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Why Yoga Made Me More Powerful

Yoga | Yoga for Beginners

I’ve learned a lot of important lessons in 2013. Quite frankly, I’m relieved to see this year move into the past. I’ll leave behind some painful life lessons, and some friendships that I’m better off without. What did I learn in 2013? My biggest lesson was that I’m always giving my power away. Hence my mantra, “stand in your power. “ I teach that concept through my yoga classes, but I never really embodied it fully and deep in my soul until this year. When I look back at some of my friendships and life decisions, I found that I was unsure of myself. My fear and the need to be liked overrode my common sense and my sense of self-worth. I forgot to stand in my power!

One of the powerful lessons that I learned in 2013 is embodied within this quote:

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any.”
Alice Walker

I never really knew how powerful I was until I took up yoga. The asana and the breath awoke something in me, something that had been stifled growing up. I grew up in a household where I felt powerless. I had a father who took pride in diminishing his family so he could feel powerful. He spoke to us like we didn’t matter. He regularly told us we were nothing without him. We believed it. It set me up for a number of relationships that would reinforce that message until I found myself through the practice of yoga.

Through My Yoga Practice I Learned To Become More Powerful

Yoga teaches us that your power and your divine light are within. You just have to tap into it. If you step into the practice fully, and experience the breath, the asana and the philosophy will make you feel more powerful and strong.

Yoga teaches us compassion and forgiveness. There is great power in compassion and forgiveness. The biggest lesson I learned was to be compassionate toward my father. His actions towards his family were because of his own suffering. It’s hard to forgive my dad for his cruelty. My feelings of hurt are so strong. Yoga taught me to observe my feelings and sit with the discomfort of those feelings, so I can be more compassionate to myself and others. It has taught me there is great power in forgiveness for those who seek it and for those who grant it.

Yoga has taught me not to give my power away. This has been a hard lesson to learn over and over and over again. This year the lesson has stuck. As I move forward into 2014, I will truly stand in my power. I will not give my power away. I will choose my friends more carefully. I spend my energy more wisely. I will stand up for causes that change the world. I will speak my mind with compassion and love. I will use my yoga to be a positive and enlightening force in the world. I will always use my power for good.

I ask you as you reflect on your own life and as you step into 2014 set an intention. Stand up and be the most powerful version of yourself. Be compassionate, be strong, be kind when you are telling the truth; always stand up for yourself. I want you to be the light you want to see in the world.

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