I started out a lusty baby full of life, or at least that is what my mother says. I went straight from bum shuffles to walking, from wetting my pants once as a toddler to never wetting them again. Fierce from day one… but what about those days when I’m not?
Pushing oneself through the postures and mindset of yoga sometimes requires us to be fierce, to face the physical challenges or the mental blocks that seem to stop us from achieving our goals. We need to dig deep into that fierceness.
A recent coaching session with one of my favourite yogis gave me insight that I know I had put on a shelf, forgetting to embrace that side of me with love and not fear. As my coach was located in Hawaii, she referenced Pele and Kali. Pele (pronounced peh-leh) the goddess of fire, lightning, wind, dance and volcanoes is a well-known character in Hawaiian history as a passionate, volatile, and capricious, just as Kali is in history.
Kali, described as “She-Who-Shapes-The-Sacred-Land” in ancient Hawaiian chants, the volcano goddess. What my yogi suggested to me was to embrace my Kali/Pele side – to get back to being fierce, full of power and life, to let it wrap me with warmth and security as I make decisions to affect my life, my business, my relationships including the one I was having with my mat and my meditation practice.
I’ve been mired with conflict around my business, my family, and feeling pulled away or disconnected from my practice. My normal fierceness and energy presence has been waning and it challenges me to be present for my business or to stay motivated amongst the hurdles that keep appearing at a rapid pace right now. Sound familiar? My logical brain knows this is common amongst entrepreneurs but I also know that we can take charge of these and not let the craziness of the times take control – we ultimately have a choice.
I recently saw this quote based on a Polish Proverb, when you are feeling drawn into all that craziness and drama of others surrounding you – just remember “Not my circus, not my monkeys.”
I need to remain the tamed lion to accomplish my daily tasks but to be reminded to free the wild lion, to roam where I need to – whether to the beach, the mountains or my mat – and to embrace the fierceness that brought me into this world and will take me to the next. To roar when I need the release and to focus on what is there in my reflection and to embrace my fierce inner strength.
I’m learning to bring back the fierceness of my inner Lion, the Leo that I am, who is not content to play a docile house cat, but will take solace in the time spent on the mat in Savasana.
Header image courtesy of Dave Seidel
Deborah Peniuk is a dream travel maker and health and wellness retreat specialist, soon to launch Food and Wellness Escapes. She enjoys food, travel, music, yoga and good humans.
For more information on Deborah, please visit www.aya-life.com or www.lifeblissandallofthis.com.