Connect to your feminine energy with these six therapies says Becky Holden
Connect to your feminine energy with these six therapies says Becky Holden. masculine and feminine energy, but this balance is hard to maintain. With most of us spending our time working, which is linked to the masculine energy, we often lose our connection to our feminine vitality. Harnessing your girl power is all about connecting with your innermost emotions and creativity. It is about being true to yourself and restoring your body to its true potential. Here’s how!
1. Try belly dancing
The art of belly dancing has been used for hundreds of years as a way of instilling confidence in women and to provide them with a new-found awareness of their bodies. The moves used are descended from the ancient customs of childbirth preparation and fertility rituals arising from the Middle East. “Belly dancing is a very sensual, feminine form of exercise that at the same time awakens a powerful energy from within; bringing both confidence and a sense of wellbeing,” says Veronica Clark, founder of dance troupe Xanadu Delights (xanadudelights.co.uk ). For a simple move to try at home, Veronica recommends creating a figure of eight with your hips, and an upper body shimmy, achieved by rolling your shoulders.
2. Tap in to moon power
The cycles of the moon affect the earth and all living things. The Moon is also linked to the goddess energy, and through living by the cycles of the moon we’re connecting with the true source of feminine energy, Mother Nature. This connection to nature can be achieved by doing something as simple as taking a walk in the woods or park, and just taking a moment to be silent, whilst taking a few deep breaths. “Anyone who feels drained from life’s demands can often feel run down and zapped of energy,” says Lady Springwolf, of PagansPath.com . “Taking time to connect to the moon can help restore some of that energy.”
3. Energise with yoga
Yoga is great for restoring feminine energies as the stretching and manipulating of muscles and joints helps energy to flow and creates a deep connection with your body. “Yoga brings out your soft side and your strong side in a beautiful synergistic balance,” says Shakta Kaur Khalsa, author of Yoga for Women (£14.99, Dorling Kindersley). “Every woman can benefit from a yoga practice. It makes you more powerfully flexible in body and mind and radiant in health and spirit.” A simple yoga position you can try at home is the ‘miracle bend’, where you slowly bend your body in half, and then slowly uncurl and stretch up on the tip of your toes.
4. Let your heart sing
Using our voices as a way of expression and creative release is a common practice among both men and women. A popular method is chanting. These are often prayers or Sanskrit mantras and they are primarily used to connect with the feminine energy and restore its strength. In the East, where these mantras originate from, feminine energy is referred to as the ‘primal power’ or ‘Shakti’ and is said to flow through our bodies and all of nature. This feminine power can then be used to manifest abundance, summon protection and create wellbeing. “Women can increase their ‘wattage’ through Sanskrit Mantra,” says Thomas Ashley-Farrand, a foremost authority on the use of Sanskrit Mantra and author of Healing Mantras (£14.99, Ballantine Books). “For instance, a mantra for increased abundance is: Om Shrim Maha Lakshmiyea Namaha, and for protection, Om Dum Durgayea Namaha.”
If chanting doesn’t appeal then singing or immersing yourself in music can open up the right side of your brain and create a deeper connection to your body and feminine vibration.
5. The ancient art of touch
A day of pampering may seem like the obvious choice to nurture your feminine side but ayurvedic spa therapies are one of the only treatments that address the whole body, focusing on the spiritual wellbeing of the client as well as the physical. These revitalising treatments include massages and oil rubs – which help to detoxify the body. Aside from the benefits ayurvedic therapies offer the body, the mind is also positively affected as clients are taught how to enrich their lives through staying in harmony with nature. This is achieved as the therapies focus on balancing the energies of Vata (wind), Pitta (fire) and Kapha (earth).
Dr Deepa Apte, a top ayurvedic practitioner (ayurvedapura.com ) says that one of the best times for ayurvedic self massage for women is when periods begin. “It is believed that when the periods start the feminine energies in the body go out of balance and this technique will help impart a calm and grounded feeling along with the anti ageing effects of sesame seed oil.” He recommends applying cold-pressed sesame seed oil which has been warmed up to the whole body including face and hair and massaging for 10 minutes before going into the shower.
6. Relax and recharge
Yin qigong combines the physical moves used in yoga and the gentle, meditative movements of Qigong to energise both the body and the mind. It is specifically designed for a woman’s body with the movements increasing blood flow to the reproductive system, lower abdomen and breasts, allowing feminine energy to support women’s health. These movements will create feelings of positive energy, and instil you with a sense of renewed vitality.
“The major difference from men is that a woman’s energy body is designed to support the life of a foetus,” says instructor Fay Mcgrew of yinqigong.com . “Whether or not she gives birth, this energy needs different exercises to prevent stagnation in the heart, breasts and lower abdomen.” A couple of simple Qigong moves for you to try at home are to slowly rotate your hips and create gentle side to side turns of your waist and neck.
By Becky Holden
