Greetings! My name is Meridith Siviglia and I am the Director of The Yellow Room. I believe that The Yellow Room is a space for EVERY BODY. A space where people can come to find community and healing. A space that respects the individual and the collective. A space that greets people with a warm welcome regardless of whether or not they have moved their body in years or yesterday. A space where the holistic and scientific model join forces. A space where your ability to pay is not a prerequisite for rest, joy, recovery and healing.

Before writing this I spent some time thinking about my voice as a representative of The Yellow Room. So with an honest, open, compassionate heart that is in alignment with our mission I am going to share with you why I’m here. I will list a few of my qualifications below and while I could list all of the details of my background; the jobs, awards, agendas and things that qualify me for this role I think that is a distraction from the focus of my role. While I also can’t deny that the things I’ve done, learned and accomplished have afforded me the qualifications for this position, they are not what I believe to be the very critical question for this role. That question is this; Am I in alignment with the mission of this organization? In my opinion, that should always be the question, because that is where the energetic center of motive, intent and decision making come from. My voice, truth and passions are what landed me here so I’m going to lead with that intention. 

I moved to the area in May of 2021 after a big life change. I started taking yoga classes at The Yellow Room before it was founded and immediately felt connected. I was a yoga student, new in town and looking for a community. I started to rebuild my life and showed up weekly to reconnect with my body. As the formation of The Yellow Room was in the ethers, I went on the journey of becoming a yoga teacher and eventually picked up teaching a class. I currently teach Gentle Yoga & Yoga for 12 Step Recovery. As the momentum of the nonprofit started to make way I was asked to attend a meeting to become a board member to which I said yes! As this newly formed startup non-profit was underway, we went through many changes as an organization and then I was asked to take this role. It all happened very organically and there was a lot of flow to it, which I have come to realize is the easier, softer way to our callings in life. 

I grew up in the NYC area and spent my formative years in a ballet studio…for many hours, many days a week and it is a core part of who I still am. Movement and music were embedded in my soul and the intensity of a career that forced me to push my body past its limits on a daily basis eventually led me to leave it. It is also what eventually led me to the yoga mat where I reclaimed myself. I have a degree in Psychology from New York University, am a yoga teacher, herbalism student, reiki practitioner and retired florist. I was a florist for twelve years and owned a shop in Seattle for five. Flowers are forever in my heart and dance in my soul.

I would like to end with this. I do not want to be THE ONE and I do not believe in leadership that is of ONE person. I have been that person before and the biggest lesson I learned is that it doesn’t allow for other people to have a voice and be seen. Real change, progress and sustainable foundations are created within a community. ​​I will carry the mission of The Yellow Room forward, I will hold the passion and hearts of those that founded it with tender care, I will care for the community around it by building a strong foundation that will allow us to sustain, I will be open to feedback, I will remember that I am not THE ONE and I will bring my strong held belief that love is the journey home to our hearts. We all deserve a homecoming.

Ciao for now,

Meridith