admin Everyone has the empowerment shape that they connect with more than any other- for me, it is Crow Pose. I have no idea why I joined with this shape in the beginning; it’s kind of like the world giving you a Spirit Animal; you don’t really get a say. It just feels right- every single time- even when you fall out of shape or struggle to find it in the first place, it is your go-to Asana for everything that ails you. In that way, it is your personal empowerment pose and provides you with the resilience you need to get through almost anything!
Some yoga shapes can have a profound impact on the Mind and Soul by simply arranging and grounding our bodies.
Below are some shapes that many yoga teachers felt empowered their students to practice. Check out these yoga teachers’ blogs to find inspiration for your practice, other like-minded people, and an environment that makes you want more.
Some of these poses may resonate with you, and some will not, but they all have a strong sense of empowerment in their muscular arrangement or philosophical story.
Tadasana, Mountain Pose
The group of teachers who were asked ranked this shape as the most popular. Even though you may feel grounded just by standing, nothing beats spending a few moments to layer in all of the cues that make up a Mountain Pose.
This shape doesn’t just stand there, waiting for the next one. This is a very active pose.
Tadasana involves rooting down into your feet, lifting your legs, and grounding the pelvis and your core. You will then focus on releasing any tension in your back, lengthening your spinal column by lifting your neck back and leveling your chin. You will feel a string pulling upwards from the top of the head.
Tadasana involves stabilizing your body in its human form, breathing easily into and out of very open lungs, and fixing your eyes evenly to help you focus and clarify what’s important to you.
Virabhadrasana Warrior II
The focus that Warrior II cultivates is that when you look over your fingertip, it’s hard not to feel empowered.
The Bhagavad Gita, which is a yoga text that explains the foundations of yoga philosophy, uses the battlefield metaphor. The text contains many themes, but one of them is that the warrior leader must stay focused on why he fights and what he wants to achieve for his people. Otherwise, they will all fall into an anxious pit. This battle is akin to the journey of life, and we must remain confident in our choices to achieve what is most important to us – our happiness and that of those we love.
Staying focused on the present is essential. Leaning backward in Warrior II means lingering in the old past. In the shape, leaning forward over the knee represents a fear of running into the future. Keep your focus on this moment, choice, and condition.
This shape has a centered anatomical feel. The legs press towards each other, creating an upward sensation in the ribcage. The chest lifts the ribcage up and in, while the shoulders cascade down the back, with the weight from the hip bones holding the body in position. You are centered and focused on the forward.
It’s not a shape to mess with!
Garudasana, Eagle Pose
It may not seem empowering to tangle your limbs in Eagle Pose, but it can be quite unsafe. The story or character behind the shape makes it overtly powerful.
Garudasana is the Eagle Pose of Vishnu. Vishnu, the god of life preservation and maintenance, rides the Eagle with a sharp focus as he keeps watch over all beings in the Universe.
As Vishnu is a traveler, the Eagle Pose is a way to represent that. It carries the responsibility of keeping an eye on your flock. This shape gives you the power to preserve, just like a parent who watches over their child. This gives you the confidence and clarity of someone who has a task to complete.
Natarajasana, Dancer Pose
It’s not just the anatomical layout of this shape that makes it feel spectacular and powerful, but what it represents. This shape is a representation of Shiva’s Dance, which symbolizes the intertwining of creation and destruction.
Shiva, the god of destruction, represents how birth is necessary for death to occur. It is impossible for a being to die without having lived. And it cannot live if it knows that death will be around the corner. A plant that dies returns to the Earth, where it created more life. So, one thing leads to another – both creation and destruction.
We can live, thrive, and enjoy the magic moments that we have when we accept this truth and overcome our anxiety. What could be more powerful than that?!
This shape physically grows upwards from the base, just like a real tree. Dancer Pose has a strong, rambunctious feel to it. It feels powerful and confident to fill the chest, but to allow your standing leg as a tree trunk to hold this luminous circle is breathtaking, both to experience and to watch.
Yoga is an extensive and deep philosophy that goes far beyond the physical forms. Yet, the shapes do convey the philosophy without having to say a single word!
Confidence is a mind-blowing, soul-opening, and body-shaping experience that yoga brings its students. This article will hopefully inspire you to find your favorite pose and make yoga a part of your everyday life.
