Yoga & Empowerment – Girls Going Global

Spread Your Wings and Fly!

Yoga 4 Life and our Love for Local Loudoun

Yoga for Empowerment is what we do but it is not the events or practices, it’s an energy.  The force behind the reasons we have for holding these events and how it can positively give back to our Loudoun County community.   This is what keeps us teaching and embracing the opportunities to bring our local youth to yoga and the philosophy behind the words empowerment, joy, happiness, acceptance, self-love, graditude, honoring the present, giving, and inspiration.

We began Strong Foundations in Purcellville with Mix Fitness as a 10 week empowerment, mind and body experience for young girls.  The light in their eyes as they grew through working in energy circles, connecting with their friends and fellow yogis with eye contact in partner yoga, trust challenges, acceptance of themselves and their body needs and restrictions, and those of others.  We explored music, sight, touch, smells and sounds.  We grew, and learned about sanskrit, chakras, and mandalas.  What these girls found in this program was themselves, to realize things in their environment that were negatives, how to deal with them and share them verbally. Then, to work through keeping people or things from interrupting their joy and happiness.  Positive ways to share things with friends and the philosophy of living a yogi life was their discovery.

The light in their eyes glowed when it was explained that there was no trophy at the end –  the  gift  they had already given to themselves and the only thing I could ever show them was a path of learning, the hope and pride they created, and a place to walk and shine.  It was not only empowerment for them, but for me – what inspires us and why each of us teach at Yoga 4 Life.

Girls Going Global – The Ladies of Iris

iRespect     iInspire     iSupport

Tomorrow is Girls Going Global.  Over 40 Loudoun County teenage girls will arrive in Sterling for this amazing program.  The IRIS SPRING EVENT will be a culture filled day in Sterling, VA learning about issues important to these girls around the globe.  Yoga 4 Life is honored to have been selected for the yoga  breakout session.  There will be two keynote addresses about Oppression & Privilege and Global Human Trafficking.  The globally inspired flavors and dance performances will be an perfect addition to the event also hosted by the Loudoun County Department of Parks & Recreation and Loudoun Citizens for Social Justice.

We are very excited to include yoga with their amazing program.  The Native American and Mayan influence in our own studio as well as the Mexican blankets, power animals tribal music, Copal, and other aromatherapy we customarily use will be a wonderful experience for the girls and for us to share.  Practicing Moon Salutations and a brief lunar practice on a Full MOON and Cinco De Mayo is combining my perfect combination!

Yoga for Empowerment

LoveLocalLoudoun

As we continue on our journeys with the Loudoun Wine Trail, we always stay on our path of empowerment not just for our yoga circles, but the greater community in which we live, love, and honor with our dedication to serving.  Please join Yoga 4 Life and Yoga for Empowerment again for a powerful heart opening practice on May 26th.  As we grow each year we will continue to be able to support these wonderful programs with LAWS and empowerment.

Please enjoy the reading from our Youth Empowerment programs – Young Yogis, Strong Foundations, and volunteering at Girls Going Global.

~*~    Spread Your Wings and Fly    ~*~

I sat on the ground on a dirt road that wandered off the main highway in Idaho.  I leaned against a tree and watched a mother eagle and her babies in a nest overhead.  She fussed as she protected them, watching me closely, responding with her call to any noise she heard.  She was very protective now, but someday it would be time to push them out of the nest. It would be time to teach them to fly.
Many of us have been pushed out of the nest. Something unexpected happened, and out world changed. We may have fought valiantly to get back in to the nest, to return to the safety of life as we knew it. We had no choice but to flap our wings and learn to fly the best we could.
See how magical this time has been?

See how much you’ve learned? With all your fears and resistance, it has been a grand and powerful

Miranda Ward

time. You flailed around a bit, wondering who to trust.  You tried trusting others, then found that didn’t work. Finally you understood. The very lesson you were learning was that of trusting yourself.

You were learning to listen to and trust your inner voice. You were learning to open your heart.  Despite all your fears, you have done a grand job.

Look how much you’ve changed!
See all the powers you’ve gained? You’ve opened up to your healing powers, your creative powers, too. You know and sense things in a way that used to seem beyond reach and now seems both magical and commonplace. Your instincts and intuition are finely tuned.  Your inner voice is clear. And despite all your fears about being abandoned, you now see how much you are loved.

When life pokes and prods you, it is not punishment or abuse.  You’re being  pushed out of the nest.  Spread your wings and take flight.

See how far you can fly!

by:  Melody Beattie

♥ Namaste

~Lara

- Airborn training picture taken by Jason Brikel, provided by Sean Zurschmeide also in Italy serving (from Hillsboro, VA) – our young soldiers out living their dreams and floating on air!

- Purcellville Loudoun Yoga- Photographs Lara Ward