As is usually the case, the more minds you put toward solving a problem, the better the solution is. We threw the question out to our teachers Slack group:
“Deep Dish Yoga…Chicago Style Yoga”
“The Yoga Joint (forever collab with the Coffee Joint across the street)”
“Bossy Dog Yoga”
“Sage…health…wisdom…respect”
“Symbols of new beginnings include acorns, spring flowers…”
“Reset Movement Studio?”
“Flowers we like include snapdragons, jasmine, sunflowers, marigolds, orchids, peonies…”
“Cocoon…chrysalis…something for turning inward to emerge fabulous”
“What about All Paths Yoga?”
From those scattered thoughts, of course you know by now that we ended up with Marigold Yoga. These are the qualities that drew us to the name:
They are the everyman of flowers. Humble, common, overlook-able. But get up close and you’ll be amazed at the intricacy of the design, colors and scent.
Marigolds come in many textures, sizes, colors and shapes. There are lots of varieties of marigolds, all able to live their best lives as flowers.
Marigolds work hard! They are important in many cultures and traditions. In India they represent the sun, brightness, and positive energy. In Mexico, marigolds use their scent and color to guide the spirits of the dead to altars erected by the living. They adorn temples in Thailand, keep rabbits out of lettuce patches in Chicago, and provide flavor in traditional dishes in Peru.
They are the birth flower for October, which is the month in which our studio was “born” in 2012.
Marigolds have traditional healing properties (most commonly for skin conditions), a reflection of the power of yoga and a nod to our therapeutic offerings.
They are found on all continents habited by people, in fields, gardens and flower boxes around the globe.
Marigolds are a living breathing thing, rooted in the earth, head pointed toward the sun, needing air and water to survive.
And as Rachel pointed out, “uh also witches carried them to protect from the plague. Just saying.” That kind of clinches it, don’t you think?
Last, marigolds are one of the flowers commonly presented to Ganesha. They are tied to our past and a symbol of respect to Lord Ganesha for helping bring us to this place. We are forever grateful for his role in our journey and will bring him with us in our hearts as we move forward.
We thank all of you who have supported us in these nearly nine years of what is now Marigold Yoga, and especially those people we talked with while coming to and implementing this change.