Empowerment

The dictionary offers this definition:
“The process of gaining freedom and power to do what you want to do, or to affect what happens to you. OR the process of giving a group of people more freedom and rights.”

One of the first concepts that drew me to yoga was the idea that Power was within me… I did not have to earn it, I did not have to get it from someone else, but that it WAS me…stored in there somewhere…Even when I couldn’t feel it at all.

Yoga teaches us we have this FREEDOM. In fact it’s not something we have, but WHO we are. Pure, creative, limitless, Divine Intelligence. This freedom at the Source of who we are, is never absent, and ALWAYS full of Grace. This Power and creative energy does not just exist for a lucky few, but innately resides as an essence in each and every one regardless of age, color, gender, or race.

Sometimes we “feel” so stuck in our lives that the concept of freedom is unimaginable. How can this possibly be true when we are struggling on so many levels and some struggling just to survive?! Some individuals/groups of people also have the challenge of collective consciousness and repression (such as racism, prejudice or sexism) which makes it even more difficult to break free. It is extra hard to believe in who you are when you have the rest of the world telling you different.

The truth is, that we consist of vibratory energy and awareness. Energy can never truly be “Stuck”. It may feel this way sometimes, but there is ALWAYS a way into a deeper reality, because, YOU ARE THAT.

Our true power is most often hidden. It exists in the subtle Truth of your energy body and breath. It is the Formless reality of who you are, your birthright, and the creative source within. This formless awareness IS what gives birth and possibility to all form. The source of all manifestation. (You had to be that twinkle in your Mama’s eye right? You have to think it before you do it right??

We see patterns spiral from Formless to Form and from Form to Formlessness again and again in all of nature. When we are blocked from our inner power, it is because we become overly invested in this world of form. With 95% of our available energy locked into what we can taste, touch, see, and feel, we become convinced by the outer “reality” we focus on. This “hard evidence”, along with loosing connection to our inner selves, is what causes us to forget who we are. We become the limitations we focus on (what we’ve been told, what our bank account looks like, what we’ve seen our parents do etc).

We have been trained to put our focus on this external reality and have even adopted phrases like “you have to see it to believe it”. Some people hold the perspective that if you believe in anything you can’t see, you are a “dreamer” or you have your “head in the clouds” etc.

To believe in only what we see, is a very dangerous and limited view, and one that is based in FEAR. When one is totally absorbed and invested in only the outer world of form, life becomes highly vulnerable. Suddenly, it is necessary to protect and preserve outer circumstances at all costs. We define ourselves by what we look like, what we have, and what we do.

You probably know by now, that “the only constant is CHANGE”. This observance is true, but exclusively relates to the outer world of form alone. This is why it is so important to know what is beneath the surface of change and form. TO KNOW YOUR DEEPER Self, beneath the form, which is the FREE, changeless, limitless, PRESENCE and creative Source.

HEREIN lies the invitation of yoga. To uncover, and connect with the inner power of awareness. To KNOW it, To VALUE it . To see it as Divine. WE can use this inner power of awareness to uplift others and serve the world. What a joy. This is the Bliss of recognition, You have the power to do what you want to do, and to affect change. All people have this freedom and right.

The laws of karma (cause and effect) direct how we experience life, as well as how we feel while we are living it. We can’t control everything that happens, but we can control what we do with what happens. There is always a way to live skillfully. We can avoid so much unnecessary suffering for ourselves and others when we know we have CHOICE and greater possibility.

YOU have a unique purpose. You change the world, just by being in it.

Do you feel connected to your power?

Are you consciously creating your life?

In Patanjali’s Kriya Yoga, he outlines some important steps to engage possibility and evolve your personal power.

Sankalpa (Intention) is the first step. This is sourced in the UNSEEN reality of inner desire, or the longing of heart.

WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM LIFE? Who do you want to be? What is your deepest desire?

The Yogi’s of yesterday dared to ask themselves these big, important questions, and so can you. If you are unclear about what you really want, it is impossible to move in that direction. You have the right and creative freedom to CHOOSE.

The next outlined steps are as follows:
– Vivek (discernment) To see clearly (Vivek) what is actually happening. Sometimes we need to undergo a certain amount of cleansing to even get close to a clear reflection. (this is what yoga and Ayurveda are about by clearing the muck and blockages that obscure clear sight, and open up energy flow and perspective.
– Ishvara Pranidhana To accept what is: Cultivate compassion and surrender to Love.
REMEMBER (recommit) to your Intention -What you want (Sankalpa)
– Action. Take a step from where you are. -Any small step will do as long as you take the step. Wanting isnt enough. We must activate our desires with action. Work toward your goal, yet release the outcome.

REPEAT.

To effect change in your life and redirect toward empowerment, a yogic “prescription” is to cycle through these stages of noticing, accepting, planning, and acting.

Every time you criticize yourself you weaken your resolve and build stronger patterns around your limitations. Self criticism weakens your power and keeps you blocked in your potential.

We tend to cycle through deeply ingrained patterns over and over again. Everytime we do, we have the opportunity to observe and recognize these places we are stuck, access what is real / what is the Truth, and refine how we align with our deeper Truth. Like the rings of a tree, we keep expanding. A teacher of mine once said “The highest aspiration of life is to GROW”. In this way we remember who we are.

To step into your light, to see its power, to know it’s worth, and to shine brightly within yourself is the REAL work, and it is work! Then, you can use your light to uplift and ADD to the world around you in every way.

When we know the beauty of who we are, we can recognize this same light and beauty in others, but not until then. Love, magic, wholeness and freedom exists within each one of us RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW. Namaste! When we forget, and we will…We need to remind each other. This is why to truly evolve, we MUST keep good company. Connect yourself with people who are moving in the same direction.

May all Beings be FREE

May all Beings know LOVE

May all Beings know the light of their True Self

Peace, Peace, Peace

Hari Om Tat Sat.

With Much love,
Andrea