By: Nicole Deacon
Honestly, I haven't felt super empowered these last few months. 2020 was intense for all of us in different ways and for me it was throwing in a new baby, a new studio, mandatory shutdowns, more awareness of injustices and my contributions, and general end of world fears... needless to say I have not been feeling ready to take on the world.
I think one of the most disempowering things we do is not give ourselves room to be human. We have an instinctual drive for perfection and social media can feed the illusion that some people are only experiencing the "up" side of life and we are the only ones that don't have it all together. It is one of the things we try to empower our teachers in training with... that they don't have to have "perfect postures", a "perfect body", feel "perfectly at peace" and "in sync with the universe" all the time to be a teacher. From where we stand what makes a good teacher is someone who has a desire to grow, to learn, and to be of service to others. We spend a lot of time in training helping people discover the things that empower them so that they can share their light with others.
Can I tell you one of the things I discovered this year empowers me? Giving myself permission to be disempowered. Giving myself room to be Human. I had a challenging year with a lot of changes. When I just let myself be down for a little bit... recognizing that it is okay to not have it all together all the time... that feeling down doesn't disqualify me from being a teacher and owning studios. It is in that moment of acceptance I actually have the ability to engage with things that actually empower me. Then I can ask myself the question... what would give me power in this moment? In this circumstance what could I do to get a little bit more power? Is it just getting out of the house for a little while, being around positive people (even virtually), doing a hot class, a hot bath, screaming at the top of my lungs in the car, helping others, learning something new? The things that empower us will be unique to us and maybe different in different circumstances, but I do think it is important to know a few things that generally help you come back to your strength and power.
“Know what sparks the light in you. And then use that light to illuminate the world.” — Oprah
What are the things that light you up and cause you to be on fire? We would love to hear about it in the comments below.
