Yoga is without a doubt a powerful practice. It has always intrigued me that in yoga there are poses that are named for warriors. Dynamic yoga practices like Ashtanga, Rocket, even Vinyasa (or combination styles simply named Power yoga or Dynamic yoga) flourish within a practice that is about finding peace and focus.
The more you practice or teach, the more we are aware that the strength, flexibility and balance that are the physical focus in yoga poses are qualities to take off the yoga mat into daily life.
Being physically strong and flexible makes us look and feel powerful, confident, as well as ensuring that we build strong immune systems, and create a body that is healthy and moves with ease and grace. When we challenge our perceptions of what we are capable of physically, we also bring those elements of strength, flexibility and balance inwards.
Inner strength. The ability to move flexibly through whatever life throws at us. A balanced approach to life. We don't have to be doing contortions or be precariously balanced to have those things - but by bringing our focus to our physical selves in our yoga practice, we can move inwards and access those most powerful parts of our selves, something we can take away from the mat.
Some poses make us feel powerful for different reasons - I love the slow controlled descent into chaturanga / high to low plank, or the solidity of a forearm stand, but equally feel strong and grounded in crow pose, a standing balance, or even sitting in lotus. It is so personal, and my yoga power pose changes according to what else is going on in my life.
I've teamed up with luxe sportswear retailer, Active In Style who are running a great competition - simply upload an image of your #yogapowerpose to your social media by 27th July - choose from Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest or a combo. Make sure to tag @ActiveInStyle in your post and caption and have the chance to win a £200 gift voucher for Active In Style. Tag me too using my @yogawithzaz handle (@yogamamazee on Twitter) so that I can look out for your posts! If you need further information on the competition, you can find it here.
** Until end of August 2016, get 20% off any purchase made from the Active In Style yoga section (excluding sale items) using code YOGAWITHZAZ **