{"id":80106,"date":"2020-09-09T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-09T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yogapedia.com\/2020\/09\/09\/4-steps-to-making-your-shakti-shimmer"},"modified":"2020-09-04T21:08:27","modified_gmt":"2023-12-20T14:52:23","slug":"4-steps-to-making-your-shakti-shimmer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yogapedia.com\/4-steps-to-making-your-shakti-shimmer\/2\/6569","title":{"rendered":"4 Steps to Making Your Shakti Shimmer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor's Note: This article was originally published June 22, 2017. It was updated and republished September 9, 2020.<\/em><\/p>\n

Some days I bounce out of bed ready to tackle the day. Other days, it feels like climbing Mount Everest just to get myself to the meditation cushion<\/a>!<\/p>\n

This depends largely on how much general stress I may be under, how well I have eaten the day before, and what depth of sleep I have gotten. Sometimes I feel in the flow, everything clicking along as planned, and sometimes totally out of sync.<\/p>\n

What makes the difference?<\/p>\n

Everyone has high energy and low energy days, but to get myself balanced and filled with the mojo I need for my day’s activities, I know I need to listen to my body and my spirit<\/a>, and take steps to address their needs regularly.<\/p>\n

There is no shortage of energy in the universe, but sometimes we block its flow into our lives.<\/p>\n

However, if we integrate the physical and spiritual aspects of our being through our yoga<\/a> practice, we can draw upon the boundless energy that is always available to us, particularly shakti<\/a><\/em> energy.<\/p>\n

Here is why you need this divine<\/a> feminine energy and four ways to build more of it in your life.<\/p>\n

Why We Want Shakti<\/h2>\n

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Our spiritual nature is a mirror of the Divine in its transcendental aspect as pure being. Our human nature reflects the activating energy of creation manifest in the world, known as shakti. <\/span><\/p>\n

Shakti is the creative force of the universe and <\/span>is the feminine principle of divine energy. As a vehicle for universal Consciousness<\/a>, shakti is often associated humanly with creativity, fertility and change.<\/p>\n

In Hinduism<\/a>, Shakti is represented as the supreme goddess<\/a>, or <\/a><\/span>Divine Mother<\/a>. She is the female counterpart to the divine masculine, Shiva<\/a>. Within us, the qualities of both deities are embodied: the un-manifest potential of pure consciousness and the active creative energy put into manifestation to live our lives. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Other terms for shakti are <\/a><\/em><\/span>chitta shakti<\/a> <\/em>or <\/a>atma shakti<\/a><\/em>. Chit<\/a> <\/em>and <\/a>atma<\/a> <\/em>are both names for universal Consciousness.<\/p>\n

Therefore, the shakti is the pure power moving into form as an extension of source Consciousness that is individually expressed in each of our lives.<\/p>\n

Read: Shiva and Shakti<\/strong>: The Divine Energies Within Us All<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

4 Ways to Build More Shakti<\/h2>\n

We are Spirit come into form; so, the more shakti energy we can draw from the field of potential, the more vital and successful our individual lives become.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most yoga practices help us to do this physically, mentally, or both. Consider these four approaches to building more shakti, or creative power and energy, in your life today.<\/span><\/p>\n

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1. Breathe Effectively<\/h3>\n

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The power of shakti can be channeled through conscious breathing. By remembering to breathe slowly and deeply, we immediately begin drawing in more shakti.<\/span><\/p>\n

Furthermore, techniques such as alternate nostril breathing<\/a> (nadi shodhana<\/a><\/em>) can increase and balance the movement of energy through the main nadis<\/a><\/em>, or channels, in and around the spine. <\/span><\/p>\n

To practice nadi shodhana:<\/span><\/p>\n