Awaken the Goddess within
To awaken the Goddess within means to reconnect to our feminine qualities, which are an essential part of each one of us. In this dynamic, masculine world, we often disconnect or neglect this part of us, due to so many things; from adjustments we make to accommodate others or adapt to the world around us, to fears and inherent beliefs, creating an imbalance and drifting further away from our essence. She waits for us to play out the roles we take on - the girl, rebel, tomboy, seductress, victim, overbearing mother, symbiotic partner. She’s always there, waiting patiently to shine her light.
Awakening the Shakti invokes so much power, but the feminine kind - the power of creation.
But what are those feminine qualities?
I always see them as the reflection of the Great Goddess - Mother Earth. She is, after all, the Great Mother, giver of life. She is the nurturer, sustaining that life. She is compassionate and kind but can be fierce when something is out of balance, always working towards equilibrium. She creates a constant cycle of change; birth, death, and rebirth, letting all which needs to perish, perish so she can grow anew. She is an amazing creator and the most exquisite artist. Just think of all the shapes, colours, scents, tastes she creates. She paints the most beautiful paintings and sculpts the most beautiful sculptures. We are her children, and her qualities are resonating in each one of us. Awakening the Goddess within means invoking those powerful qualities of creation, nurturing, creativity. Below are some ideas on what we can do to connect that Shakti power within.
Connect to the here and now
Give yourself the gift of slowing down. Drop your to-do lists, Xmas shopping lists, and make this time about slowing down and spending time doing what you love, not feeling that you need to meet yet another deadline. Instead, donate to charity or a cause you support and spend the extra time doing more fulfilling things. Rushing is a masculine quality. Feminine energy is slow and mindful.
Connect to your compassionate self
Kindness and compassion are qualities we can nurture once we, energetically, get out of the more self-indulging phase, which is an important part of growing up. Nature has cleverly intended our bodies release all those hormones during puberty so we can work on our self-empowerment. However, once we grow up and set off into adulthood, we start to be more mindful and caring of others around us (shifting from the 3rd into the 4th and higher chakras). Goddesses are grown kind and compassionate women, not girls. Reflect on how much do you share and give to others? Is there someone in your life needing extra care? How can you be more kind and compassionate to yourself and others? Is there someone you need to forgive? Gandhiji said that forgiveness is the attribute of the strong, and if anything, Goddesses are strong, compassionate women.
Connect to your beautiful self
Every Goddess sometimes gets lost in the role of being a mother, partner, daughter, sister, and can forget her own needs, so it is important she takes time to pamper herself. Take a bath, go for a massage or a beauty treatment. Spend some time cooking healthy and nourishing meals for yourself and your family. Your body is your Goddess temple, treat it as such. Dress up sometimes. If you are, like me, spending a lot of time at home in leggings or comfy clothes, put on a dress every once in a while and go out for dinner. Pandemic should not stop a Goddess to wear something nice, put on makeup and her favourite perfume! If you can't go out, have a dress-up dinner date at home;).
Connect to the water element
Water is Goddesses favourite element. Water is adaptable and fluid, creative in finding it’s way. You can connect to those qualities in many ways - spontaneous dancing like the Five Rhythms, etc, but also with a watery yoga practice, exploring fluidity and spontaneity, connecting to the sensuality of your body/mind. Water can also be calm, so enjoy a long restorative practice at the end.
And yes, Goddesses can also be fierce, but this is the time to take that armor off and drop into your softness.
Connect to the artist within
Creativity is the way of the Goddess, so finding time to do something creative will reconnect you to the Goddess within. Whether it's writing, painting, drawing, pottery, macrame (my new favorite), refurbishing your home, gardening, or creating a new recipe, it doesn't matter. Doing something creative and learning a new skill is fulfilling on all levels. Goddesses don’t waste time staring at screens, they much more prefer spending their time creating something out of nothing.
Connect with other Goddesses
Connecting with your tribe is important for every Goddess. The women in our lives are a source of inspiration and strength. Creating women’s circles or attending them, meeting or in other ways communicating with your Goddess friends, mothers, sisters will (re)connect you to that feminine spark within. My Goddesses friends are a source of so much inspiration, and it is so important to have that in your life. Collaborate with other Goddesses, celebrate them, support them. A Goddess does not believe in competition.
Connect to Mama Nature
As it gets colder in the Northern Hemisphere, we tend to stay indoors more, but going out every day, getting some fresh air as well as reconnecting to the beauty of Mama Nature and life itself, is something we should do every day. But you can also go to Her for comfort, answers, and inspiration. And she will never disappoint.
Nina Vukas
Spanda Institute Founder
E-RYT 500, RPYT, YACEP, Body-oriented Psychotherapist
Nina is a founder of Spanda Institute, Program Director and a Lead Teacher for Advanced Study Programs. She has been a Yoga practitioner since 1998, started teaching full time in 2005, and has been educating yogis on their journey towards becoming Yoga Teachers, as well as educating Yoga Teachers to advance their knowledge and teaching skills since 2009 Nina is also a Somatic Psychotherapist, Mindfulness and Meditation teacher, and forever a student. Currently, she is studying Psychology as well as Yoga Therapy.
