Ways to Connect to Your Divine Feminine Energy (And Why You Should)
Divine feminine energy has a lot of names: yin, lunar, shakti, and passive, to name a few.But they’re all the same thing. Divine feminine energy is the goddess energy within. It’s the energy of flow, of being, of intuition, of the moon.Every human, regardless of gender, has both divine feminine and divine masculine (solar, yang, shiva) energy within them. Much of our modern culture focuses on the divine masculine: doing, pushing, producing, going.
Divine feminine energy has a lot of names: yin, lunar, shakti, and passive, to name a few.
But they’re all the same thing. Divine feminine energy is the goddess energy within. It’s the energy of flow, of being, of intuition, of the moon.
Every human, regardless of gender, has both divine feminine and divine masculine (solar, yang, shiva) energy within them. Much of our modern culture focuses on the divine masculine: doing, pushing, producing, going.
Just like yin and yang, you need both energies: they complement each other. But sometimes you can get so caught up in your divine masculine that you forget to nurture the divine feminine, too, and you suffer.
You miss out on your intuition, on compassion, self-love, presence, and just simply being in silence.
Imagine the radical revolution in the world if more people moved from that divine feminine space. Imagine if more people were connected to their intuition, loved themselves deeply, lived compassionately, and allowed themselves to be present.
That can happen, and it starts with you—as within, so without.
Connecting to your divine feminine is always important, but especially this month. Your divine feminine energy reminds you that you are whole, that everything you desire is within you, and that you are worthy of love from yourself and from others.
Read through the list below to get some ways to connect to your divine shakti.
Pranayama
It all starts with your breath. Chandra Bhedana (Moon-Piercing Breath) is a version of alternate nostril breathing that connects you to lunar energy by inhaling only through your left nostril and exhaling through your right.
For this breath, find a comfortable seat. Bring your thumb and middle fingers to third eye center. Close your right nostril with your thumb to inhale through your left nostril, then close your left nostril with your right and pinky fingers to exhale through your right nostril.
Continue to breathe this way for at least twenty rounds of breath. Inhaling in through only your left nostril activates your lunar energy (which runs on the left side of your body) and exhaling only through your right nostril releases your solar energy (which runs on the right side of your body).
Yoga Poses
Divine feminine yoga is all about connecting with your intuition, creating, and being present. Allow yourself to get on your mat with no expectations, listen to your body, and get creative with a flow.
The poses below are some ideas to help you connect with lunar energy. Use them as a starting point for your own creativity!
Fetal position on your right side. The first yoga pose. Not only does this pose help you feel safe and cozy, but it also activates your lunar energy by having your left side only facing up.
Child’s pose, Balasana. Use this gentle pose to offer yourself some nourishment. Get still, get quiet, and be present.
Half moon pose, Ardha Chandrasana. Cultivate balance, a deep sense of confidence, and creativity completely grounded in your divine feminine in this pose.
Pigeon pose, Eka Pada Rajakapotasana. Breathe and allow yourself to feel everything you need to feel in this more intense hip-opener. Let any emotions that you need to release here release, and surrender them to your breath.
Crescent lunge, Anjaneyasana. Crescent lunge is part of Chandra Namaskar, moon salutations. Incorporate a mudra like one of the ones below to make it extra powerful.
Tarot Card Pull
Each of the questions below will give you insight into your relationship with your divine feminine. Get quiet, open your mind, and pull a card for any or all of these questions.
How can I create more flow in my life today?
How can I open my heart chakra?
How can I open my third eye chakra?
How can I connect with my divine feminine energy?
What is holding me back from connecting with my divine feminine?
What is my relationship with my divine feminine?
What is my relationship with my divine masculine?
The archetypes from the major arcana that most represent the divine feminine energy are the High Priestess (deep intuitive understanding) and the Empress (deep connection with feminine energy manifesting as creativity, fertility, abundance, and sensuality).
Mantra Meditation
The Kundalini "Adi Shakti" mantra is said to tune you into the frequency of the energy of the divine feminine, eliminate fears and fulfill desires, get you in touch with your own power, and become Shakti, the feminine energy of the Universe.
Adi Shakti, Adi Shakti, Adi Shakti, Namo NamoSarab Shakti, Sarab Shakti, Sarab Shakti, Namo NamoPritham Bhagvati, Pritham Bhagvati, Pritham Bhagvati, Namo NamoKundalini Mata Shakti, Mata Shakti, Namo Namo
Chant this mantra as many times as you’d like, and then sit in silence for a few moments to allow yourself to feel the change in your vibration.
