Happy International Women's day!
Celebrating Internationals Women's day I wanted to share with you some wonderful practices to help you reconnect to the divine feminine energy that resides within ALL of us.
Honouring the divine feminine energy allows us to connect to our sensitivities, our creativity, our patience and be guided by a deep intuition.
We all possess both masculine and feminine energy, this is the balance that connects us all. While Masculine energy (Shiva) is dictated by the sun, moving towards goals, making progress & strength, Feminine (Shakti) is guided by the moon and a softness to nurture, we allow our creativity to shine and can easily go with the flow.
As we progress through life we all experience phases and changes within our lives, a woman's body may experience puberty, motherhood, menopause, endometriosis, fertility, ovulation, menstruation and many more developments. Yoga allows us to be open and accepting of changes that arise, it can help us create a response, an adaption and a positive step in the right direction. By celebrating the feminine in all of us it can unlock inner wisdom, fluidity within our bodies and minds and spark our courage to be fiercely true to ourselves.
The feminine energy is about receiving and not doing (hard to believe when we always seem to be on the go!). Its learning to surrender, to trust the process, to be open. The element we connect to the Shakti energy is water, expressing everything formless, fluid and sensual. The element of water is also associated to the Sacral Chakra which embodies creativity, personality, sexuality and flow! It's also a nice reminder the the tides of the sea are in sync with the moon, and the moon being the home of feminine energy, see how it all links in with one another?! So to help us explore our inner goddess we stand within ourselves, gracious and open, to move and adapt with whatever comes our way and stand for nothing less than we deserve.
LET'S GET CREATIVE
Tapping into your creative side really wakes up that feminine energy, to let your ideas unravel to manifest, to physically make, to write, to draw and paint to photograph. Whatever gets your creative juices flowing let them express themselves! Don't suppress that precious gift!
Dance & Shake it out!
I don't know about you but I'm a shaker, swayer, dancer, wiggler when it comes to moving my body on the yoga mat (or anywhere!), remember despite so many yoga styles out there you truly have the magic to move in your own way, in ways that feel good and in ways that don't fit the 'norm'. Wherever you are put on your favourite music and move your body, guaranteed you will feel amazing in no time.
Flower Petal baths
I have always been one to soak in the bath for a few hours, continuously topping up the hot water, reading and meditating, there is just something about a bath that keeps me calm and focused. I have had flower baths for many years, rather than putting them in a vase I add them to my bath, to admire there beauty, to connect to the earth and to embrace the benefits they can give. You can always add a little essential oil, but rose petals are so beautiful and rose water is so good for your skin! I pick lavender and bay leaves out of the garden when they are in bloom and add them to the bath, imagine fresh mint and lemon slices?! I beg you indulge in these pampering natural baths when you get chance, they really are divine. x
YOGA POSTURES
Circle & Spiraling movements in your practice.
Exploring your body with slow, small and spiralling movements can not only help mobilise the deepest of muscle fibres but can also unlock forgotten ranges of movements, its a practice where you move without thinking to much about where you're going, eyes closed, moving inwards, slowly softly swaying, side to side forward and back, hugging in and breathing out, breathing in and opening your heart. Any movements that can awaken your inner sensuality, freedom and calm. These movements also unlock tension in the spine, hips, waist, belly and feel so so yummy! Give it a try!
Moon Salutations.
We have all heard of the Sun Salutations but did you know there is a Moon Salutation sequence too? When we think of the Sun Salutations we think of power, heat and energy, the Moon Salutations instill a cooling & meditative energy. Sun = Yang, Moon = Yin. We talk about creating balance within our yoga practice and here is a perfect example, opposite qualities marrying together to create harmony. (Moon Salutation Blog coming soon!)
Yoni Mudra Yoni Mudra is a hand gesture dedicated to the female goddess Shakti in Hinduism, Mudras are practiced to bring balance within the body by connecting to the major elements (air, water, fire, earth and space) within the body. Yoni translates as 'Womb, Vulva' and invokes a primal energy of creation. This hand gesture relates to the pelvis, uterus, womb, sexual organs, and the entire female reproductive system, increasing fertility and helping with menopause. Some of the mudra benefits include a calm mind, mental clarity, along with connection with your life force energy and inner consciousness. It gives you a sense of groundedness during meditation and promotes deep internal relaxation.
Goddess Pose
Goddess pose is a posture that can really ignite that powerful energy that resides within you, its fierce, its strong and will challenge you! Not only is the feminine energy soft and nurturing it to can be strong and powerful and this is one of those postures that will need both.
+ Stepping wide on the mat, heels in toes out, on an inhalation lengthen the spine and reach the arms high! On the exhale deeply bend into the knees, hug the lower ribs in, engage the core and sink deep into the hips. If you love moving the body through practice, why not try the spiralling (as above), sway into one foot then the other, use this time to unlock your inner potential!
Garland Pose
This posture is a gorgeous posture for Sacral and womb space health, it opens the hips, it releases the lower back, it stimulates the digestive and reproductive system. It also strengthens the legs and will give you that little spark of resilience as you settle into it for a few deep breaths, could we explore this pose for 2 minutes? This squatting posture is a Yin posture so youre welcome to support underneath the heels and even have the option of sitting on a block or two if you feel it's a little to intense within the legs and joints of the knees. Is garland posture one of your favourites?
Supported Butterfly Posture
The most wonderful of postures, supported butterfly is a posture that will passively open the hips and heart but also gives us the chance to really really relax. I've found myself drifting off many times in the posture! As the upper body is supported higher than the hips it gives the lower body chance to rest and restore with a little extra blood flow. We can support the knees here as we allow gravity to do the work rather than any force from the hands. I opt for a few hugging moments as I settle into my intentions, then on an exhale I allow my arms to melt open to expose my heart space, truly giving myself the time and space to open when Im ready to do so.
Celebrate the energy that is YOU, its UNIVERSAL, its FEMININE & MASCULINE, it is EVERYWHERE! Take time to honour who you are as an individual, honour and respect yourself and everyone around you. Share the love and support each other, we rise by lifting others!
All my love,
V x