Empowerment is contagious

What does empower mean? It's oldest meaning is "to bring into power". But today empower has many meanings. We can empower ourselves and we can empower others. So rather than having power over others it is about coming into your own power and helping others do the same.

When we are empowered we feel confident, free and energized. Empowerment means we believe in our capabilities. We believe we can change, make changes or just be who we are. We have choices and we feel that sense of upliftment that comes with feeling strong and having the ability to meet challenges.

Practicing yoga poses creates a feeling of empowerment. We ask our bodies to do things that we do not normally do in our daily lives. Accessing these hidden parts of our bodies helps us to feel more whole and more appreciative of how amazing our bodies are. We have to put the pieces of the puzzle together to do a difficult pose. If we do not use our breath, engage our muscles yet still find the softness to relax and expand, it will not be possible to hold many of the standing balance or arm balance poses. But when we do put all these pieces together, we feel empowered.

When we practice empowerment it is contagious. People gathered together with a common goal can empower each other. The feeling begins to spread and grow into a energy field that keeps expanding. There is often a vibration of empowerment in yoga classes. We uplift each other as we breath, engage and explore together. This is the power we want to embrace on and off the mat.

So take a moment to close your eyes. Feel your breath. Feel how the breath empowers your life. Feel the energy of the air, earth, sun, and nature around you. Notice how when you lengthen your spine, connect your shoulders onto the back, lengthen and align your neck with your spine you feel empowered. Aligning with your intentions, aligning with nature, aligning with your inner power brings the freedom that is our inherent gift for this journey of life.