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When I was in high school, my family was part of a Native American study group, Bare Wisdom. We gathered each month as a community of friendship and knowledge of primitive skills and native history, including flintknapping, weaving, storytelling, beading, music, fire-making, wilderness skills, and natural resource protection. We gathered in celebration, supporting each other in regalia and dance at Native American Pow-Wows. We gathered in a ceremonial sweat lodge and overnighted in a tipi for the new year and at Central Virginia Community College for Native American education. We gathered at the airport to welcome my brother home after he had been away for months at a mid-Western college.
Bare Wisdom was more than just a study group. It was a second family during a pivotal time of self-discovery—a time when I was solidifying who I was as an individual, not caring what others thought about me, and engaging in environmental awareness and protection. Bare Wisdom was a family of friendship and love.
Years later as an adult, I moved to Florida, away from family and friends. The yoga community became my second family.
Connections Yoga came to fruition after reflecting on what yoga meant to me. It is connections with people. Relationships have always mattered most to me. That foundation of knowledge, love, and support of Bare Wisdom influenced the creation of Connections Yoga"s logo.
There was never a moment of hesitation as I created the 4 repeating, interlocking circles of the Native American Circle of Life, The Medicine Wheel. The 4 colors represent the 4 directions: north (red for hardships and survival), east (yellow for the rising sun and hope for a new day), south (white for warmth and personal growth), and west (black for the setting sun and sources of water). Yet, there is so much more to the 4 colors. They represent the 4 seasons (winter, spring, summer, fall) bringing change and growth in our lives. They depict the 4 elements of life (earth for grounding, fire for energy, water for reflection, and wind for intention and connection). They represent the 4 Heavenly Bodies (Sun, Moon, Earth, stars). The blue represents the Great Spirit above and around us. For me, blue made sense for the Earth and its waters that provide life. See its connections to nature? Notice how I close my yoga practices? See its connections to yoga?
The Circle of Life colors reflect me—my ever-present desire to be near mountains, my tendency to ask questions, my incorporation of environmental education into Kids Yoga, and my desire to make connections with others.
Not only are the colored circles interconnected, but they are woven into a larger circle. We are unique individuals but part of a whole. We are made for relationships. Chief Seattle said, “All things are connected…” The Connections Yoga’s logo shows those connections with our community and the world around us.
Explore what Connections Yoga has to offer you now:
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