Goddess To The Rescue

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October 19, 2016

Every Saturday I attend yoga class but it’s not just any old yoga class. It’s Goddess class. Our teacher calls on one of the ancient Goddesses during class and has us all join her, while holding our Goddess pose. We may call on Kali to conquer our fears or Aditi to overcome obstacles we are facing. Goddess To The Rescue!

Just look at the power in the Goddess (Fierce) pose (pictured above). The legs, abdominal and arms all firing and increasing blood flow, generating heat and with that our own physical power.

This class is affectionately referred to as ‘Goddess class’ although it’s not named that on the schedule. Our teacher has introduced us to some of the ancient Hindu Goddesses and their perceived powers. I don’t know about you, but I could use some help some days and I like to think I could channel the powers of a chosen Goddess. That got me to thinking that my Escapees could probably benefit from calling on the power of a Goddess or two.

A Goddess is defined as a female deity. Also, as a woman with power that many adore.

I’d like to share with you some of the ancient Goddesses not just from Indian mythology but Nordic and perhaps some Celtic. You may want to call on one or two or you may recognize some Goddess power in yourself…let’s begin with a few of the Hindu Goddesses that my teacher often refers to in class;

Ancient Hindu Goddesses:

Kali -Also known as Dark Mother. She conquers fears and represents freedom gained by conquering your fears. Call on her when you need to rid yourself of fear and tap into love instead. Free yourself from your limitations.

Lakshmi – Goddess of abundance, spiritual and material wealth. Call on her when you’re worried about lack, loss and trying to get by on less.

Aditi – First mother. Goddess of space and infinity. She protects us from demons and helps us over come obstacles. You have some Aditi in you if you are a natural nurturer, patient, nonjudgmental and know when to let go of those you nurture. If you are looking for assistance in your parenting role, call on Aditi.

Parvarti– Goddess of love. Also know as ‘she of the mountain’ since she came from the mountains. Often she carries a bow or trident. If you require devotion to your work, partner or creative endeavors, call on Parvarti. Her archetype is the nun which certainly explains the level of devotion Parvarti symbolizes.

Although there are no ‘divorce’ Goddesses, summoning the Warrior Goddesses in you will certainly help you stay strong through the process. Again, calling to your Warrior goddess would be perfect while holding in Warrior 1 pose, seen below.

image source the wellnessblog

Channeling strength through the tips of the fingers, reaching for the sky, glancing up with an open heart, incredibly strong legs and balance make a beautiful pose to focus on your Warrior Goddess.

Warrior Goddesses:

Athena-Greek Goddess of war and wisdom, known for her strategy and intelligence rather than brutal strength. She uses no weapons. Call on her to endure long battles using common sense and perseverance.

Kali-I’ve already mentioned her but it’s worth noting that she is a fierce warrior. She is described as having angry eyes, long hair, 4 arms to better destroy her attackers and carries a sword. “In her hands she carries a sword and a severed head showing not only her demon slaying capabilities but her capacity to cut away the ego. One hand is also held out as a blessing to liberate people from maya (illusion of the nature of reality.)”-GoddessGuide.com

More Goddesses:

Aphrodite – the Greek Goddess of Love. Call on her when you need to revisit your physical beauty, attraction and charm. She is also considered a water goddess and comes from the Ocean. Too much Aphrodite can be a risky power though, so always temper your inner aphrodite with good judgment.

Let’s look at one of the moon goddesses. We’ve had an interesting moon calendar the last few months so it seems timely to examine our moon goddess and see what she can do. Besides, I’ve always been fascinated with the powers of the moon and all things lunar.

Epona-the Celtic horse goddess, protector of horses and horsemen. She is linked to the Greek Goddess, Lady Godiva. She is also considered the goddess of magic, fertility and feminine power. Legend has it that she comes to you at night in your dreams and you’ll awaken to the receding sound of horse hooves. Not sleeping well at night? Call on Epona to bring you magical dreams and tap into your feminine power, giving you strength for a new day.

Wouldn’t we all like to feel young even as we age? Divorce can sure take its toll but the liberation can also revive our youthful feeling. If you need to tap into your inner child channel Nordic Goddess of Youth, Idunn.

Idunn-Nordic Goddess of Youth is a beautiful maiden, married to the Bragi, God of Poetry. Her name means “she who renews”. Known for her generosity, trust and naivety, she can bring you the magic of childhood dreams. If you want to get back in touch with the little girl in your soul, summon Idunn to help fulfill your dreams.