Crystals
Some of the best crystals for connecting with your divine feminine are:
Labradorite, for intuition, self-discovery, and universal harmony
Kunzite, to open your heart chakra and connect with the element of water to create more flow
Rose quartz, to open your heart chakra and remind you of your capacity to both give and receive unconditional love
Selenite, to access your inner goddess and connect with Shakti
Peridot, to create abundance and flow by channeling Lakshmi’s manifesting power
Moonstone, to connect with the energy of the moon and with your intuition
Amazonite, to balance both the masculine and feminine energies within you
Mudra
Mudras, hand gestures or “seals,” can be a powerful way to shift your energy. Click here to learn more about how mudras work with the elements of the hands and the gunas to create different energies.
Yoni Mudra. Use yoni mudra to quiet your mind, connect to your divine feminine energy, and call on the energy of the goddesses.
Bring your palms together with your fingers pointing down. Open your palms up into an upside-down triangle with your thumbs as the base. Then turn your pinky, ring, and middle fingers in so that the backs of the fingers are touching and thumbs are pointing slightly upward.
Kali mudra. This mudra invokes the power of this fierce goddess of destruction and transformation. Kali mudra is a beautiful reminder that the divine feminine can be a fierce force for change.
Interlace your fingers in front of you, placing your left thumb over right. Lengthen your index fingers, press them together, and point them away from you.
Trimurti mudra. Use trimurti mudra to flow and connect with your inner healer.
Place both palms flat on your navel with fingers facing down, and bring them into a triangle pointing to your toes with tips of thumbs and index fingers touching.
Pay Attention to the Cycles of the Moon
Like the moon, you go through phases. Knowing the cycles of the moon and your own corresponding cycles helps deepen your connection to lunar energy and the divine feminine.
Scents & Herbs
Use the herbs and scents below in a variety of ways: to burn, drink, or soak in as herbs or to diffuse or roll on your skin as oils.
Dried violet, to stimulate creativity
Brahmi, to calm and cool your mind
Hibiscus, to assist you in psychic growth and promote tranquility
Lavender, to soothe, calm, and promote the energy of being
Rose-hips, to promote healing, compassion, and self-love
Juniper, to connect with your inner wisdom
Click here to get an herbal bath recipe to connect with your divine feminine.
I hope you find some tools within this blog that you can use regularly to connect to this energy. You certainly don’t have to do all of these to connect with the energy of the divine feminine. Do what feels good and calls out to you! I hope you feel more in tune with the divine feminine energy that’s already within you.
7 Self-Love Rituals for Valentine’s Day
It’s that time of year where everything is about love, but the most important thing you can remember about love is this: Love is not outside of you. Love is within you.Love is your divine nature.It’s easy to forget that, but it’s true. The rituals below will help you connect to the love already within you, and most importantly give it to yourself.
It’s that time of year where everything is about love, but the most important thing you can remember about love is this: Love is not outside of you.
Love is within you. Love is your divine nature.
It’s easy to forget that, but it’s true. The rituals below will help you connect to the love already within you, and most importantly give it to yourself.
For all of these rituals, you might like to incorporate:
Rose quartz, to open your heart chakra
Clear quartz, to amplify the energy
Myrrh incense, a healing scent associated with feminine energy, the moon, and the water element
Try just one of these rituals, or try them all throughout the month. Each of these rituals will be more powerful the more you do them, so find one you like and make it part of your routine this month.
Create Something
Nothing gets the energy of love flowing like creativity. Do a coloring meditation, make a vision board, cook a nourishing meal, write a poem, paint with watercolors, play an instrument, or create your own yoga flow.
Whatever you’d like to do, create a sacred space and tap into your creative energy.
Here's also a fun idea for a self-love ritual where you can play with your creativity:
Tarot or Oracle Card Spread
Tarot and oracle cards are amazing magical tools for self-reflection and connecting with your intuition. Try this three-card spread with your favorite deck:
What is holding me back from loving myself right now?
What might I experience if I give myself the love I desire?
How can I deepen my love for myself?
Don't know how to get started? Check out this blog post for tarot, or this post for the ultimate tarot guide. If you feel called to try oracle cards check out this blog post.
Burning Ceremony
What holds you back from loving yourself more? What limiting beliefs do you hold onto that keep you small? What things about yourself do you struggle to love? What parts of yourself do you hide from yourself and from the world because deep down you believe in their unworthiness?
