Naming of SayLa Yoga: Sayla is the imperfect of Selah

One meaning of Selah is to 'pause and calmly think on that.' It appears a few times in the Bible, but it was first introduced to me by Dr. Mark Batterson in a sermon. The essence of his message—and the word Selah—has stayed with me ever since.

I was raised going to church almost on autopilot, as my maternal family has deep genealogical ties to William Brewster, a religious leader on the Mayflower. It wasn’t until junior high that I chose to attend on my own, and it was during this time that I discovered a sense of community outside of work, school, friends, and family.

Living on Capitol Hill in my twenties, far from my California roots, I began to notice that I felt most balanced when I made time for both church and yoga each week.

It wasn’t until my Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) that I truly understood the 'why' behind this sense of balance—the ritual, the community, the release of burdens, the breathwork, the meditation, and the purpose in each practice.

This 'why' is the foundation of what I now wish to share through yoga: the opportunity to unknowingly discover the 'yoking'—the balance—between mind and body, and the lasting calm or 'SayLa.' This is the heart of why I created SayLa Yoga: an intentional space for others to pause in their lives and be fully present.

The name "SayLa" is a purposeful misspelling of Selah, symbolizing that we are all imperfectly perfect. Practicing yoga invites us to embrace our imperfections—both in ourselves and in others. It challenges us to pause, breathe, and move forward to be the change we want to see, starting with ourselves.