You can summon your needed Goddess through Goddess or Warrior poses, simple meditation, lighting a candle and finding silence, or reciting a mantra of your own.

What do you need? Summon your Goddess to over come obstacles, fear and find freedom. You will enjoy abundance and find love with the help of Lakshmi and Parvarti. Summon the goddess of the moon to protect you from bad dreams, summon your inner Warrior Goddess through Athena or Kali to help you through your conflicts and battles. Our Goddess of choice can empower us and remind us that she is within all of us when we need her. Send her a message and find that you are strengthened and emboldened by her presence in your heart and physical strength.

You are the Goddess.

Images of Goddesses on Pinterest

5 Gentle Yoga Poses To Do Everyday

yoganonmous

365 Day Goddess: A Daily Guide To The Magic and Inspiration of The Goddess

images are used with permission.

beauty/courage/health/love/yoga

28 Comments

Charlotte
March 28, 2017 at 8:07 pm
I need to channel my inner KalI <3 thank you so much for sharing this again, Lisa. Wonderful to reconnect with these strong powerful women and learn about some of the Norse, Celtic, etc goddesses.

Xoxo
- lisa
  March 29, 2017 at 1:14 pm
  Me, too charlotte. I could use her about now. Thanks for visit, my friend!
Charlotte
November 3, 2016 at 8:17 am
LOVE this and love these poses. I really need to channel my inner goddess (funny, I just typed “goodess” that seems to fit, too!) more often. There’s a meditation circle in town each week that I’ve been meaning to go to and that’s a very big part of their ritual. Thanks so much for sharing, Lisa 🙂
- lisa
  November 3, 2016 at 5:02 pm
  Goodess works too 🙂 Interesting. Try that meditation circle and let me know how it goes. Thanks for stopping over, Charlotte!
Jane Thrive
October 26, 2016 at 4:37 pm
Thanks, Lisa! What a great post. And…I could really use some Kali powers right now… 🙁

p.s. I love yoga! I did pregnant lady yoga when i was preggers with DD1…

p.p.s. I watched the last half of the 3rd episode of Divorce and it was still good and less traumatizing for me than the 2nd one! 🙂
- lisa
  October 27, 2016 at 9:29 am
  I’m sending you some Kali powers, Jane! Yoga would be a great exercise during pregnancy. Glad to hear you liked ‘Divorce’ better in the third episode. I did, too. That was the therapy episode? It was actually quite funny. The ending almost had me feeling teary—then it ended on a humorous note. 🙂
Kimberly
October 26, 2016 at 11:10 am
YES!
I think all women should be channeling their inner goddess – recognizing the strength and warrior within. I would absolutely love to be able to do yoga more. Unfortunately I’m physically limited. I did take a yoga that’s for “bad backs”. It was quite the sight. When I entered the class, it was full of elderly people. I was 23 years old at the time and had a back brace on. They were like so limber! I could hardly get up off the floor. An older woman asked if I needed help. I was laughing. I wish that someone had video taped it. I did go back though because it was relaxing. I just can’t afford it. WHOA! expensive!
- lisa
  October 27, 2016 at 9:27 am
  Hi Kim, Yes, we all have a Goddess inside when we need her. Your yoga story is hilarious! Yoga can be expensive. Shop around because the prices really vary. I pay the same per yoga class as I do at the local rec centre for fitness class, so it’s not a bad price. It really is therapeutic. 🙂
Robert Bennett
October 25, 2016 at 10:53 pm
You say Goddess, I think Athena. I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for her (not that she’d like that). Something about her character has always just captured me from the old tales.
- lisa
  October 26, 2016 at 5:18 pm
  Athena is probably the most infamous of all! I can understand why. She conquers all 🙂
My Inner Chick
October 25, 2016 at 4:36 pm
FEMALE
Empowerment.
That’s what I live for!
Thank you for the interesting Goddesses’
Lisa! xxxx
- lisa
  October 26, 2016 at 5:17 pm
  Yes, Kim. So glad you loved this! You are a Goddess xo
Donna Merrill
October 25, 2016 at 4:02 pm
Wow Lisa,

I knew of a few of these but it is so interesting to read about all the goddesses. Kali was always one of my favorites. I love that pose in the picture because it shows grounding, power and birth to me. I have to give that one a try.