Get quiet, get your journal, and allow a stream-of-consciousness type of writing to flow until you feel like you’ve got it all out on the page.
Once you’ve poured your heart out, light a single white candle and hold your paper over the flame. Allow the negative energy, limiting beliefs, and your dislike for any part of yourself to burn up with the page.
Then, free-write to these questions: What do I love about myself? What is amazing about me? What am I grateful for? What parts of myself am I working on loving?
When you’re done, place this page on your altar and return to it anytime you feel those sticky, negative beliefs trying to creep back in.
Write a Self-Love Mantra
Writing your own self-love mantra is incredibly powerful because while there are many beautiful affirmations and mantras for self-love, you are unique and your journey with self-love is unique.
Write your own mantra that tells you exactly what you need to hear. Something kind, nonjudgmental, and compassionate that you might say to your sister or your best friend to let them know that you love them and they’re not alone.
Say it to yourself.
Write it on your mirror, on a piece of paper to tuck in your bag or place on your altar, or paint it in a picture (see ritual #1!), and return to it whenever you need it. Learn more about embracing the power of mantras here.
Heart Chakra Meditation
Inhale deeply into your heart chakra. Exhale out of your mouth, releasing all that doesn’t serve you. As you inhale, visualize a bud of green light glowing in your chest, blossoming bigger and brighter with each inhale as you strengthen this chakra. Allow the unconditional love to wash over you with your breath. If you'd like a guided meditation, you can click here for a meditation bundle done by me.
Herbal Bath for Self-Love
Turn bath into a ritual by using herbs, lighting candles, and playing whatever music or sounds help you relax and turn inward.
Try using rose-hips, lavender, elecampane, and balm of gilead to promote self-love. Rose-hips promote healing, compassion, and self-love. Lavender balances and calms while elecampane opens the heart chakra. Balm of gilead promotes love and helps you manifest your desires.
Simply fill a muslin bag with about a third of a cup of the herbs, loop the bundle onto the faucet, and let your tub fill with hot water as it runs through the bag. When it finishes filling, drop the bag into the water and let it infuse with the herbs for about 20 minutes.
For an extra dose of self-love, add a rose quartz crystal to your bath. For more herbal bath recipes, check out this blog post.
Create a Goddess Altar
Creating a goddess altar is a beautiful way to honor the divine feminine energy of the universe and the divine feminine energy within. Make this altar your own! Buy a statue of a Goddess who resonates with you, or just print out a photo online. If you’re not sure which Goddess you’d like to use, do some research! What Goddess energy would help you love yourself more? Some suggestions are:
Greek Goddess Aphrodite for love, gratitude, and beauty
Hindu Goddess Lakshmi for abundance and wealth
East Asian Goddess Kuan Yin for mercy and compassion
Hindu Goddess Kali for destruction, creation, and transformation
Greek Goddess Artemis for independence, strength, and fearlessness
Egyptian Goddess Isis for magic, healing, and protection
Greek Goddess Athena for wisdom and courage
Sumerian, Babylonian, and Phoenician goddess Inanna for sensuality and divine femininity in all its forms
Once you choose your goddess, add a white candle, incense, and maybe a cloth to your altar. Choose some objects that represent love to you and ask for help loving yourself. You can also put fresh flowers or a piece of fruit on your altar as an offering to the Goddess.
Goddesses are beautiful archetypes and energies to work with because they remind you that you, too, have this energy within you. You possess the abundance of Lakshmi, the compassion of Kuan Yin, the magic of Isis, and the transformative energy of Kali.
How to Balance your Solar Plexus Chakra
Do you feel worthy of love and comfortable setting boundaries? Do you feel a sense of peace and understanding in taking action on things you can control and allowing things you have no control over to happen?When your solar plexus, or Manipura, chakra is open and balanced, you experience a strong sense of authentic power, and use that power to make a difference in the world. You fully understand your worth and have healthy self-esteem and self-confidence.This chakra, located right above the navel, is also where the ego lives. It is the seat of fire in the body, overseeing your emotions, motivating you to achieve your goals, and governing your self-esteem and self-discipline.But like any other chakra, this chakra can become unbalanced.
Do you feel worthy of love and comfortable setting boundaries? Do you feel a sense of peace and understanding in taking action on things you can control and allowing things you have no control over to happen?
When your solar plexus, or Manipura, chakra is open and balanced, you experience a strong sense of authentic power, and use that power to make a difference in the world. You fully understand your worth and have healthy self-esteem and self-confidence.
