International Women's Day is coming up on March 8th — a day to celebrate all the goddesses in your life. If you’ve been practicing yoga for a while, chances are that you’ve heard of the various deities and goddesses of yoga, and possibly even the word Shakti mentioned.
Shakti is the essence of feminine energy, and far from being fictitious figures from story books, the goddesses of yoga are alive within each one of us, and all we ever need to do is call upon them to help connect with that part of us.
Here are the three most talked about goddesses and some ways that you can call upon the power of the goddess to connect to your inner power, bring the feminine Shakti energy into your life, and feel the helping hand of the divine feminine power surround you!
Durga
Durga is the warrior goddess who saved the world from the grip of two demon brothers. She is the girl to call upon if you are ever in trouble, feel lost, confused or afraid, or are looking for answers. Durga will bring you strength, courage, power, protection, and the answers you are looking for.
Call upon Durga with her mantra of Om dum durgayei namaha.
Connect with your inner Durga by:
Setting boundaries in your life — Learn to honor your own time and energy, look after yourself, and know when to say no.
Expressing yourself — Get to know your own needs, and be fearless in expressing how you feel and what it is that you need.
Believe in yourself — Find an unshakeable belief in yourself and your own greatness and magnificence.
Saraswati
Saraswati is the beautiful goddess of knowledge, wisdom, consciousness, understanding, and creativity through speech, language, writing, and the arts. Saraswati can help you to really access your individual inner creativity, learn to dance to your own rhythm, and find your own individual creative spark.
She’s your girl when you lack inspiration or motivation or need to communicate in better ways.
Call upon Saraswati with her mantra of Om aim saraswatyai namaha.
Connect with your inner Saraswati by:
Trying something artistic — Take up a paper and pen or paints, an instrument, try some poetry, or dance like no one is watching!
Connecting to your intuition — Take some time each day to sit in silence and simply tune in to the inner all-knowing part of you.
Finding your passion and purpose — Find what it is that truly makes you come to life and do much more of that.
Lakshmi
Lakshmi is the goddess of beauty, success, wealth, and romance. Call upon Lakshmi when you need to invite more abundance, generosity, radiance, or friendship and love into your life. She is a soft, sweet, feminine energy who will bring a kind, loving compassion into your life and help you to love yourself first, and then share that with the world.
Call upon Lakshmi with her mantra of Om shreem maha lakshmiyei namaha.
Connect with your inner Lakshmi by:
Feeling gratitude — In order to receive more, first of all be grateful for what you already have. There is always something to be grateful for.
Seeing the beauty — Find the beauty in everything around you, but especially in yourself. Recognize all your wonderful qualities and look for the good in life.
Being charitable — It could be money, time, or your support that you offer, but find a way that you can be generous daily.
Enjoy welcoming the goddess into your life as you celebrate International Women's Day! We’d love to hear your experiences of inviting Shakti into your life, and if you have any other ways to celebrate being a woman. Share with us in the comments below!
