Meaning of my Logo & Business Name
Being the sole proprietor of a business for over 23 years, when I look at a logo for another business, I know that there was likely many hours and days (if not months!) spent contemplating what would accurately represent a business’s intent, mission and values. At least I know that is what was involved in the creation of my own logo and choosing a business name. So if it’s of interest to you, please read on!
Why Widespread WellBeing?
Let’s start here with the name.
WELLBEING: I oscillated between the words “Wellness” and “WellBeing” for quite some time. I tried them on so to speak, explored what each word meant to me, how it felt in my body, mind and heart before I chose WellBeing. For me, wellness seems to be a particular state, static, unmoving, a “destination” so to speak and one that many people seem to be constantly chasing but rarely attaining. On the other hand, WellBeing is a process, rather than a state. It is dynamic, fluid, always changing and evolving with us and AS US. In short, it is a journey and therefore allows us to explore, enjoy and evolve from it’s many iterations rather than being caught up on “arriving” somewhere. In this way, WellBeing is not unlike a great adventure one might take to a new country where we can appreciate all the facets of the voyage: daydreaming, planning, pondering, investing, exploring, surprises, disappointments and delights alike! The journey of WellBeing isn’t always easy or pain free, but it’s treasures are worthy of every step.
WIDESPREAD: This word has deep meaning for me. Those of you who know me well, know my deep love of and essential need for live music. Just to see or hear the word “Widespread” sends a note ringing through me that vibrates my soul with pure joy and love. I’ve been following the band Widespread Panic for nearly 25 years and the experiences and community of this band have been transformative to who I am in this life. So, there’s that. But also, I’ve come to understand in this life that WellBeing is not a solo expedition, nor is it singularly experienced. We live in relationship. Relationship to ourselves, to eachother, to the planet, to spirit, however we choose to name that. When we tend to our own WellBeing, we are tending to the WellBeing of everyone and everything around us. Our consumerist world would have us think we are separate. Separate from each other, from animals, from the earth. We are not. Mystics have been saying it for centuries and science now demonstrates that we (human, plant, animal, earth, universe) are unequivocally interrelated. How we show up in the world AFFECTS the world. So Widespread WellBeing is a statement encouraging us to tend to our own individual care so that we can step out into the world and into community with more grace, skill, care, generosity, joy, and equanimity which contributes to the greater WellBeing of all. As I see it, this is our greatest task in life.
THE LOGO
Having said everything above, the logo I chose is representative of those concepts as well as the way in which I have evolved my work. My entry into intentional WellBeing in my own life was through the body with Iyengar Yoga. That quickly became a journey into my heart and spirit and shortly thereafter, upon discovering Jack Kornfield and beginning a practice in Vipassana/Mindfulness meditation, I became fascinated with the mind. Over time, the realization that body-mind-heart/spirit are not separate at all but rather deeply connected, my personal practice as well as my work became an exploration in integration of these “parts”. Most people relate to their body, their mind, and their heart/spirit/values as separate entities and in so doing, fail to realize the profound effect each has on the other. My hope with my work (and my own personal journey in life) is to help myself and others continually explore and awaken to the profound healing power of understanding the nature of body/mind/heart and integrating these disconnections to facilitate a greater sense of wholeness. The word “Whole” comes from the old english word “Hael” which means “heal” or “to heal”. When we truly understand that we are already whole, not separate or broken, then deep healing can occur. And we each are responsible for our own healing in this life. I only hope to be a guide and facilitator to optimize that opportunity for each person I work with. So, the figure within the circle of my logo represents this…an unbroken line of connection between the body, the mind, and the heart (representing to me both spirit and values).
THE CIRCLE
The circle which encapsulates the figure in my logo is called an Enso Circle. What is an Enso?
An Enso (circle) is a symbol common to the Zen school of Buddhism as well as a popular subject in Japanese Calligraphy.
“In Zen Buddhism an Enso circle is hand-drawn in one or two uninhibited brushstrokes to express a moment when the mind is free to let 
the body create.” – Wikipedia.
Enso can represent a myriad of things, two common ones being Enlightenment and Infinity but there are an expanse of other meanings. The following is a lovely excerpt from the Modern Zen website.
“A text from the sixth century named the Shinhinmei refers to the way of Zen as a circle of vast space, lacking nothing and holding nothing in excess. At first glance the ancient ensō symbol appears to be nothing more than a miss-shaped circle but its symbolism refers to the beginning and end of all things, the circle of life and the connectedness of existence. It can symbolize emptiness or fullness, presence or absence. All things might be contained within, or, conversely, excluded by its boundaries. It can symbolize infinity, the “no-thing”, the perfect meditative state, and Satori or enlightenment. It can even symbolize the moon, which is itself a symbol of enlightenment—as in the Zen saying, “Do not mistake the finger pointing at the moon for the moon itself.” (In other words, do not mistake doctrines, teachings or explanations, which are intended to guide one toward freedom, for freedom itself.)
The circle is also representative of continuity, non-linear movement and returning to the beginning again and again. 
“Abandon the idea that there is a one size fits all path that ends at some specific point, place or time. When you believe that you have arrived at some final destination on your path, ensō reminds you to start again exactly at the point where you are now and to embrace and enjoy your unique experiences on life’s journey.” (Modern Zen website)
Another favorite quote by T.S Eliot that imparts this meaning for me:
“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”
I LOVE that! To me, this is the beauty my own personal journey and the work I do. EVERY person I work with is unique as is their path, as are their needs, desires, passions, sorrows, joys, and ways of expression. And I’m given the amazing and challenging opportunity to learn how to work with that uniqueness, how to facilitate an opportunity for that person to tap into the connection I spoke of earlier; Body to Mind and Spirit. What a Gift is that opportunity!
And last but definitely not least, the circle represents Community & Connection.
Again, we do not live in isolation. We are all deeply interconnected, even from across the planet. Without community, our WellBeing does NOT thrive. Without each other, every single persons contribution to this life, we would cease to exist eventually. We need each other, just as we are. And we need each person to continue showing up as best they can, working toward our own WellBeing in order to contribute to the Collective WellBeing. Community has been essential for me and I’ve been grateful to have found it in different ways in several places….my Widespread Panic Family, my yoga community, my meditation sanghas, my own biological family, my colleagues, my circle of friends. And, I continue to reach out beyond those more immediate circles in hopes of deepening connection & expanding my hearts capacity.
“The problem with the world is that we draw the circle of our ‘family’ too small.”
~ Mother Teresa
“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and whole of nature in it’s beauty.”
~ Albert Einstein
Widespread Panic show. Huntsville, AL, with my love.
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To your and our WellBeing. With so much Love,
Lauri Glenn & Widespread WellBeing. LMT/RYT500/CMT-P