It is with great excitement and anticipation that I welcome you to Seed Yoga Therapy!
When I started Satmato Yoga Therapy 7 years ago, I named my practice by going through the Sanskrit dictionary until I found a word that resonated with me. “Satmato” means “absorption into essence.” As I look back, this way of naming my business feels like an act of cultural appropriation to take a Sanskrit word cavalierly for my practice and use. Now, I want to take responsibility and accountability for using the Sanskrit language, and the Indian and Hindu spirituality where I am a guest, in a disrespectful way. In an effort to be more in my integrity, Satmato is changing her name to Seed.
I am committed to continuing to study the fullness of Yoga and Yoga therapy, which includes studying the Sanskrit language in an authentic and honoring way. As I continue the lifelong process of decolonizing my mind and my relationship with a practice I have culturally appropriated, I will continue to refine the way I talk about, offer and practice Yoga. Renaming my practice is one step in my decolonizing work.
Why Seed?
In the Chandogya Upanishad, a son asks his father about spiritual wisdom and the father explains the many different ways to connect with Self (which one may call God, universe, nature, Goddess, etc.) To demonstrate, the father asks his son to bring him a fruit from the banyan tree. He instructs the son to open the fruit to reveal the seeds and then open the seed. His father asks, “What is in the seed?” The son replies, “There is nothing in there.” The father patiently explains there is not nothing there; the entire banyan tree lives inside the seed. (Here is my favorite translation by Eknath Easwaran if you are curious about this text.)
Healing into Wholeness
Over the last 12 years of offering yoga therapy, I have seen people’s wisdom, brilliance and wholeness shine in our work. Every single client who has walked through my door has the entire tree of healing inside themselves, even if they can’t comprehend it yet. I see my job as watering that seed and continuing to reflect back the answers that are inside each of them. Each person’s healing looks different, just like every tree looks different. You are the seed and the tree all at once. You have everything you need inside of you. This is the essence of Seed Yoga Therapy.
With a new name and beautiful new logo (courtesy of Enjoli Izidor) you might wonder what else is changing?
Some minor changes include:
- New email: laura@seedyogatherapy.com. I will gradually phaseout laura@satmato.com in the next few months.
- New website: www.seedyogatherapy.com thanks to Blue Lotus Services. www.satmato,com should still work, but you will need to clear your cache if you have visited the website in the last month or so.
- More trainings for healing practitioners: Are you a practitioner interested in incorporating Yoga therapy and/or anti-oppression work into your practice? Check out Yoga Therapy 101, Transliterate for Healing Practitioners with Dylan Wilder Quinn and Trauma and Resilience in Yoga Therapy with RW Alves and Laura Humpf
- Hiring: Are you interested in working at Seed Yoga Therapy? I am looking to hire someone 4 hours/week to help with operations of the business. Interested? Send questions and/or your cover letter and resume to laura@seedyogatherapy.com. QTPOC encouraged to apply.
Everything else will remain the same, and I look forward to continuing to support clients do their important healing work while also doing my work to be the best practitioner I can be.
Love,
Laura