Awaken your inner force: Fierce mama yoga practice
7When I was growing up, my mom never cared for action flicks or end-of-the-world type movies. She used to say: “I would not be the one to survive an alien invasion or a robot takeover.” However, when it came to me and my sisters, she was clear: ”I would fight for my cubs till my last dying breath”. So this is the image of fierce mama that I grew up with – the kind of feminine force that would protect and defend her children no matter what.
The image of the Hindu goddess Durga represents just that. She is the essence of maternal protection and fierceness that comes from deep unconditional love. This fierceness is not anger and not superficial posturing, but rather deep inner force that is awakened when there is injustice toward the vulnerable.
We tend to think that we should come out of meditation calm and serene, but it is not always what we need. Sometimes we need to generate energy and cultivate laser focus to build inner fierceness and propel us into action. When I feel that way, I do some version of the practice below. This practice contains movement, pranayama, chanting and meditation, but the main goal of the practice is to gradually build the powerful inner force that can be directed into the world for the greater good. The practice has many different layers and is rather complex, so it may not do its magic the very first time you try it, but over time it carries great potential for inner transformation.
Join Sequence Wiz to customize this practice to your liking. Choose your poses, enter the instructions and you are done! See it in action >
This practice has been added to Sequence Wiz home yoga practice app. You can find it under Mental-emotional state > Anxious/Fearful > 40-60 minutes. Learn more about the app >
Thank you. Understanding about the fierce mama in me is exactly what I needed.The Hindu Goddess Durga is real!
Agreed! I am glad you found it useful
Thank you Olga for such a nice routine. You are an angel to us. I am from Kolkata, India. We celebrate the homecoming of Maa Durga for 5 days during Durga puja. So centering a practice around the fierceness of Maa Shakti was so close to my heart and really enjoyed it. May Maa Durga bless you and your family. Can you suggest a well-rounded practice which will take care of every parts of the body? I don’t have any pain/ailments as such but I am quite anxious/nervous by nature.
Hi Sunny, thank you for your lovely comment! It is extremely rewarding for me to hear that this practice was enjoyable to someone like you, who has an existing connection to Maa Durga. Yey! And thank you for reminding me about a well-rounded yoga practice. I have one recorded, just not processed yet, and I forgot all about it
I’ll speed up the process and will try to put it up soon!
Thank you for your reply. Do you think practicing more forward bends and twists and doing a breath-centered yoga practice can alleviate anxiousness/nervousness? I get nervous and angry quite easily.
Love the sequence, Olga – can you say something about the meaning of the chants?
That’s great to hear Frankie! The first chant (Om Aim, Hrim, Shrim Namah) is meant to awaken the third eye, throat and heart chakras, and the second chant Tanno Devi Prachodayat is a variation of Gayatri mantra specifically for Goddesses. It is part of a longer mantra for Durga that asks for her protection.