A new student ask me this question this week and it made me stop and think for a second. I had a few different answers for her. First of all I explained that Yoga means "union" a coming together and connection to yourself and others so Social emphasising that gathering, that safe space of connection. I also spoke of when I started by new career in yoga teaching nearly 5 years ago now I felt I needed a strong brand to promote my classes and catch people's attention. (15 years in product development and retail teaches you that!) I was so pleased with what I ended up with and the delicate bodhi leaf logo, I have the immense talent and patience of Alison at Limelite Creative to thank for that one! And ultimately I spoke of wanting to create a warm friendly supportive community, in yoga we call it a Sangha. So we get to know each other, our names, know we can have a chat and a giggle, we can feel safe and seen and included. Yoga is a practice for everybody and every body. We all have our own stuff going on, but coming to a class you will only be met with kindness and be encouraged to extend a kindness to yourself through connection to your body, breath and mind in a safe and nourishing way.
Through my recent studies as I train to be a Yoga Therapist we are encouraged daily to reflect and write about our self practise and our personal journey so as I've reflected on this question further. I've also recognised that perhaps when I started I also wanted the name to hide behind a little, it was a huge step for me to go full time into teaching and there is always that imposter syndrome ticking around in the mind! Therefore it was my safety blanket as well as encompassing the kind of yoga I wanted to teach and encourage the connections I wanted to make. But as I explained it to this student it made me realise that it still stands true and I look forward to continuing to teach and make new connections and nurture this group for a long time to come.