Harnessing the power of yoga for women
Women have always been an integral part of yoga, and led ritual, and devotional practices.
The life force energy is considered the creative force in yoga ( called Shakti ), the energy that brings all things into physical form.
This energy is radiant and powerful, it is not passive but active and creative.
Yoga helps us to appreciate the body we have, and who we are in our essence.
Yoga peels away the layers of who we think we should be.
Yoga has the power to help you to recognise the Shakti ( which means both goddess and power) within you…
I learnt my own way of what felt right in the yoga space and what didn't when I began to practice, over two decades ago many participants were women but there were many times when it just didn't feel right to practice in the way I was being guided to, so instead I decided to listen to what felt right for me.
Through this experimentation and observation, I came up with the way to practice that resonated with me.
Many years of research, and finding the right teachers for me as well as listening to my body and intuition, flowing with my natural cycles, and learning about the role of Shakti - the feminine energy, helped me to create practices that could be sustainable and lifelong.
In yoga the feminine and masculine energy is present in us all, and it's really not as much about gender, but about finding your energetic balance. This philosophy is also present in te ao māori, the māori world. Feminine energy is also seen as dynamic, strong and creative.
Yoga asks you to turn inward and see what's on the inside. This can be a surprise for some as we often come to yoga for the physical benefits alone, but find that we leave with much more.
By feeling into our boundaries, and continually coming back to self awareness, we begin to practice with more compassion for our selves.
Yoga gives you an opportunity to tune into yourself and your body for a while, giving us the benefit of awareness, this enables us to recognise when we need to slow down or take more time out so that we don't become out of balance, or burnt out.
We absolutely must make time for ourselves if we want to serve others. So that when we give it's from a full cup, and not at the expense of our own health and wellbeing.
Having a regular yoga practice has the benefit of continually checking in with yourself, so you notice when your balance is off. It then gives you tools to come back into balance.
SOME OF THE GIFTS OF YOGA FOR WOMEN ARE:
- Yoga allows you to tune in to your bodies messages - this can help us through childbirth, hormonal changes, different stages of life, and being aware of how stress affects you.
- Your practice can be a beautiful ritual of coming home to yourself. Our wairuatanga / spirituality is honoured .
- We learn to love ourselves exactly as we are, and to recognise our true essence.
- Honour your cycles - Yoga teaches to accept the ebb and flow of our mind and body, not to stay stuck in one phase, but to acknowledge it before moving on. It is often in the acceptance that we become unstuck.
- Regulate the nervous system - slow mindful yoga has the benefit of balancing the nervous system and can bring us back to homeostasis.
- Slow, mindful poses, breathing and meditation or guided relaxation help to activate our para-sympathetic nervous system, helping to mitigate the effects of chronic stress.
- Yoga promotes a clear mind, vitality and a stronger body
- Mauri - life force energy increases and inner resilience is promoted
How we approach yoga practice can be different for women, it can be intuitive and compassionate, an opportunity for self love, appreciation and recognition of the divine feminine within.
Pūāio/yoga is so much more than only asana/ poses, it also involves breathing practices, meditation, mantra, lifestyle practices, philosophy and more.
If you have only an asana/ physical practice bringing in some of the other aspects of yoga can encourage a deeper connection, and help you to harness the true power of yoga.
Tips for practicing for wāhine/ women
- Notice how amazing your body is, a body that may create life, and has the power to bring life into the world, if you choose to do so or not. You are a creative force of nature. Connected to Papatūānuku / Mother Earth.
- Give up comparing - with others, or with past versions of yourself. You are who you because of everything you have been through and your experiences shape you. Physically, mentally, emotionally.
- Take your time, make it a ritual to care for yourself and reconnect.
- While wāhine often put their family needs ahead of their own, and sometimes your practice gets put aside, remind yourself that yoga means 'union', and you are practicing yoga when you are giving with awareness too.
- Feel your body, your responses and the life force present in every cell of your body.
- Remember that there is representation in yoga of all aspects of the divine feminine - the soft, receptive and giving, and also the fierce and strong.
How do you practice as a woman?
You can respond to this question here - [email protected]
If you would like to join me on the mat, here are some of the options to practice with me....
Pūmanwa - Weekly Live sessions plus recordings available for 4 months
Yoga for Calm - a pre-recorded mini course to take in your own time, short practice videos that can be practiced individually, or joined together for a 1.5 hour practice
Fantail - single class pass- join in any Pūmanawa class, recordings not available for this option
Tui - four class pass for Live Zoom sessions
Aroha nui
Linsey x