This chakra, located right above the navel, is also where the ego lives. It is the seat of fire in the body, overseeing your emotions, motivating you to achieve your goals, and governing your self-esteem and self-discipline.
But like any other chakra, this chakra can become unbalanced.
Signs that your solar plexus chakra is unbalanced:
You feel powerless or like a victim.
You often feel anxious and insecure.
You either feel the need to control and manipulate everything or you let others control you.
You experience frequent stomach or lower back pain.
You feel like you have to give your power away in order to keep the peace.
You have addictive tendencies and tend to form co-dependent relationships.
The good news is there are many simple ways to balance the solar plexus chakra. Use one tip or combine several, and find what works for you to get you back to a place of authentic power and control.
10 Ways to Open the Solar Plexus Chakra
Get Outside
The solar plexus chakra is associated with the color yellow and the element fire, so getting outside in the sun can be a big help. Try doing one of the tips below outside, like yoga or meditation, go rock climbing, go for a hike, or simply take a walk around the neighborhood.
Drink Tea
Ginger, chamomile, and mint all work well to open this chakra.
Yoga
Poses that light a fire in the belly— aka focus on the core— are perfect for balancing Manipura. Try Boat Pose, Warrior 2, or a series of Sun Salutations to light that Agni.
Pranayama
Speaking of fire, “breath of fire” or Agni Sara pranayama can help balance the solar plexus chakra. It is similar to kappalabhati breathing, but both inhales and exhales are forceful. The idea is to contract and release the core muscles.
Start in a standing position with the knees gently bent and the hands on the knees. As you inhale, press the stomach out. As you exhale, draw it in.
Affirmations & Mantras
Affirmations and mantras are all about becoming that which you wish to see. Try these mantras for balancing this chakra:
The bija mantra Ram.
I am worthy.
I rule from a place of authentic control and power.
I love and accept myself.
I am open and free from the need to control everything.
I use my power for the highest good.
I release judgment of myself and others.
Scents
Citrusy oils like grapefruit, lemon, orange, and even peppermint are great for healing the solar plexus chakra because they aid digestion, a solar plexus issue. You can also try ginger, fennel, and ylang-ylang to clear negative energy and bring in positive energy.
Burn candles or incense with these scents, diffuse essential oils, or mix these oils with a carrier oil like sesame or coconut and massage them onto the body. It can be particularly powerful to rub them on the belly, the center of this chakra.
Crystals
There are many different crystals you can use to balance the solar plexus chakra. Yellow-hued stones tend to work best since yellow is the color of this chakra. Try citrine, yellow topaz, honey calcite, amber, yellow jasper, or tiger’s eye.
Incorporate them into your yoga practice, meditate with them, create a crystal grid on the ground or on the body over the navel area, or wear them.
To create a crystal grid, choose a few stones from the list above that resonate with you, plus clear quartz. Decide on your purpose for the grid, and write that intention down. It could be something like “I reclaim my personal power” or any of the affirmations and mantras above.
Then, cleanse your crystals (learn more about crystal cleansing here) and place them in a geometric pattern on the bare skin of your navel with the clear quartz in the center to amplify the energy of your grid.
Spend at least a few moments with the crystals on your skin, meditating on your intention.
Play with Color
Wearing yellow and eating yellow foods such as corn, bananas, yellow peppers, lemons, and sunflower seeds are easy ways to work on opening this chakra throughout the day.
Meditation
Try imagining a glowing golden ball of light, a burning flame, or a bright yellow flower opening over your navel to open Manipura. Try this guided chakra balancing meditation if you feel called to.
Switch It Up
Sometimes all it takes to balance the solar plexus chakra is a little change. Try switching up your routine, releasing anger by yelling as loudly as you can (in your home alone!), or attending a laughing circle.
These activities allow you to activate your personal power, release control, introduce a little joy, and create a positive flow of energy in the body.
Tap Into the Wisdom of Your Ancestors with Meditation and Breathwork
Samhain, the sacred festival of the dead, occurs on October 31st and the 1st of November. It marks the beginning of winter and the season of the crone. This holiday reconnects us to the cycle of death and rebirth.It is believed that the veil between the spirit world and our world is thin during Samhain, making it easier to communicate with spirits. That’s why it is the best time to honor the wisdom of your ancestors during this time.This meditation and breathwork will take you within, to honor the wisdom you possess inside and the wisdom from those whom you come from.
Samhain, the sacred festival of the dead, occurs on October 31st and the 1st of November. It marks the beginning of winter and the season of the crone. This holiday reconnects us to the cycle of death and rebirth.
