What is a Spiritual Woman?

A Spiritual Woman is the Greatest Threat to the Status Quo - Jah 9 

When I first began to study and practice Yoga, I came to understand that the 'goal' of this practice is to librate ourselves from bondage which basically means transcending or overpowering the egoic, human parts of ourselves.

Over the last 9 years my understanding of this intricate practice has deepened and transformed on a multitude of levels. More recently, and with the help of another incredible book Eastern body, Western mind by Anodea Judith, I have come to know that it is much more useful and functional to consider the journey of Yoga less as a process of ridding ourselves of our undisciplined parts, and instead as a journey of reclamation.

Spiritual practices offer us the opportunity to reclaim the pieces of ourselves that we learnt to hide away because at one point or another we received an unaccepting response to those pieces, thereby deciding it would be safer to stuff that part of us away in a secret hiding place so it couldn't get us into 'trouble' again.

What pieces of yourself were you told were not acceptable either directly or indirectly ?

Regardless of what your personal shadow parts are, in order to cultivate lasting balance and stability within ourselves it is essential that we reclaim responsibility for those forgotten and seemingly 'unloveable' parts of ourselves.

For the modern spiritual woman, one particularly potent area of shadow work is sexuality.

How many icky spots do you have when it comes to your relationship with sensation and sensuality?

Whether it's family narratives, awkward or uncomfortable experiences, and/or a not so loving relationship with your own body. The reason that this is such a potent area for so many of us is because somewhere lurking deep inside we hold onto a belief that we need to choose between aspects of ourselves. Either we are empowered or feminine, either we are strong or attractive; sexy or spiritual. In the words of the controversial spiritual teacher Osho, "Why choose when we can have both?".

Let's choose to leave behind the notion that we have to choose between being sacred and pure or sensual and truly enjoying all of the wonderful pleasures human life has to offer.

Let's choose to leave behind the idea that we must favour certain parts of ourselves above others.

Let's choose to start believing that it is possible to embrace it all.

Stepping into our power and being able to make peace with these seemingly opposing pieces of ourselves is the very same paradox that asks us to accept that we experience our eternal expansive spirit through a mortal and limited human body. In both examples the two polarities are intrinsically connected. A deep reverence for both the worldly and the transcendental brings us to a state of oneness; a truly peaceful, joyful, and contented life.

Do you believe that you can enjoy a rich, pleasurable life as well as a sacred connection to spirit? 

Connecting to the magical and mysterious portal that sits just between your legs is one way you can begin to find balance between the power of opposites. Your flower of life is the gateway to creation both literally and philosophically. The mysterious life force energy which allows a new spirit to come into being is encapsulated through a very physical, very human, and also very pleasurable part of you. There's the paradox again; spirit and matter are intrinsically connected.

Gals, have you considered how you can connect more deeply with all aspects of yourself?