Why Unity Street?
Unity Street Yoga exists to promote unity: unity within ourselves and with each other.
The word ‘yoga’ can be translated as ‘union’: ultimately, yoga is about unity; the union of body, mind, and spirit; the union of our individual consciousness with the universal consciousness as a whole.
Yoga helps to calm and focus our minds, allowing us to experience a pure awareness often obscured by our thoughts. This pure awareness is akin to the blue sky behind the clouds. Experiencing pure awareness liberates us from our sense of separateness; we feel ourselves as integral parts of existence, as One with the universe, existing in unity.
In addition to fostering union within individuals, yoga can also facilitate union between individuals. As social beings, we have an inherent need to be together, to understand, and to support one another in order to survive and thrive. It is incredibly important for our well-being to be in the company of others, in calm, open, and supportive environments.
Unity Street Yoga aims to provide these spaces where we can come together, both in-person and online: peaceful environments where we can nurture curiosity and explore who we are and our place within the whole; spaces where we feel connected to ourselves, to others, and to our environment.
But why Unity Street?
Number 16 Unity Street in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, holds a very special place in my heart. It was the last home of my dear friend, Maddy Smith. We sadly lost Maddy in 2023, but her wholehearted spirit lives on in those who loved her.
Maddy was dedicated to living authentically with honesty and love, in deep connection with others. She was refreshingly open, upfront, and honest in a way that allowed me to be those things too. Incredibly sensitive, kind, caring, interested, deep, humble, and funny, she spoke straight from her heart. She was REAL.
I did not know Maddy for very long, but meeting her and losing her truly changed my life. It’s not about the number of minutes you spend together, but rather the moments of true soul-to-soul connection you share. From the moment of our meeting, such experiences flowed between us with ease. We jumped straight into the depths of each other’s hearts. The impression she left on me is indelible. I still speak to her every day.
Her house on Unity Street was much more than just a house; it was a portal through which I was transported to a place of deep empathy and understanding. My friendship with Maddy, along with the time I spent at Unity Street, stirred within me the desire to direct the practice of yoga towards bringing people together in meaningful ways. So it seemed natural to me that a yoga hub dedicated to unity should be named after the home of my dear friend who inspired it.
The Unity Street Yoga Manifesto:
1. To make the practice of yoga accessible to everyone.
2. To maintain the authenticity of the ancient practice of yoga, while ensuring it is relevant to modern Western living and to every individual.
3. To offer supportive spaces and environments for self-exploration where awareness of body, mind, and spirit can deepen naturally.
4. To encourage individuals to trust in their innate strength, intuition and ability to care for themselves. To foster reflexive resilience.
5. To initiate positive incremental change by cultivating deep and rich connections with each other and our environment.