The Genesis of Yogoda ③

Today, I would like to share the profound origin behind our company name, "Yogoda," which I briefly touched upon at the end of my previous post.

An Encounter at a Waterfront Bookstore in Fort Kochi

On our Indian pilgrimage, the sacred coordinate where we first encountered Niraamaya’s yoga mats was an area called Fort Kochi in Kerala. Having once flourished as a vital trading hub, this coastal town exudes a highly unique atmosphere, where historic, European-style architecture beautifully coalesces with the raw, vibrant energy of India.

The temperature hovered around 30°C (86°F). The humid sea breeze, characteristic of a port town, comfortably brushed against our skin as we wandered. The roads were only half-paved, and as we walked for about fifteen minutes through a quiet avenue lined with unassuming shops, we would occasionally cross paths with a herd of goats. It was a rustic landscape that made me realize, with a deep sense of presence, "I am truly in India right now."

After purchasing our mats at the local Niraamaya boutique, we continued exploring the town and chanced upon a small bookstore. In a corner filled with foreign literature stood a shelf packed with specialized texts on Yoga—treasures rarely, if ever, seen in Japan. It felt like a repository of immense wisdom. As I wondered who these books were waiting for, a particular volume suddenly leapt into my field of vision: a book by Swami Vivekananda, the youth revered across India as a realized saint.

I place immense value on these sudden flashes of intuition—the visceral, quiet whisper from the depths of the being that says, "I need this." Lifting the heavy volume, I discovered it contained the timeless wisdom of organizing Yoga into four distinct pathways:

• Karma Yoga: The path of selfless action and service for the world, remaining entirely detached from the fruits of one's labor.

• Bhakti Yoga: The path of living in total devotion, prayer, and unconditional love for all creation.

• Raja Yoga: The path of inner truth achieved through the ultimate control and concentration of the mind.

• Jnana Yoga: The path of sharp intellect and discernment, distinguishing the Real from the unreal.

"Whichever path one chooses, it ultimately leads to the profound abyss of the exact same Truth." Deeply captivated by these words, I excitedly slipped the book into my bag, eager to immerse myself in its pages once we reached the ashram.

From a Dialogue with a Salvadoran Girl to "A Single Autobiography"

As our month-long sanctuary life at the Sivananda Ashram commenced, I began parsing through that thick, English volume day by day. The ashram was a beautiful crucible where souls from all over the world gathered, constantly flowing in and out, yet always deepening their collective evolutionary journey.

One afternoon, as I sat reading in the dining hall, a young woman from El Salvador approached me, her eyes shining with pure curiosity. "What are you reading? Let me see!" she insisted. Having shared the same stay, she was someone I frequently discussed yoga with—a highly driven soul who actively raised profound inquiries during Swamiji's daily discourses. She flipped through my Vivekananda book for a few minutes, set it down gently, and looked at me.

"This book is magnificent; it’s like a perfect textbook explaining the logic of Yoga," she said. "But I know a book that you will love even more. It is not just about the knowledge of Yoga, but an autobiography of someone who actually lived it. A rare record of a master who embodied through his very life the exact knowledge you are reading right now. It’s Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda!"

The sheer magnitude of how deeply that book had altered her was conveyed entirely through the radiant light in her eyes. Though I could not acquire a copy during our stay, the title remained etched in my consciousness. The moment we returned to Japan, I immediately tracked it down and ordered it.

Awakening the Word: "Yogoda"

The moment my copy of Autobiography of a Yogi arrived and I opened its pages, I was instantly pulled into an extraordinary dimension. Having just lived through the raw reality of India myself, the landscapes described in the text materialized before my mind’s eye with absolute, crystalline clarity. It was a massive volume, yet I carried it with me everywhere like a sacred talisman, completely losing track of time as I dissolved into Yogananda’s journey. To experience a reading that shakes the very foundations of your soul to this extent was something entirely unprecedented for me.

Yogananda’s life is a seamless tapestry of continuous miracles. It quietly, yet undeniably, forces you to realize that an immense, invisible intelligence is actively operating within this universe. As one of the pioneering masters who brought Yoga to the West, his words allowed me to touch the absolute headwaters of the massive spiritual wave that spans from the late 19th century into our modern era—an experience of profound, epic grandeur.

And then, as I approached the final chapters of the book, it happened. The text revealed the name of the institution he had founded in India: "Yogoda Satsanga Society."

In that split second, my eyes locked onto the page. The word—Yogoda. My family name is "Yogo." It is an exceedingly rare surname in Japan; outside of my immediate relatives, I have never encountered another soul who bears it. And there it was—a fragment of my own name, my own lineage, suddenly manifesting within the very book that was profoundly transforming my life.

Driven by an intense pull, I immediately looked up its etymology. In Sanskrit:

• "Yoga" (Yogo): Union, Harmony, and Absolute Stability.

• "Da": To impart, to bestow, and to transmit.

The realization thundered through my consciousness: "Yogoda = The One Who Imparts Harmony." It might sound like a completely self-serving interpretation, and yes, it reads almost like a cosmic pun on my own name," I chuckled to myself, yet the impact was nothing short of a massive spiritual lightning bolt. It felt as though the universe itself had looked straight at me through the pages and commanded: "You are the one meant to embody this!"

This exact flash of higher inspiration is the ultimate genesis of our company name. By delivering Niraamaya’s yoga mats, we aim to empower those who use them to anchor "harmony and absolute stability" within their lives. And further into the horizon, the sanctuary we manifest will serve as a sacred container—a "space to share and impart harmony"—where souls can effortlessly return to their true selves. It truly felt as though Yogananda himself, the protagonist of this grand epic, had placed his hand upon our shoulders and whispered: "Take this profound awakening, and forge it into physical reality."

At the hour of our inception, we possessed absolutely no knowledge of how to construct a corporation, nor did we know the practical mechanics of how to "impart harmony" to the world. Yet, holding nothing but an unshakeable, transparent conviction that this must be done, my wife and I stepped forward and established Yogoda LLC.

We are still walking the path, in the very midst of fully transforming this high ideal into grounded reality. Yet, our gaze is locked with absolute clarity on our North Star: to exist as a vessel that bestows harmony upon this world.

We would be deeply honored to have you walk alongside us, witnessing how this grand vision unfolds into reality. Moving forward, I look forward to sharing more specific, lived experiences from India and unfolding the future ventures of Yogoda with a light, joyful heart.

Thank you from the depths of my being for joining us on this journey.