By any other name would smell as sweet;
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, 1594
Having spent the last 20 days travelling and doing Sadhana (spiritual practices) I am quite grateful to be home. Also grateful for all the lessons I learned in those 20 days as well as the new name that I will be known by: Parvati.
It is funny, some have asked why do you want to change your name...why is it important to you? Are you nuts? Whats the big deal? Can I still call you Trisha/Trish? Well, In fumbling through these answers I have found space to think about what is important to me about my new name and why I chose to take on a new name. Yes I will still answer to Trisha but would prefer not ever to be called Trish....it is a long story--boring too.
After I finished Level 1 of yoga teacher training I knew there was no turning back and I also knew that I began to feel very different. Some people noticed and others didn't. I remember once my Grandmother looked at me and said who are you and what happened to Trisha. Your face is softer, you speak differently, what is going on...
Well, as I continued my journey and yoga training I began to know I desperately wanted a new name. At first I was going to name myself Shanti (Peace). Then that was shattered when I met a woman named Shanti who was far from peaceful.
I watched the movie The Namesake and was awe struck by the simplicity and depth of the character Ashima. I loved that the name meant limitless and identified this idea with the limitless possibilities I was finding in myself as a result of my dedication to my spiritual practice. Then somehow I realized I could not pick a name for myself that my spiritual teacher would have to pick the name for me.
After graduating from Yoga Teacher Training and taking the journey to Los Angeles I really felt it was time to again seek out a name for myself, but something held me back. Recently my teacher from Master Yoga became a Swami. Rama became Swami Nirmalanada Saraswati and began giving names to people in the Master Yoga organization and Svaroopa Yoga teachers.
Everything clicked for me in the moment that I learned that Swami-ji could give names. We were walking together at a conference in Los Angeles and she was offering me support in regards to my life situation. I told her I was excited to hear she was able to give names and she said she had been able to for awhile it was just now that she was making it public. At that moment it was like the last wall between me and a new name faded and I was overjoyed!
In April, while assisting Swami-ji at Foundations at Mt. Madonna, I asked her if she would give me a name. She said she needed some time and I said that I would see her in June at Vichara Training. A week before Vichara Training I wrote her an email to remind her of my desire to have a new name and she said, "oh, yes I have been ready for you for a while." I danced all around the house in joy and wondered what could it be....
There had been some interesting moments in the weeks since I had asked her for a name. All the sudden I was drawn to stories about Parvati and when chanting the name I was filled with the deepest sense of love. So, when I was sitting with Swami-ji and she said Parvati I was delighted...I think I said...I knew it! She reminded me that Parvati is the igniter.
While at Amma's public programs in LA, an Indian friend said...that is almost like being called Shakti...wow...who knew! I have since learned that Parvati is the daughter of the mountains...which is very fitting and that she is the representation of love. Wow, each day my new name is like a present waiting to be opened layer upon layer just like the yoga opens our bodies.
I agree with Juliet. As I find myself still the same sweet person but some how new and shinny all at the same time. Swami-ji put it well when she talked about getting a new name. She said it gave her something to see herself as and something to strive too as well.
Having a name like Parvati reminds me I am a goddess...even when I forget. I just smile and whisper my name to myself and instantly I feel different. I said to someone today. My new name is an outward respresentation of my inward journey something that is not easily explained in words. But this new name Parvati captures it all in one word. So instead of reading volumes of my journal you can understand the transformation by embracing this new name...
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