I’ve just emerged from another just-what-I-needed yoga class. After meandering my way to the courtyard — outside the Yoga Pod Tucson, I opt to sit and bask in the growing sunlight and cool, desert morning air. Here, there’s always a delight of people, bikes and dogs — resting, working, chatting, reading — with their coffees, teas and treats in hand. Today as I sit and observe the sweet sights, sounds and smells around me, my eyes connect with the 9 large black dots that make up the Yoga Pod Tucson logo. Purposefully bold and strategically aligned, I wondered at their meaning.

In the vast and varied history of yoga(s), many ongoing and ever-occurring themes continue to be at play. One of these themes is the Individual vs Collective or simply, the One vs the Many. Inherently in this theme, a binary opposition is implied. Throughout time, binaries have always played a role in shaping our understanding of language, culture, and philosophy — including the philosophy of yoga. 

Though a binary may refer to a pair of related concepts that are opposite in meaning, or set against each other, there’s also an inherent unity between the two — where they not only define the other but ultimately subside together. Think of the old adage, two sides of the same coin. Not only does the head of the coin make possible the tail, but there’s also that exact unseen point where the two sides become one. 

Yoga is a method of practice upon which each and every individual must uniquely choose to embark. A practice requires consistent inspiration and self-discipline over a long period of time. Though as part of one’s involution to know oneself, resistance to one’s practice often tests the will and the burning self-disciple so carefully crafted. That’s where the many, the collective, comes into play.

“Yoga, I often say, is like music. The rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind, and the harmony of the soul create the symphony of life.” [B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Life, XXI]

The symphony of life here may describe a vision of life in which everything is interconnected — that there is nothing separate, nothing standing alone. This fundamental concept in Buddhism, known as dependent origination, explains the interdependent nature of all phenomena and the arising of one thing based on the conditions of other things. The One in the Many, and the Many in the One. 

It’s true that one doesn’t require a studio to have a yoga practice, but a studio is required to have a yoga collective, a community. Yoga Pod Tucson not only gives me — an individual — a scheduled time to practice where a certain amount of accountability and structure is inherent, it also continually acts as a center of learning, introduces new ideas and a growing number of awesome, unique individuals that unite in practice.  

I recently sat down with Lisa Cutts, the founder, owner and visionary of Yoga Pod Tucson, and the heart-felt cadence of our conversation illuminated the intentional magic behind the logo at Yoga Pod Tucson. So, what does it mean? 

Each individual dot represents the individual or groups of people — whether that be a group of beginners, experts, ethnicities, beliefs, lineages, preferences, etc. In total, there are 9 dots, and in numerology, the study of numbers and their energetic influence on our lives, the number 9 represents universal love and compassion. It’s a love that extends beyond the ordinary; it transcends personal boundaries, identities, and conditions. 

“Yoga is not meant . . . for any one culture . . . it is meant as a universal path, a way open to all regardless of their birth and background. [The Patañjali Yoga Sutras] used the expression sārva-bhaumā — universal. When you and I meet together, we forget ourselves — our cultures and classes. There are no divisions, and we talk mind to mind, soul to soul. We are no different in our deepest needs. We are all human.” [B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Life, XV]

Through the lens of the 9 dots — that uniquely represent our uniqueness, I’ve come to realize that it’s in the Pod, the Yoga Pod Tucson — where the binary theme of Individual vs Collective or the One vs the Many simply subside together.   

Here through community, our individual self-practice continually communes with the group collective in order to inspire, uplift and motivate all to keep up and continue the inward dive. The more people, the more our individual differences balance out. The more people, the more harmony manifests. The more people, the more we connect in our humanness and aspire just to be who we are. Because at least in our podFamily, we are all One in the Many and look to share the jubilations and trials of life — through the power of 9, universal love and compassion.