-Donna
- lisa
  October 26, 2016 at 11:41 am
  The Goddesses are fascinating. I had not read anything about them until earlier this year. I’m happy this post is resonating with my readers and hoping to instill some of the ancient powers for our own benefit. Thanks for stopping by, Donna!
Mabel Kwong
October 25, 2016 at 2:08 am
This is such an enlightening post about the different female goddesses out there, and I especially like how you featured female Indian deities. They certainly have their place in history and today. I’ve heard about goddess Parvarti from my Indian friends when I lived in Singapore. Devotion is such an important trait to have, because it leads to determination and with determination, you can achieve anything.

Good on you for going to yoga class each weekend. I haven’t attempted yoga before but have friends who do. They say it is more than just physical power, but it also takes a lot of mental concentration to strike certain poses. Not for the faint-hearted 🙂
- lisa
  October 26, 2016 at 11:40 am
  Hi Mabel, yes yoga is definitely a discipline. It’s uncomfortable but mentally I have to overcome that and think of strength. I hadn’t even heard of the Hindu Goddesses until this teacher referred to their power at class. Always learning new things…that’s what life’s about. 🙂
Marie Kléber
October 24, 2016 at 6:43 am
Would love to read more about Goddess Lisa. It’s interesting.
These yoga poses are really powerful. We should always get in touch with Goddess inside us whenever we feel like in need of power to overcome fears, doubts and anything that tear us down.
Take care!
- lisa
  October 26, 2016 at 11:38 am
  Yes, I agree. Yoga is an exercise that’s equally mental and physical…well, I guess many sports are too. Thanks, Marie!
Balroop Singh
October 21, 2016 at 8:33 pm
Hi Lisa,

Love the way you have listed these goddesses…what a tribute to female power!

I think the goddesses were created to assign the much needed respect to females…despite the hypocrisy and worship…much has remained the same, especially Goddess Lakshmi, who is the harbinger of wealth and when a girl child is born, people say…”Lakshmi has come” but the same girl is expected to bring a lot of dowry in the form of cash and kind and gold for the groom and his family even if he is highly educated, sometimes more than the groom and might be earning more than him!! Many brides are harassed and even killed for not bringing enough dowry.
This is the other side of societal hypocrisy, which I have seen around me for almost 50 years! Worship the idol but condemn the living!
- lisa
  October 23, 2016 at 4:12 am
  That is a disturbing paradox! It’s an important topic though and I thank you for bringing it up. That is a lot of pressure young women are under in your culture. We Westerers don’t understand it yet the worship vs. Exploitation of women is an ongoing paradox here but in a different way. All the more reason for us women to learn about the strength of the Goddesses and to know that we have a little of that in us. Thanks, Balroop for your thoughtful comment.
Tamara
October 20, 2016 at 1:56 pm
My sister is a master yogi and talks often of these goddesses. I can’t help but want to learn it all.
We must all channel our inner goddess!
- lisa
  October 20, 2016 at 10:06 pm
  Hey Tamara, oh yes, I’ve seen some of the pics of your sis in her poses. She is amazing! We can definitely channel our inner goddess!
Liv
October 19, 2016 at 6:11 pm
Wow Lisa – it’s fantastic when you find a yoga instructor who just fits isn’t it? It makes all other instructors pale in comparison.
- lisa
  October 20, 2016 at 10:06 pm
  Hey Liv, yes it’s great to feel that connection. Actually all the teachers at the studio are really awesome. Goddess class is special though and unique. Just love her!
Chrys Fey
October 19, 2016 at 1:53 pm
I’ve always been fascinated by goddesses of different cultures and appreciate your overview of the ones you highlighted in your post.

I like the idea of a Goddess class, but I wouldn’t be able to even get into that Goddess pose with my limitations. I can’t do many yoga poses, actually.
- lisa
  October 20, 2016 at 10:04 pm
  Thanks, Chrys. I hadn’t given Goddesses much thought until this yoga teacher. I think any one of these Goddesses would be an inspiration for a heroine.
Shantala
October 19, 2016 at 1:46 pm
Wow! Quite the concept. Channel your inner Goddess! Also, I was of-course familiar with the Indian Goddesses, but had not heard of the others. Personally feel the warrior Goddesses are pretty cool. 🙂
- lisa
  October 20, 2016 at 10:01 pm
  Hi Shantala, I agree, the Warrior Goddesses are pretty cool 😀