Day 31: About the Alexandra Rebrand
Self Discovery Through Yoga, Dharma and Intuition
When I was born, my parents called me Alexandra. In my earliest memories, that is how I was called. Yet, at some point, my name was shortened. The first time I recall someone calling me "Alex" was in school at age four. My teacher read "Alex" from the attendance sheet, and I protested, saying, "Alex is a boy’s name. My name is Alexandra."
She explained that there wasn’t enough space on the list to fit my full name, but she reassured me they would remember to call me Alexandra. That moment, small as it seemed, was a turning point. From then on, everyone called me Alex.
It felt like my full name—Alexandra—was taking up too much space.
Over time, "Alex" became my identity. The only exception was when I worked at a school in Abu Dhabi where teachers were addressed by their first names. The children called me Ms. Alexandra, but the adults still called me Alex.
The First Thought of Change
In March 2024, I attended a retreat with my teacher Tommy Rosen. One day, as we spoke about names, I asked him whether "Rosen" was short for "Rosenberg" (because I’d never met a Rosen before but met lots of Rosenbergs in Canada growing up!) He said no, but then he turned the question back to me and asked about my name. I told him my name was Alexandra, but Alex is what I go by.
For years, my Instagram handle had been "Alex McRobs," a name born from the necessity of keeping my students from finding me online when I first became a teacher in 2015. Over time, that name became my brand, my identity. People even called me "McRobs."
Tommy paused and said, "I don’t think you should be Alex. I think you should be Alexandra."
His words planted a seed in my mind. I had never really thought about it before, and I had always felt that "Alexandra McRobert" was too long, too much, too many syllables. I had internalized the idea that taking up less space was somehow better.
The Second Seed Planted
In December 2024, I attended another retreat with my teacher Rolf. From the first day, he called me Alexandra. I knew I had introduced myself as Alex when I first met him in 2019. So I asked if there was a reason that he called me Alexandra now. He simply replied that he had always read my name that way in emails and Zoom calls.
But the seed Tommy planted had already begun to take root.
That same month, while teaching a yoga class, I found myself speaking about how much of my life had been shaped by listening to external voices rather than trusting my own intuition. I spoke about Purusha and Prakriti—the eternal and the ever-changing.
Purusha is the unchanging soul. Prakriti is everything else: our jobs, clothes, bodies, and even the names we are given or take on.
Some scholars say yoga means "to join," while others argue it means "to un-join." In this sense, yoga is the process of unbinding ourselves from Prakriti—this ever-changing world—and returning to Purusha, our unchanging true nature.
Sutra 2.17 of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras states: "The cause of suffering is the identification of the seer with the seen."
When we mistake our outer identity—our names, our roles, our status—for who we truly are, we experience suffering. The practice of yoga, whether through asana, meditation, or deep self-inquiry, helps us remember who we are beyond all external labels.
Honoring My Inner Child
As I reflected on my name, I realized that my intuition was guiding me back to Alexandra—the name my inner child knew before the world shaped me otherwise.
My friend Becki came to stay with me at the very start of January for a few days, and I told her about my thoughts on returning to Alexandra. A few hours later, she accidentally called me Alex. She immediately caught herself and said, "You know, when I called you Alex just now, it didn’t feel right. It feels right to call you Alexandra."
These moments, these synchronicities, kept surfacing, reinforcing what my intuition had already been whispering.
A Name Rooted in Dharma
Rolf later told me, "The name Alexandra reminds me of the Library of Alexandria." Tommy also said to me that Alexandra reminds him of Egypt, and mentioned the place Alexandria in Egypt.
I looked it up and discovered that the Library of Alexandria was one of the most renowned centers of knowledge in history, a place where wisdom from diverse traditions—Greek philosophy, Indian scriptures, Egyptian and Persian texts—was collected and studied. It was a hub of learning, transformation, and intellectual pursuit. It mysteriously got destroyed, and historians debate how it got destroyed - whether it was part of Julius Caesar’s fire in 48 BCE, whether it fell victim to another attack, or whether the funding declined under Roman rule. However it’s legacy lives on and the Bibliotecha Alexandria was built in 2002 in Egypt to honor this story. It’s the largest library in Egypt.
I talked to both Tommy and Rolf about the connection I feel to the Arab World. I spent seven years in the Middle East in my early twenties, and I feel connected to the familial bonds as part of the culture, exposure to the Arabic language, and the exposure to the spiritual sides of Islam: the Call to Prayer, and sacred spaces like Mosques. I write about how interested I was in Egypt as a child in my book Sober Yoga Girl - so it’s interesting that they both brought this up. Egypt was also the first country I travelled to in the Middle East (aside from Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates).
I found deep resonance in this. My work in yoga, sobriety, and philosophy is about gathering wisdom, sharing it, and guiding others toward transformation.
Beyond this historical connection, Alexandra carries deeper symbolic meaning:
Defender of Men: The Greek root of Alexandra means "protector" or "defender of mankind," aligning with my dharma as a guide for women seeking healing through yoga and sobriety.
Dharma and Leadership: Like Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita, who hesitated before embracing his true path, I, too, resisted stepping fully into my name. But dharma calls us forward, whether we feel ready or not.
Resilience and Liberation: Alexandra’s root name, Andromeda, comes from a mythological figure who was bound in chains and later freed. This mirrors the yogic journey—liberation from illusion, attachments, and limiting beliefs.
Feminine Grace and Bhakti: Tommy mentioned that "Alex" carried a rajasic, masculine energy. This connects with how I behaved in the last five years: I was living a high-stress, action-driven lifestyle. "Alexandra" feels softer, more feminine—aligned with the next five years of my life and my deepening Bhakti yoga practice, which emphasizes surrender, devotion, and grace. (Here’s a new Bhakti Chant I learned this week, by the way!)
Claiming My Full Self
The decision to reclaim my full name is more than a rebrand. It is an act of trust, a surrender to my dharma, and a reflection of my spiritual evolution.
As I move into this new chapter, I embrace Alexandra—not just as a name but as an embodiment of my truth. In yoga, we shed layers to uncover the self that has always been there. I am not becoming Alexandra; I am returning to her.
Om Tat Sat.
("The Absolute Truth is Om. That Supreme Reality exists."
In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna explains that Om Tat Sat is used to dedicate all actions to the divine, ensuring they are performed selflessly and with purity. It is a reminder that everything originates from and returns to the highest truth.)
Bahasa Indonesia Phrase of the Day:
"Nama saya Alexandra." (My name is Alexandra.)
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