Hi, My name Is Jessica. Nice to meet you (again)

A strange thing has happened since my pilgrimage to Chartres Cathedral in France: the name Jess just doesn’t fit anymore. Since you likely know me as Jess, or Jess G, I thought I’d tell the origin story of that name and give a little glimpse into what’s happening now. (My mom is going to love this.)

Twenty years ago I got my first yoga teaching job at a big, beautiful studio here in Austin called Yoga Yoga. Mehtab was the beloved owner, along with his wife and a business partner, and he was the one who hired me. But before I signed the dotted line, there was one more thing, and I remember his words so clearly: 

“We already have a Jessica M on the schedule. Can you be Jess G?”

Yep! Sure! Sounds good!  And just like that, Jess G became my teaching name. And for fifteen years I taught at Yoga Yoga, my classes grew, and people came to really know me as Jess, or Jess G. My coworkers, friends, people at church and at the grocery store all called me Jess. The name spread out into all parts of my life until I found myself introducing myself to non-yoga peeps as Jess, which isn't really my name.

And ever since Chartres, I can’t sign my name or refer to myself as Jess anymore. It just won't work.

Chartres was a big deal, and you’ll hear more about it in future blogs, but I think this name reclaim has been coming for some time. It’s been five years since I left Yoga Yoga, and the need for me to shorten my name just isn’t there anymore. Jess G Yoga is still the name of my business, but there's more I want to do, and Jessica just reflects the WHOLE me. That trip filled in some gaps for me, and apparently I need all seven letters to hold it all together. Plus, there’s seven chakras, just sayin’ ;) 

The response by the few I’ve told has been profoundly positive. I know it probably doesn’t sound like a big deal, and it isn’t, but it really is. To all of you who have changed your name, reclaimed your name, adopted a name, or let your name evolve, I see you now. I get it. 

So what will this look like? Little changes slowly. If you call me Jess, I’ll still answer! I have people in my life who have known me from my youth and call me Jess, and that’s totally fine! This is more of an “inside job” than a public proclamation. I’d appreciate the update, but I’m not planting a flag on it. I’d rather be called Jess than not called at all. 💙

So now I ask you, is there something you’ve been thinking about reclaiming? Have you been on a journey and it’s time for an upgrade somehow? I even went through my closet, and now anything that felt more Jess than Jessica is bagged up and ready for Goodwill. It feels amazing. 

We are also one week from the next Mercury retrograde, which is the perfect time for all things re-...

Reclaim. Remember. Redo. Re Engage. Revisit. Revamp. Return.

Perhaps returning to Jessica is my way of returning to my light! How can you return to yours this season? We will explore this, and much more, at Return to Your Light: A Women’s Yoga Retreat at The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Friday, December 13, 9:30-2:30pm. Your light is so bright! Let’s remember that together. 

May your name reflect the fullness of who you are, and may you claim your whole self, today and everyday.

Much love,

Jessica