

• The Sun/Moon
  In Hatha Yoga, “Ha” means “Sun” and “Tha” means “Moon.” The word “Yoga” means “Union.” The Hand of my logo rests within Tha: our Grandmother Moon. Inside the palm of the Hand, you can see a Zia – a sacred symbol of New Mexico’s Native Americans. The rays of the Zia extend outward representing the four directions (north, south, east, and west), the four seasons (spring, summer, autumn and winter), the four periods of each day (morning, noon, evening and night), the four seasons of life (childhood, youth, middle years and old age), and the Zia’s four sacred obligations (a strong body, a clear mind, a pure spirit, and a devotion to the welfare of others).

  In the Wholistic Fitness logo, the four lines extending outward also represent the “Four Lifestyle Principles”: Breath and Posture, Mindfulness, Appropriate Action, and Practice.

• Yin and Yang
  The Yin and Yang symbol represents the ways in which polar or seemingly contrary forces are both interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other. The relationship has been described as sunlight playing over a mountain and in a valley. Yin is the dark area occluded by the mountain, while Yang is the brightly lit portion. As the sun moves across the sky, they slowly trade places with each other, revealing what was hidden and hiding what was revealed.

  In the Wholistic Fitness logo, the Yin and Yang symbol at the center of the circle represents nature, wholeness, and the ability of a spiritual athlete to move effortlessly through a world of seeming contradictions by moving beyond duality. Gazing upon this symbol empowers us to persevere in the face of all difficulties and joys, knowing that maintaining a high perspective allows us, like Eagle Brother, to soar over the strife of life and know that all of our comings and goings is just grist for the mill of our Awakening.

Note: Portions of this text were adapted from the following sources. Click the links to learn more about these powerful symbols:

http://www.kivatrading.com/symbol1.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zia_(New_Mexico)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yin_and_yang