Women Empowerment and Yoga
When we first start yoga we are constantly looking at the other people in the room and thinking “wow I wish I could do that, like the girl in the first row”. We judge ourselves compared to the other students, wishing that our body was capable of doing things that people that have been practicing yoga for 10 years can accomplish. We beat ourselves up trying to look like the cover of the Yoga Journal magazine not thinking about how it is affecting our bodies or our minds.
The power of media is now stronger then ever these days with Instagram Yogis more like models then real people. Trying to get that perfect look to get more likes, more followers and become influencers on Instagram.
It is almost like we are actors not yogis any more. But there can be empowerment in that too. The Instagram you is not the real you. You can make yourself up however you like – play it like a movie. Empower yourself. Strike a pose! Vogue.
Over time as we age and continue or yoga practice we realize that it is ok to be who we are, to have our bodies the way they are and have less of a need to make the perfect yoga pose. In our practice we work with what we are capable of, what is in our grasps but still striving to perhaps go a little further but being conscious of our limitations. There is so much power in knowing who you are, where you can go in your practice and not caring about the flexible dancer in the first row. They are great to look at but they too have insecurities and we are all the same in the end.
Spending 4 days doing a VOGA course at the studio made me realize my own insecurities of trying to teach something new. I wasn’t the expert teacher, I was the student trying to teach a fitness, dance, yoga, voguing class to 80s music. It wasn’t just teaching, it was teaching to an 8-count music beat, very different from classical yoga. There were dancers in the room that got it very quickly and I felt frustrated that I couldn’t let go and get it and be sexy. But by the last day, with a complete makeover and 80s makeup I got it. I felt empowered, sexy and ready to teach and put on a show. No need to think about the other students I was in my realm. Sometimes we just need a little costume change to make ourselves feel empowered. And now every time I teach Voga I will dress the part and be the Madonna I need to be and do it right.
The final empowerment came when all the Voguettes were walking the beaches of Barcelona in 80s outfits for our 2 hour photoshoot. Striking poses and feeling sexy.
If you want to feel more empowered read about VOGA
Think Vogue. Think Yoga.
By Heather