Hello, I am Elif.

Sometimes I pause and think about how strange the flow of life is. For years, I defined myself through movement, speed, and that endless state of "making things happen." The energy of that little girl who climbed trees and ran constantly never really faded within me. Yet, within that rushing flood of energy, my body was a faint whisper. It was something I ignored, constantly postponed, a vehicle whose job was to carry me from point A to point B. Listening to my body? There was no space for such an item even on the very last page of my agenda.

What you are about to read is much more than the founding story of a studio or a method. This is the labor pain of a woman taking those first shy steps to decode her own body’s language, an enlightenment emerging from the shadow of chronic pain, and finally, the birth of the holistic philosophy we call "Yosomind." Perhaps these lines are an invitation to your own moment of genuine introduction to your body.

Chasing Adrenaline: My "Distant" Stance on Yoga

Those who know me well know that anything fast, challenging, and with peak energy was my playground. Displays of strength, the burning sensation in the muscles, being out of breath... That was sports to me. So, can you imagine the red warning light that went off in my mind when "yoga" was mentioned? Slowness, stillness, standing on the mat... The "me" of that time looked at the patience of yoga practitioners and their silence as if I were seeing an alien.

Then came that inevitable moment. A cancelled spinning class and a sweet twist of fate found me in the middle of a yoga class. The cynical voice inside me immediately kicked in, of course: "Elif, as soon as this meditation part is over, we slip away quietly, okay?" Yet, when the class ended, the weight on my shoulders felt as if it had been lifted by an invisible magnet. The movements were simple, yet there was an awakening deep within my muscles that I had never felt before. My mind had parked in such a serene harbor for the first time in years.

The strange thing is, even though I was so affected, I returned to my comfortable and familiar exhausting routine. Resisting change is sometimes the easiest path. Humans can prefer the fatigue they know over the serenity they do not.

My Body Turned into a Scream: "Hear Me Now!"

However, my body did not give up so easily. Pregnancies, the endless hustle of business life, the effort to play the "super mom" role perfectly... Then, that chronic pain in my lower back took the stage. This was beyond a passing ache; it had settled right in the center of my life, an obstacle that stopped me. The experts I visited and the methods I tried offered solutions only up to a point. My body was persistently trying to tell me a story, while I was stubbornly asking for the name of the medicine.

The real spark that started the transformation struck with this question from a chiropractor: "You must connect with your body. What is it telling you right now?"

This question was like a sweet but firm wind hitting my face. In that moment, I understood; the issue was not in my muscles or bones, but in the thick walls my mind had built against my body. I returned to the yoga mat this time as a guide for "connecting and understanding," rather than a tool for "stretching."

And then I met Fascia. That magnificent web that holds all the tension, emotional burdens, everything we cannot hold or express... When I started working with a focus on fascia, my body breathed both physically and emotionally. Those rigid walls melted away. I was freeing myself from pain and building a sincere friendship with my body.

Yosomind: An Intersection, A Life Philosophy

The distilled form of this entire journey crystallized in my mind one day as "Yosomind." These three syllables are the summary of my life philosophy:

• Yo: Higher state of consciousness... The spiritual depth that begins with Yoga and that endless feeling of the Journey (Yolculuk).

• So: Somatic Body. The center of internal experience, moving by feeling—the delicate contact between the body and consciousness.

• Mind: Clear Mind. The mind that watches, listens, and learns with awareness and without judgment.

Nothing Was a Coincidence

Looking back now, I see much more clearly how the pieces fell into place. In my photography career, I had actually always been interested in the silent but powerful language of the body. The deep gazes in portraits, those fluid moments in motion... In every frame, I was trying to capture the pure power and untold story of the body. So, the body had always been at my center, even when I wasn't aware of it.

I understand now that nothing in life was a coincidence. Every experience I lived, every moment I witnessed from behind the viewfinder, was calling me step by step to this point; to my own body, to "home." The bodily wisdom I tried to capture with my lens that day, I now carry to the healing power of movement with Yosomind’s somatic-based original methods.

Yosomind opens space for anyone who wants to transform their body from a tool into a source of wisdom. This is where speed and force end, and compassion, gentleness, and deep transformation begin.

If you are ready to build a sincere, perhaps a little humorous, but definitely strong bond with your own body again, there is a place reserved for you at Yosomind.

Come, let's take that first step together.

With love,

Elif GOKCE