5 Poses to Help You Own Your Worth

Previous in Self-Love Series This Guided Meditation Will Inspire You to Live From Your Heart

Next in Self-Love Series This Guided Meditation Will Help You Own Your Worth

You are beautiful. You are kind. You are smart. You are a survivor. You are powerful. You are loved. You are love.

How did reading those phrases make you feel? Did you cringe? Did you disassociate, as if the words were meant for someone else? (They weren’t, by the way.) Or, were you able to really take them in?

Try it again, this time swapping out the pronoun “you” for “I”—and this time, reciting the phrases to yourself: I am beautiful. I am kind. I am smart. I am a survivor. I am powerful. I am loved. I am love.

See also What Is Love? Understand the 3 Spiritual Levels of Love

Yes. You, are. In fact, we all are, because no two of us are alike. Every single one of us is a unique miracle. Anyone that has tried to have a child knows that creation is magic, and the fact that we are here, reading this piece, in this body, in this day and time, means that we are already incredibly blessed. Instead of spending all of our precious mental energy on beating ourselves up or fixating on what we think we lack, let us own our worth.

Imagine what you would do with all that energy and time you waste in the comparison trap? What would you create if you knew you could not fail or did not care even if you did? What would life be like if you felt like you were enough?

Owning your worth is the ultimate expression of self-love, because it an act of radical self-acceptance. It is deeply knowing that we are enough, even when the world tries to tell us we are not. It is not seeking external validation to fill ourselves up, because we are full on our own. It is remembering our history to recognize our strength. It is being confident in our ability to manifest the life we seek while standing in the power we already have. It is living from the heart, where we are already perfect.

See also Powering Your Spirituality

Take up space and own your worth by practicing this 5-pose sequence:

Reverse warrior (Viparita Virabhadrasana)

This crowd favorite actually hasmany names including Reverse Warrior, Side Warrior, and my personal favorite, Exalted warrior. According to Merriam-Webster, “to exalt is to raise in power,” while some other resources explain exalted as a state of “extreme happiness” (Oxford Dictionary) or pure joy. What better pose to help us elevate our worth than Reverse Warrior? This standing pose does not just look good on the outside, but it feels amazing, too. It is often practiced at the end of a long hold after its sister poses, Warrior 2 or Parsvakonasana. Before taking a vinyasa, take one inhalation to lean back and celebrate your space joyously.

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Triangle Pose (Trikonasana Pose)

Triangle is the culmination of many essential elements for the practice self-love. To begin, one must recognize their own strength in order to trust in the support of the legs. This is because triangle is a straight legged pose and can if taken with a long stance, can dissipate our energy. To stand in one’s legs is to really stand in one’s power. The stronger the legs can be, the more the feet can draw energy from the floor and the firmer the legs and inner thighs, the more length can be achieved in the upper body. While not outwardly a backbend, the long spine and wide-open arms does require an element of heart-opening, made more possible when the arms reach fervently. As a whole, trikonasna is a radiant shape that teaches us power through grace.

See also Expand Mind and Body: Extended Triangle Pose

Half Moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana)

Take up space with this radiant shape. To really own our worth means recognizing our right to be here and our ability to shine. How many of us make ourselves small when we are in a self-doubt spiral? How many of us do not feel comfortable speaking up or sharing our opinions? How many of us shy away from situations and people that will be beneficial for us out of fear that we are not deserving? Ardha Chandrasana is no easy feat! It is a balance pose that requires both faith and confidence. But, when done well, half moon is a great teacher on taking up space. On owning our radiance. To balance well in this pose, our limbs must be strongly reaching in all different directions, our eyes must be fixed on the prize, and our breath must be expansive. You are worth it! Take up space.

See also Get Strong and Shine On: Half Moon Pose

Lord of the Dance Pose (Natarajasana)

You know the saying, “Dance like no one is watching?” When we dance with abandon, we are using our bodies to express joy on its purest level. There is no fear about what others will think or judgments we have placed upon ourself. We are embracing our “I am-ness” to the fullest! Nataraja is also another name for the Hindu deity, Shiva. Shiva is known as the God of destruction, but really, he is a symbol of transformation and growth. The balance element of this asana requires courage and faith. It is brave to choose to grow and we can either shy away or we can embrace it with our heart bright open, owning our experience and whatever is to come.

See also Joy of the World: Lord of the Dance Pose

Mountain Pose with Prayer Hands (Tadasana with Anjali Mudra)

Standing simply in Tadasana can be quite confrontational for some. There is no shape to hide behind, nowhere to fake it or cheat. Tadasana is simply you, in all your glory. It is meeting the world as we are in the moment. Placing the hands in Anjali mudra, or prayer hands, is a symbol of gratitude. Owning who we are is really only possible by way of gratitude. When we are thankful for all of the struggles, experiences, blessings, and gifts, we are able to be in all of the amazing tiny pieces that make up who we are.

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