Hatching my (speckled, sparkle-encrusted, slightly lopsided) yogic egg...

A few months ago, in a corporate establishment far away... lightening struck, the clouds bravely parted and took on the formation of fingerling potatoes, and a wild-haired blonde yogini found her voice... 

Naughty Bohemian Yoga, while far from being a universally marketable studio name (although I must confess, if it's going to fly anywhere, I reckon it will be in SF) was hatched all fuzzy and glimmering from the depths of my blessedly illogical brain on the eve of my departure from the corporate world. While waxing poetic to my coworker about my sweeping vision of the yoga studio that I hoped to own one day and the edgy, free-form, sassy, hyper-individualistic style that I was envisioning, I took a breath and then startled myself by blurting "y'know, like NAUGHTY BOHEMIAN yoga!!!!"


Although I think I was expecting a look of shock or horror to flicker across her face, my burning man vet comrade in all things artsy bobbed her head enthusiastically reassured me that it didn't sound frightening or sacrilegious or cosmically off-putting. Ah, the relief associated with knowing that you haven't managed to frighten anyone by 9am! And so, it was that I found a name for my own particular vision of what I what I had to offer to the universe.*

*A word on offerings: when you live in an amazing, swirling dragon-of-a-city like SF, it is easy to feel like the holistic health/yoga market is more than a smidge saturated. If you are anything like me, you wonder whether there is really any point in prancing your way out of yoga school with a few meager nuggets of sanskrit tucked away in your noggin' and midnight shopper yoga gear special (read: cheap) yoga attire, when there are SO many ridiculously talented teachers already providing yoga in a plethora of different languages, lineages, and musical orientations. AND THEN...you take a class with someone who does things dramatically differently...who really dares to peel back the outermost encasement of yoga rhetoric to show you something of him or herself that is so brave and real that you are utterly stunned & left without recourse but to acknowledge that you'd really better start teaching, because YOU and only you can make a fresh n' funky offering to the universe in just THAT way. *Ah, the joys of the run-on sentence!* I'm of the mind that the desire to teach yoga is in a sense a calling--if you feel it, you'd best believe that the universe needs it. 

BeCaUsE I aDoRe WoRdS (and aspire to choose them carefully...)

Naughty 

1.disobedient; mischievous 2. improper, tasteless, indecorous, or indecent.

3. Wicked; evil.

Mmm...all of this sounds exquisitely contrary and oh-so-very-yum, but the "naughty" I'm talking about means something more like: Frisky. Revolutionary. Wild-eyed. Complex & multi-faceted. Think: fewer rules & creativity on steroids. Nudging the boundaries gently with your toe, and then hopping right over the ones that seem a bit skewed or silly. 

Bohemian

1. a person, esp an artist or writer, who lives an unconventional life

Fairly accurate, but let's go deeper to extend membership to all outside-of-the-box thinkers, wild-eyed seekers, colorful, bold, passionate wanderers, intrepid explorers, lovers of life and pursuers of truth. For all of those with radiant energy & a yen for creation--whether or not they have found their tapestry. For those who long for something to fill them up; a non-human muse, a conglomeration of fiery, spirited, supportive souls uniting in service of a greater purpose.

Yoga

1. A Hindu discipline aimed at training the consciousness for a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquillity.

2. A system of exercises practiced as part of this discipline to promote control of the body and mind.

"All of life is yoga"--Sri Aurobindo. Love this. Certainly, there is much spaciousness, delicious heat, empowering movement within the asana practice, but where is the value if we lose all of this the moment we step off of the mat? 'Tis better methinks to be a novice yogini with a body that feels like a tightly coiled spring who leaves class to offer love and increase the amount of happiness in the world, than an uber flexy-bendy creature with a gorgeous practice who treats the people in his or her world like reptilian servants.          Ja?! JA :)

 Viva la Yoga!