It is believed that the veil between the spirit world and our world is thin during Samhain, making it easier to communicate with spirits. That’s why it is the best time to honor the wisdom of your ancestors during this time.
This meditation and breathwork will take you within, to honor the wisdom you possess inside and the wisdom from those whom you come from.
1. Set the stage for your meditation with crystals and EO’s (optional)
There are many different crystals you can use to help you connect with your ancestors. Your energy is unique, so choose the crystals that have worked for you in the past or that you feel drawn to.
Here are 8 crystals that can help you connect to your inner wisdom and wisdom from your ancestors. Choose one or several of these stones to wear or place next to you for your meditation.
Lepidolite will help you get into a calm state and connect you to your third eye chakra, the center of intuition.
Celestite opens your energy to connect with the spiritual realm by helping you relax and transition into a dream state. Rose quartz a crystal of love, creates a safe and welcoming space for both you and the spirits. Amethyst helps to open your third eye chakra and can help you connect to your intuition.
Charoite will help you connect with your ancestors. It is another powerful stone for communicating with and channeling spirits. It helps you receive information from them using your intuition.
Blue Lace Agate raises your vibration to make a connection with the spirit world easier. It helps you connect with the spirits as it keeps you balanced, allowing you to receive messages without getting overwhelmed.
Selenite increases telepathy and opens the crown chakra, making it a great stone for spirit communication.
When using any of these crystals, make sure you also have obsidian, hematite, black kyanite, or black tourmaline for grounding and protection. These crystals will keep you safe and rooted to the Earth, leaving your mind and spirit free to wander.
You can also use essential oils in your meditation. Mix them with water for a mist to spritz around the area, dilute with a carrier oil such as coconut or olive oil, and massage into the skin, or even burn these scents as candles.
Here are a few essential oils to recruit for this meditation. Use one or all of them during your meditation.
Clary Sage for connection to the divine.
Rosemary for remembrance and love.
Cedarwood for purifying, grounding, and calming.
2. Start with the breath
Start with Nadi Sodhana, also called alternate nostril breathing, to balance the nadis, or energy channels, in the body. This breath brings you into the present moment, calms and centers the mind, and helps you release fear.
Sit in a comfortable seated position and place the left hand on the knee with the palm facing upward. This hand position creates an energy of receptivity. Place the index finger and middle finger of the right hand on the third eye center between the eyebrows, with the ring finger and pinky finger on the left nostril and thumb on the right nostril.
Throughout this breath, use the thumb to open and close the right nostril, and the ring finger and pinky finger for the left nostril. As you exhale, close the right nostril and breathe out of the left nostril. Inhale through the left nostril, and then close the left nostril to exhale through the right. Alternate breathing in this way for ten cycles of breath, holding your inhales and exhales steady and even.
3. Sink into Meditation.
Once you’re centered in a place of presence and balance, begin the meditation by taking a few deep, cleansing breaths. Follow these steps to tap into the wisdom of your ancestors for this meditation.
1. Visualize the support of the Earth underneath you, connecting you to the vast wisdom of Mother Nature. Feel her energy enter your body as you inhale, and run down the spine as you exhale.
2. Think about who you are and where you are in this moment. Remember that every part of you has been woven together by the fabric of your ancestors, the good and the bad. Their blood, their experiences, their pains, their joys all run through you and shape you.
3. Begin to visualize your family line, starting with a parent. Traditionally this is the father, but allow either parent to come to mind. Visualize them in front of you. As you inhale, they breathe the white-hot light of their wisdom within you. As you exhale, you breathe the white-hot light of your gratitude into them.
4. Ask if this spirit has anything they need to share with you.
5. Continue moving up your family line with this conversation, receiving knowledge, and offering gratitude by exchanging breath, taking as many breaths as you need with each spirit.
6. When you reach the end of your family line as you know it, sit in silence as long as you like and allow the messages to come to you. These can come in the form of images or sounds in your head, a feeling, or even a smell.
7. End with this simple phrase: “I thank all those who have helped shape and create me. I honor your divine wisdom.” Take a few moments after your meditation to let out your thoughts and emotions in a journal. Release anything that came up for you onto the page, and continue to sit with your crystals for as long as you need.
You can find meditations for the Wheel of the Year here.
