Gina Dominique’s title of the series, "The Studio: Real principles summing up eight limbs of ashtanga yoga and twenty years of my artistic and moral life", references Gustave Courbet’s 19th century Realist manifesto masterpiece, "The Painter's Studio: A real allegory determining seven years of my artistic and moral life". In style Dominique nods to Robert Indiana’s late 20th century Pop Art works. Collectively within the paintings text, Dominique cites 'eight limbs of yoga' as described in chapter 2 sutras 28–55, and chapter 3 sutras 3 and 54 of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. In them Pantanjali states that yoga consists of a set of prescriptions for a morally disciplined and purposeful life, and defines the eight limbs as, yama (abstinences), niyama (observances), asana (yoga postures), pranayama (breath control), pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (absorption). 

Dominique started yoga studies during the 1980s, by 1996 embarked on a daily Ashtanga yoga practice, and in 2001 and 2007 spent part of her summers immersed in ashtanga yoga in Mysore, India. During early 2002 she began this series, and by 2016 she completed it. "The Studio: Real principles summing up eight limbs of ashtanga yoga and twenty years of my artistic and moral life" is an homage to two of Dominique’s life long pusuits, painting and yoga.