Behind the Name

What is Inara? And why the name?

I spent months trying to find the right name. I had an Excel sheet full of ideas — some deep, some poetic. ‘Sirius’ (the brightest star in the night sky) and ‘Shifa’ (healing in Arabic) were strong contenders, but none of them truly landed.

I was thinking too logically, searching through synonyms and meanings like it was a branding exercise. But I knew this wasn’t just a name — it had to reflect the purpose behind everything I was building. There was a moment I realised I was overthinking it — when really, the answer needed surrender, not strategy.

There’s a prescribed solution for times like this: just DUA it. So that night, I prayed Salah, set an intention, and trusted my Creator to guide me. I didn’t know how or when, but I knew the answer would come.

That night, as I closed my eyes, a movie poster flashed clearly in my mind — Serenity. Random?

At first, I thought so. But something nudged me to dig deeper. Reading about the film, one of the characters stood out: Inara. I looked up the meaning. Ray of light. Illuminating. Heaven-sent. That was it. I felt it instantly.

The name held something sacred — soft but strong, grounded yet divine. It felt like a clear response to my prayer.

Later, I found out Inara is also a goddess in Hittite-Hurrian mythology — a protector of the wild, deeply connected to nature and balance. She embodied everything I wanted this brand to represent: healing, guidance, wisdom, and alignment with the natural world.