Transitioning into the Darker Half of the Year with Yoga, Oils & Crystals
Since you started going to school at age 3 or 4, fall has always been a time of transition.The transitions have changed over the years as you’ve changed. You’re no longer starting a new year of school, but the transitions have gotten bigger and, oftentimes, scarier.A new apartment, a new job, a new partner, a new city, a plane ticket.These tools and grounding yoga poses will remind you that no matter what’s going on in your life as we transition into the darker half of the year, you are exactly where you are supposed to be. You have roots. You are safe. You can withstand any storm.
Since you started going to school at age 3 or 4, fall has always been a time of transition.
The transitions have changed over the years as you’ve changed. You’re no longer starting a new year of school, but the transitions have gotten bigger and, oftentimes, scarier.
A new apartment, a new job, a new partner, a new city, a plane ticket.
These tools and grounding yoga poses will remind you that no matter what’s going on in your life as we transition into the darker half of the year, you are exactly where you are supposed to be. You have roots. You are safe. You can withstand any storm.
Grounding
Grounding has two purposes. The first is to heal trauma, both physical and emotional, to allow you to release fear. The second purpose is to bring earthy energy into the system. For signs that you’re not grounded and how to fix that, check out this past blog post here.
These herbs, teas, oils, and yoga practice will serve both purposes. They will work to balance and cleanse the root chakra, which keeps us grounded and linked to the earth. When we lack sufficient root chakra energy we may feel ungrounded, question our value, feel scattered, or feel disconnected with ourselves and the Earth.
You can dive right into these poses, or you can incorporate grounding crystals, herbs, and oils into your practice. If you’re really feeling flighty, anxious, afraid, or scattered, I recommend taking extra time for yourself here for a full grounding practice.
Drink an Herbal Tea
Valerian, Lotus root, Hibiscus, and Hawthorn are all grounding roots. Besides their healing physical benefits, these herbs are known to release stress and calm anxiety. Try a tea blend with a few of these herbs or keep it simple with just one. Here are 3 healing DIY herbal tea blend recipes for you to try.
Incorporate Oils
Scent is a powerful way to introduce more grounding energy to the system. Lavender, rose, and chamomile are soothing oils that will help you heal trauma to release fear. Sandalwood and patchouli will increase the flow of earthy energy.
There are many different ways to use your oils. For your yoga practice, you’ll want to either dilute the oils with water and create a mist or dilute them with a carrier oil (such as olive oil or coconut oil) and massage the oil into your skin. Massaging the feet as part of your yoga can be incredibly powerful, especially with these grounding oils. Here are a few essential oil blends I love to use in rollerballs.
Set Out or Wear Your Crystals
Hematite, smoky quartz, shungite, jasper, snowflake obsidian, and prasiolite all create grounding energy.
Hematite is a highly protective stone. It helps to open your root chakra, eliminate negative energy, and create a more balanced and centered mind.
Smoky quartz is a good choice for those who find hematite to be too intense or heavy. Smoky quartz grounds and stabilizes while balancing the root chakra, but in a much more subtle and uplifting way than hematite.
Shungite is another powerful stone for balancing the root chakra, helping to bring all your negative energy and toxic thoughts to the surface to release that which does not serve you.
Jasper brings a strong Earthy energy to your practice, deepening your connection with Mother Earth.
Prasiolite is another powerful healing stone that helps you ground yourself to the energy of the Earth, remove negative energy, and replace it with positive energy.
Snowflake obsidian is a grounding and protective stone. It brings balance in the midst of chaos and helps remove negative energy as it draws emotions and toxic thought patterns to the surface. It is also conducive to entering a deep meditative state. For extra grounding, try wearing snowflake obsidian jewelry during your practice.
Roll Out Your Mat
Ancient yogis divided the life force energy, prana, into 5 energetic components known as Vayus. The apana vayu is the energy of elimination that flows downward and out. When you bring awareness and focus to this energy, it will help ground you.
We often direct too much energy upwards, spending too much time thinking and creating imbalance, stress, and lack of emotional stability and mental clarity. These yoga poses will all refocus your energy downward, back to the body and our connection to our home: Mother Earth.
Sukasana, Easy Pose
Begin your practice comfortably seated in sukasana, easy pose. Become conscious of your sit bones pressing into the mat.
Start by meditating on the root chakra bija, or seed, mantra: LAM. As you meditate, visualize the breath beginning at the base of the spine. As you inhale, the breath travels up the spine to the crown of the head, the crown chakra. As you exhale, the breath travels down to the base of the spine, grounding you and growing roots into the Earth.
You can say the mantra out loud, or simply repeat it to yourself quietly.
