About Kali's Gift
When I began exploring yoga as a potential career path, I spent some time digging into the background and philosophies of yoga. The origins of yoga are found in ancient Hindu texts, took me on a slight detour into Hinduism itself (at the very highest levels of course).
The stories of the various gods and goddesses make for some fascinating reading. But one goddess really captured my imagination.
Kali is badass warrior goddess. In some images, she’s a scary looking lady. But she is also a goddess of transformation and is considered a gentle mother as well as a fierce warrior.
Kali carries a sword in one of her many hands. It is the sword of knowledge. She uses this sword to cut the ties of ignorance and to destroy false consciousness. To me, “false consciousness” can be defined as the less-than-constructive and ongoing narratives in our minds which often tell us how inferior we are, how we don’t stack up, why we shouldn’t take that next risk because we’re probably going to fail anyway. And on and on.
All that fearful, negative, self-talk that can be so hard to turn off. As a friend put it…she’s all about slaying the fake news in your head!
Kali inspires us to use our own power and knowledge to slay the fears that reside in us. To face those fears, transform them, and set ourselves free. Boundless freedom.
This is Kali’s Gift.
So, what does this bit of discourse have to do with anything, you might ask? Well, yoga has provided me with tools to know myself and to face some of those demons and slay some of the fears that have held me back. Its an ongoing battle, and it is a practice, just as yoga is a practice. So therefore, yoga has been, and continues to be my path to Kali’s Gift.
It is this gift that I, as a yoga teacher, hope to share with you.
The stories of the various gods and goddesses make for some fascinating reading. But one goddess really captured my imagination.
Kali is badass warrior goddess. In some images, she’s a scary looking lady. But she is also a goddess of transformation and is considered a gentle mother as well as a fierce warrior.
Kali carries a sword in one of her many hands. It is the sword of knowledge. She uses this sword to cut the ties of ignorance and to destroy false consciousness. To me, “false consciousness” can be defined as the less-than-constructive and ongoing narratives in our minds which often tell us how inferior we are, how we don’t stack up, why we shouldn’t take that next risk because we’re probably going to fail anyway. And on and on.
All that fearful, negative, self-talk that can be so hard to turn off. As a friend put it…she’s all about slaying the fake news in your head!
Kali inspires us to use our own power and knowledge to slay the fears that reside in us. To face those fears, transform them, and set ourselves free. Boundless freedom.
This is Kali’s Gift.
So, what does this bit of discourse have to do with anything, you might ask? Well, yoga has provided me with tools to know myself and to face some of those demons and slay some of the fears that have held me back. Its an ongoing battle, and it is a practice, just as yoga is a practice. So therefore, yoga has been, and continues to be my path to Kali’s Gift.
It is this gift that I, as a yoga teacher, hope to share with you.