Generally, I feel like I live in my own little bubble. I don’t watch the news much and try to stay away from the media etc. This is not because I am not interested, I am, but more because I am so sensitive to the energy that these images and information often emit and the fear-mongering the media likes to pray upon. I find it so crippling and find myself slipping into a lethargy and inertia that is hard to pull myself out of.

Given what I do for a living and how I want to show up in the world I make a conscious choice to stay away from that energy. I feel I need to keep my energy as clear as possible so I may serve my community best. So, I shield myself and cultivate, through my practices, the highest vibrational energy I can.
note: I do stay up to date thanks to family and friends keeping me informed, I am not completely ignorant.

However, what to do when the world looks like this?

We can all feel it, we all know it.

Things are not good.

There is so much crazy going on in the world. Sorrow, hardship, destruction, hate, fear, arrogance, ownership. disconnectedness, greed, selfishness, judgment, and a strong general feeling of separation.

Us and Them. Me and Other. I and They.

If you have ever heard of Polarity Work then, you will recognise the above qualities as the Immature Masculine. I am no expert in this field, but I have been looking at it lately and seeing how these Mirrors show up in my life and in the functioning of the world.
Ref: The Inner Marriage: www.mfpolaritywork.com

What I have discovered, or rather confirmed, is that the work we do on the mat does make a big difference to the world as a whole.

My time on the mat and the cushion has helped me to cultivate and embody the qualities of the Mature Feminine- Shakti Energy – Self-assuredness, Diversity, Empathy, Compassion, Joy, Acceptance, Creativity, Healing, Love, and Freedom. These qualities I shower on myself and aim to mirror for others.

And this is what heals the world. The only thing that can help to soothe the raging inferno of separation and exclusion is the loving embrace of the fully embodied Shakti energy, the energy of the Mature Feminine, and the more of us that cultivate this energy within ourselves the better the world will be for it. This is not about gender, we all have these qualities – the Mature Masculine, the Mature Feminine, the Immature Masculine, and the Immature Feminine.

We are currently celebrating the Goddess energy with the festival of Navratri – 9 days of devotion to Shakti – the divine energy of creation. Indian mythology is not my strongest point as a yoga teacher, but I love this time to focus on this Shakti energy, to connect with the stories, to chant mantras, and to devote my practices to this energy. I can feel my connection to it and love the practices that bring me closer to this energy.

I believe that by raising my vibration to a higher level of awareness and frequency, like a butterfly flapping her wings, I can create a wave that will impact the world, or at least those I have direct contact with, who will also then impact others and so on it goes.

So, when we feel helplessness and sadness at the state of things we can feel some reassurance that in our self-care, in our attempts to bring love and compassion to others, we are, in fact, making a difference, not just on a small scale, but on a world-wide level. The more of us who cultivate these qualities and live them through our actions, the more the world can shift and maybe in our lifetime, we might see a more equal, peaceful, and connected humanity.