Hi,
Everyone.
We'll start seated today and then step to standing later in our practice.
We're working on boosting feelings of confidence while lowering our stress level.
This is based on the research of Amy Cuddy,
Social psychologist and Harvard researcher.
She has proven in studies that our body language affects how we feel.
She found that after standing in power poses for just two minutes that participants' testosterone,
Which is the dominance hormone,
Increased and cortisol,
Our stress hormone,
Decreased.
So as Amy Cuddy says,
You can do these poses and fake it till you make it.
These are great to do any time you need a confidence boost.
Perhaps it's a job interview or you're doing public speaking or any situation where you're feeling judged or bullied.
Others can do this to boost confidence before their classes begin.
You can do these poses in private before entering a stressful situation and still reap the benefits within your body.
Let's try our first power pose.
Step to a standing position.
Have your feet a little wider than hip distance,
Toes pointed slightly outward.
Place your hands on your hips.
This is often called Wonder Woman pose.
We will add a releasing breath practice,
Inhaling deeply through your nose and exhale through your mouth with a sound of ha.
Inhaling deeply into your belly and as you exhale from your mouth,
Let your exhalation be long,
Slow and smooth to that sound of ha.
Do that at your own pace,
Breathing deeply in through your nose,
Filling up your lower abdomen and on your exhale,
Just releasing through your mouth with that sound of ha.
I want you to notice how you're standing.
You're standing strong and notice that you're making your body large.
Animals do this naturally when they want to feel dominant.
Bears come on their hind legs before they charge.
Cobras fan their neck out before striking.
Peacocks fan out their tail.
What these poses have been proven to do is to help you feel more comfortable,
Confident and passionate about life.
The chemical changes in your body can help you become a more relaxed,
Confident individual.
It's been two minutes,
So you have the benefit of this pose.
Let's try one more power pose.
Again,
Stand with your feet wider than hip distance,
Toes slightly pointed out and bring your arms out wide from your shoulders.
Lift your arms slightly above your shoulders or all the way up overhead,
But keep them wide.
Try to relax through the shoulders and return into that ha breath as it helps to calm the nervous system.
Especially if we're going into stressful situations,
The ha breath is really perfect to add to these poses.
Inhaling deeply into the belly,
That deep diaphragmatic breath,
And exhale with that ha sound.
Notice how that tugs belly to spine.
Do that breath slowly at your own pace.
And if your arms become tired,
You can move them.
Keep them wide,
But you can move them up overhead and then just slightly above your shoulders.
I know that you probably excitedly thrown your hands up over your head.
If you've won a competition or your team has scored.
I'm sure you've noticed this also in athletes as they come over the finish line,
They put their hands up above their head with that sense of victory.
That's why I called this one victory pose.
It has that sense of giving you the feeling of saying yes to life.
Try that with me now.
Yes,
Yes,
Yes.
And notice what that feels like in your body.
Congratulations.
You can lower your arms now.
It's been two minutes.
I hope you feel great in your body.
Keep these practices up and make yourself large.
Don't shrink back into yourself.
That would be non-power poses as Amy calls them,
Such as crossing your arms and legs,
Touching your neck is a low power pose,
Hunching forward at any way,
Checking notes or on a cell phone.
This actually lowers our testosterone and raises cortisol,
Which is the stress hormone.
So do your power poses,
Make yourself large,
Go out and make changes in the world.
The results of Amy Cuddy's power poses are phenomenal.
Please share them with others who might benefit.
Many blessings to you,
My friends.
Namaste.
