Well, lets look at what it truly means to be an empowered woman.
The definition of empowerment is: the process of becoming stronger and more confident, especially in controlling one's life and claiming one's rights.
Essentially, empowerment means to fully take control of your lifestyle, the way you look at yourself, and the way you choose to look at your own universe as a whole.
Now empowering yourself may take months, years, or even a decade to achieve, especially as a woman. Lets be honest here, between being mothers, business owners, working a 9 to 5, being the best wife to your partner, taking care of your mental health, or simply just trying to get through the day and be the best you can be, we all need to support ourselves mentally, physically and spiritually in the process. In other words, we need that whether its through support from other women or in search of it through yoga.
Why Yoga is So Important to Support You as a Woman.
Let me tell you a little secret about the power of Yoga. It can really help align your soul purpose and help you unleash the wild, feminine woman you were meant to be.
I am living proof that Yoga has truly helped me become a better woman, the best version of me and has allowed me to remove any false tales or illusions I have told myself for so many years. For me, being diagnosed with anxiety has caused me to become low on myself, treat myself as if I was less worthy of love and acceptance, and has caused a riff of overthinking. Not only that, it shattered my self esteem as a woman. Yoga, plays such an important part of empowering a woman. Not only does it improve physical fitness, but its energetic goal is for us to connect to our highest selves. What I mean by that is, Yoga opens up a gateway to aide you to discover who you are, and what you were truly meant to be.
Self Realization is Key
When I first started my journey to Yoga, I had no idea what I was in for. I knew after a class I felt a lot better and was less anxious, but the deeper I explored the spiritual and philosophical points of Yoga, the more transformed to be the woman I was meant to be. Although getting to know and learn who God & spirit was for me helped me connect to a higher being, this thing called "Yoga" invited me to go deeper with God and find the gift He was waiting on me to be ready for. That gift was to help other women who were suffering or simply in need of being the best version of them through Yoga and Reiki.
Yoga can truly change a woman's self esteem, mental health and spiritual awareness. Many times my students truly do not understand how spiritual they are until they take a Private Yoga session with me or come to a studio class. Understanding that self realization is key, helps you create a clear road map to who you truly are as a human being.
Many times, when a woman is empowered and stands in her power, she is confident enough to walk into any situation, any Yoga class, or any room with full confidence and power within herself. Because Yoga goes deeper than just the physical, when we finally decide to let go of outer appearance and invest in what is considered our higher selves, we dive deeper into what God/Source/Universe has gifted to us. Reminding us that self realization allows us to grow and to flourish beyond what we could ever imagine.
Body is tight, but My Mind is RIGHT!
I love to use the phrase in my Yoga class "Keep your mind right and your body tight." Sure, yoga can help you with physical strength, flexibility, and the capability to try new things, BUT the main focus is to get your mind centered. Many of my clients who are women have expressed that they have a calmer demeanor when dealing with work, family, and other issues in their household. Some of my clients have even spoke on how doing Yoga with me, has enhanced their confidence, started a journey to new discovery, and has helped them be able to listen to their spirit when need be. Some don't even realize how spiritual they are until they have tried really going deeper in their Yogic practice.
Understand that yoga goes beyond the movement. Yoga is prayer, affirmations, mantra, mental health, spiritual health, growth healing all at the same time. When you can grow and expand further than who you thought you could be, you become the person God/Spirit has created you to be. You become this woman who is unstoppable.
You become a more calmer, kinder, better you not only to your other sisters or women around you, but also you become kinder and gentler and more loving to yourself.
That's what makes yoga empowering.
Dropping the Weight & Open to Healing.
Since I've taught yoga for the past 4 years, my clients have found many inspirational and life changing experiences. One of them, is dropping the weight of trauma, stress, pain, and suffering that they have been carrying for so long. If this is you as a woman, I feel you. I've suffered many times it felt like I was consistently hitting a wall. Thinking I wasn't going anywhere holding on to the same stresses over and over again. I kept going to therapy and praying to God to take it away from me & to help me find a resolution to release this pain that was daggering at me for so long.
It was until He landed Yoga pants in my lap, was when I finally found the solution to my problem. Yoga allows many of us as women to drop the weight of trauma we've been carrying for so long. Society will consistently put us in a box or try to shape and mold us to be how they deem as acceptable. Yoga has helped me understand that I, as a woman do not need to feel that I should be perfect, cater to anyone else, or feel the need to put someone else's needs over mine.
With that, Yoga helped me continue to persist in my dreams & goals and have the utmost freedom to be my most authentic self. It showed me I no longer had to be labeled "the strong one" in my group of friends and live my life the way I choose with no limitations.
Yoga is a friendly reminder for women to understand that they are loved and supported by a higher being/power and open a space to heal and stand in HER power.
Building Confidence. Understand Your Power as a Woman.
Listen up! Ladies, we take so many roles under so many names; the nurturer, the mother, the business woman, the threatening political leader, the ambitious one, and the list goes on. But, one title we mainly forget, is the Goddess.
Did you know in Hinduism, many Goddesses are praised by their generosity, ability to create abundance, their gift of warrior energy, and their ability to help us create and obtain knowledge? In other words, without a woman, there would be nothing. In Hinduism, there 108 names of Goddesses that are worshipped their devotees. All of these 108 names have roles and gifts that are given to each of us.
When I think of these Goddesses, I think of the many ways we as women were created with just more than one gift. We are warriors, beautiful souls, creative and intuitive. We are giving, loving, powerful and blessed. We are the Moon while the Masculine is the sun. We are multidimensional game changers that not only give birth to this earth, but also create what the world knows as humanity.
We have the confidence of Lakshmi, the strength of Durga, the intuition and creativity as Saraswati, and the universal gift of openness like Bhuvaneshwari - Goddess of the universe. It is true when they say, "God/Universe really took their time on a woman." Without your gift or without you as a woman, the world would be nothing. The power you hold allows you to change your life, the world, and your environment around you. It gives you the confidence to carry on when things get dark. It allows you to grow that self love and understanding that you are that chick, and no one can tell you otherwise.
This is what an empowered women summer is mainly about. Understand the power that you possess and how much you are valued on this earth.
Call into Action: Yoga Poses That Create an Empowered Practice.
Reclined Goddess
Invite your inner Goddess to relax and sit at her thrown. Reclined Goddess is necessary to release stress that we carry in our hips and low back and invites us to surrender to the full expression of our bodies. Place a bolster under your back to open your heart.
Childs Pose
To be grounded, is to be empowered. Find your power in rest. Child's pose invites us to become grounded and whole again. Anytime you feel unsure of yourself, child's pose is a friendly reminder to step into your purpose and tap into your roots. You are who you are... OWN IT!
Warrior 1 & 2
We love a warrior Goddess. Warrior one and two invite a place of strength and absolute empowerment in your practice. Ever notice when doing these asanas how powerful you feel as a woman?
Meditation and prayer
Always perfect for getting centered, pausing, or connecting to our higher selves. What empowers me the most is getting up everyday praying and speaking my manifestations to the universe above. Meditation allows us to connect to our higher selves and invite our inner personal power back into our lives.
"I am a woman / Phenomenally / Phenomenal woman / That's me."