Virabhadrasana II, Warrior 2
Warrior 2 is an incarnation of Shiva, the destroyer. This pose will remind you of your strength and stability.
Create a firm foundation for this pose by visualizing the feet connecting to the earth. Feel the mat or ground underneath you and strengthen through the legs to send your roots into the earth. Continue to focus your energy downward with the root chakra breath, imagining now that the exhale sends the breath all the way down through the legs into the Earth.
Utkata Konasana, Goddess Pose
Goddess Pose, as the name suggests, is another pose of fierce strength. The pose represents the feminine force that birthed the Universe. The same energy inside you is the energy that created the Universe, and it is the energy that will carry you through this transition into the darker half of the year.
Allow the strength of the pose and the feminine energy it cultivates to bring you back to your center. What are your fears in this time of change? This is the time to reflect on them, and then release them.
Vrikshasana, Tree Pose
This pose improves both physical and mental balance, increases your ability to concentrate, and reminds you that you can bring peace and focus to all situations.
As you enter the pose, firmly ground down with your left foot. Press into each individual toe and through the four corners of the foot. Firm through the left leg, and feel the support of every muscle as you bend and lift the right leg to enter into the pose.
Imagine that you are a tree. You have survived rain, fire, and storms of all kinds, yet still, you stand. Picture the roots that grow from deep within the earth and wrap around your legs.
Malasana, Yogi Squat
This pose helps create strength and calms the body, mind, and spirit. As you inhale, lengthen through the spine. As you exhale, feel the energy of the breath flow down the spine from the crown of the head to the tailbone.
The apana energy this pose cultivates helps you release fear as you root down close to the Earth.
Adho Mukha Svanasana, Downward Facing Dog
How much time do we spend mindlessly in a downward facing dog, letting our minds wander? This pose is often repeated during yoga classes, which makes it easy to space out and spend the pose waiting for the “next thing.”
In this sequence, I encourage you not to do this. Spread through each finger and press firmly into the palms of the hands. Straighten and strengthen through the legs to push the heels closer to the mat.
My yoga teacher actually refers to downward facing dog as a standing pose. That’s how strong your legs should be! On each inhale, visualize the roots of the earth pulling the heels closer to the ground. On each exhale, picture the white-hot energy of the breath flowing down the spine.
As you end your practice, return to sukhasana. Feel the support of the earth beneath you, closing with this mantra:
“All is well. Everything is working out for your highest good. Out of this situation, only good will come, and you are safe.” -Louise Hay
In this season, we move from light to dark together, with the support of the Earth and the support of our yoga practice.
Namaste.
8 Simple Ways to ‘Be Here Now’
The present moment; that time in space where the magic happens. Life stops and everything seems perfect just as it is. All of it makes sense, if only for a moment. We’ve all felt this fleeting feeling, but how can we be here more often?I want to help you find freedom from the inner chatter of your brain and reach a new level of consciousness in the present moment. I’ve got 8 quick tips for you that will help you ‘be here now’ more often....Which is a BIG deal. These 8 tips can help turn your worry-filled moments at a stoplight into zen filled moments. I think we all need more of that!
The present moment; that time in space where the magic happens. Life stops and everything seems perfect just as it is. All of it makes sense, if only for a moment. We’ve all felt this fleeting feeling, but how can we be here more often?
I want to help you find freedom from the inner chatter of your brain and reach a new level of consciousness in the present moment. I’ve got 8 quick tips for you that will help you ‘be here now’ more often.
...Which is a BIG deal. These 8 tips can help turn your worry-filled moments at a stoplight into zen filled moments. I think we all need more of that!
1) 5-4-3-2-1 Technique
This one is my favorite go-to for when you are having an internal freak-out!! Let's put those anxiety attacks to rest! By recognizing your senses, you can gain control of your thoughts. Catch your breath and ground yourself in reality by way of your five senses!
Acknowledge 5 things you can SEE around you
Acknowledge 4 items you can TOUCH around you.
Acknowledge 3 things you can HEAR
Acknowledge 2 things you can SMELL
Acknowledge 1 thing you can TASTE
2) Yin Yoga
Turn it down a notch with this slow-paced form of yoga. Switch out one of your faster-paced yoga classes for a Yin class!
By incorporating this style of yoga into your routine, you will begin to find the beauty in your pause. Trust me, all the feels come to the surface when your body melts into pigeon pose for two minutes! When you move so quickly in all other areas of your life, yin allows you to just be still. Bonus, you’ll eventually start to notice this slowness creep into other areas of your life.
