To Engage is to Empower: A Power Yoga Theme
“What you engage with is what you empower” — Brianna Wiest
I was listening to Brianna Wiest’s podcast a couple weeks ago, and I came across this quote. It has really resonated with me. She discusses “joy extinguishers” and that so many people engage in things that ultimately extinguish their positivity because there is a limit to our comfortability to having too much joy in our lives. Wow — this has been true throughout my life. It is like self-sabotage. Past relationships, alcohol, friends that diminished me, the list could go on. Yes -those have been a few of my past joy extinguishers.
We have to choose how and when and who or what we engage with — are we engaging in things that help us grow or engaging in things that limit our growth?
When we engage with creativity, people that are driven, feelings that put us on a path of growth, we are empowering growth in our own lives. Whatever we choose to engage in we bring power to within our lives. Whether it is our yoga practice, a relationship, or an idea — to engage it is to empower it.
Energetic Focus: As you practice today, I ask you to set your intention for this practice. What will you empower? What will you engage or even disengage from?
“What you engage with is what you empower”
Physical focus: Engage your legs. Our legs contain some of the most powerful muscles within our body and create stability for our bodies. I will cue you to engage the muscles in your legs and focus on your legs within the sequence of poses as well as give some options to challenge these muscles. Engaging your legs empowers your entire body.
What will you empower? What will you engage in or disengage from?
Poses to cue leg strength:
Extended mountain — come up on your toes and back down — three times; bring strength in your ankles and affirm your sense of balance.
Upward facing dog — front of thighs off the ground
Chair pose — squeeze block between your knees (in Sun B); thighs are parallel to the ground.
Crescent lunge- come down in your knee and lift your back thigh to the ceiling.
Extended side angle — try the bind, bird of paradise.
Chair pose to half chair pose
Half-moon — try the bind.
Pyramid — both hands on lower back, soften knees, engage legs.
Standing leg raise (Extended hand to toe pose) — You’ll feel this stretch from your glutes to the heel of your lower leg. Extending your lifted leg also engages the quads while it also stretches the back of your leg.
Tree — Press your right foot and left leg into each other.
Bridge or wheel — lift one leg then the other.
Waterfall personal share:
“What you engage with is what you empower”
As a public-school special education teacher this statement rings very true. When I engage my students, I empower their learning, their curiosity, their discussion. It can be totally magical and fulfilling. But there are also the times to disengage. If I engage in a back-and-forth argument, I empower. If I engage a student that wants negative attention, I empower that student. So sometimes disengaging is the right choice. Responding versus reacting. This is such an important thing for me to practice in my profession, in my life with people, ideas and even on my mat. What I engage with is what I empower. This is one of the very reasons I am here standing in this room. I choose to engage in the practice of yoga in order to empower myself and hopefully others because I know this puts me over my upper limit of joy and has led to tremendous growth within myself.
Savasana