3) Walking Meditation
Are you so busy some days that you don’t even have a chance to sit down? This one is for you! It also means that means you have lots of opportunities to practice it too!
Thich Nhat Hanh suggests not focusing so much on where you are walking, but rather how you are walking. Walk with reverence. Try matching your inhales and exhales with your steps. Focus intently on how the ground feels under your feet and how your feet feel coming in contact with the ground. Imagine each of your steps as a nod to our Mother Earth.
4) Power of the Pause
There's power in the pause. Heated moments of anger, frustration, jealousy, and fear are some of the hardest times to live in the present moment. Acting on your first thought isn’t the best option and can leave you in a pit of resentment or regret. But, when you buy yourself this space, you create options.
Next time you have a flash of one of those powerful emotions try pausing before you react. Perhaps in the quiet moment of a pause, a new option for a reaction (or lack of reaction) will enter your mind? It’s certainly easier said than done, but practice truly does make perfect. Try turning the pause into one of your habits and see what happens!
5) Mindfulness Apps
Being in the present takes practice, especially in our fast-paced lifestyles. Mindfulness apps are perfect for building reminders into your fast-paced day.
I could easily write a full blog post about the magic of modern mindfulness apps! I’ve tried many and am happy to share some of my findings. Though many of these do have paid options or upgrade they’re all absolutely free to start out with!
My top 4 mindfulness app finds:
Lotus Bud: This simple app will offer gongs or buzzes at random times as reminders to focus on the present moment.
Calm: This app is more robust and has lots of great paid offerings. My favorite thing about it is the free “breathe” function it has on it that has a timer for inhaling, holding the breath, and exhaling.
Tibetan Bowls Meditation: The app is great for the more seasoned mindfulness practitioner. It offers a variety of singing bowl sounds that are great for on the spot self-guided meditations.
Headspace: This app is great if you’re new to meditation. It has short and helpful videos before each mediation that walk you through all the mindfulness know-how you’ll need to know and has a great 10-day free trial.
6) Tapping
Past traumas and losses can play a huge role in your ability to be present and can seem difficult to overcome. Practicing tapping can help you get out of “lizard brain” mode (the fear, fight or flight, part of your brain) and into the prefrontal cortex (the conscious decision-maker part of the brain).
I know this one might seem a bit odd, but I can tell you firsthand, it works! This is one of my favorite methods for calming down when I’m consumed by panic or anxiety.
My preferred method is to cross my arms and lightly tap opposite shoulders. This might not always be a good option, like if you’re in a busy meeting. If tapping your shoulders won’t work you can try lightly tapping back and forth on opposite thighs.
If you have a specific traumatic event you’re trying to work through try out the following steps for a simple tapping exercise:
Begin by tapping your left hand on your left thigh and then your right hand on your right thigh or by tapping opposite shoulders with your arms crossed.
Lightly tap left to right, left to right.
See the event. Acknowledge what you see, smell, hear, taste...as you relive that event.
Continue tapping left to right left to right.
Now replace the trauma with your “happy place” or a “circle of love.”
Use your five senses as you dive into your happy place.
Continue tapping left to right until you feel free from the bad memory and grounded in the present.
Pair this technique along with some breathing for a presence powerhouse!
7) Conscious Observation
This is a great tool for redirecting overactive mental energy. I can't tell you how many ceiling tiles I've counted in waiting rooms! Sometimes when we feel nervous about a situation we project all of the possible future outcomes, the good, the bad, and the ugly! Try taking your mind off of the unknown by observing something in your surroundings.
Find an object near you, it can be anything.
Observe the item, take in every inch of it.
Mentally note the color, size, and texture of every aspect of it (i.e. the pillow is brown, it looks soft to the touch, it has light vertical lines in it etc.).
Repeat with as many objects as you’d like.
8) Count Your Breaths
When you are overwhelmed, you sometimes forget to breathe! Instead of holding your breaths, count them! Depriving your body of oxygen can actually create anxiety. Take deep breaths to bring yourself back to the moment.
Inhale for 5 counts through your nose
Hold for 3 counts
Exhale for 5 counts through your mouth
I like counting on my fingers by touching the top of my thumb to the top of each finger for each count. Add in your favorite calming essential oil for added benefits!
I hope you’re able to snag a few of these for your tool chest. Now you’ve got a mindfulness tip for every day of the week, and an extra for good measure! There are more tips for staying the moment than there is room on this blog, if you have a favorite I’d love to hear about it, send me a message on Instagram.
