Calling all Warrioresses
+ how the warrior poses got their names
Happy New Year (again!). Happy Carnival! Happy Mardi Gras! Costumes, parties, parades, feasts, family, indulgence—the world is coming together this week to celebrate joy. And, though it may not look or feel like it, Spring is right around the corner.
Lunar New Year is Tuesday and we’re welcoming in the Year of the Fire Horse. This year will be intense and we can expect rapid change, but we also have the opportunity to remain committed and aligned with our center throughout it all.
To temper the flames coming our way, I’ve felt called to explore warrior energy. Because warriors are historically male, I’m calling in all warrioresses to double down on the feminine energy needed right now for the collective good.
My sister sent me this amazing breakdown of patriarchy vs. matriarchy, in which the author argues that men are, evolutionarily and throughout the natural world, designed to be drones. Turns out men aren’t even designed to protect, like most mythology suggests. It’s the women that protect the children, the community, the institutions. That is not to say men don’t have a vital role to play in society, we need them. But they are not meant to dominate. The culture we live in now has allowed men to dominate for so long and it is sick, broken, and wrong. It’s time to dismantle it.
Warriors in yoga
In the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna is a warrior. He is fighting a battle against his own family, friends, and community, but it’s also a battle against evil. He wants to run away and leave it all behind. He doesn’t want to fight, but Krishna convinces him it his duty and in the best interest of society to fight for what is right. Evil must be condemned and conquered. Light must prevail. Those of us who carry the light, now is our time to stand and shine.
Today I want to share my favorite story from Hindu mythology. It’s best to watch the story as the birth of the warrior poses is a central part of the story itself. I guarantee you’ll never feel the same way about your warrior poses ever again.
The tale of Virabhadra…but really it’s all about Shakti
When people think of warriors, they often think of physical battlefields. But our minds are metaphoric battlefields we step onto every day. You don’t need guns and swords and thousands of people to do battle. And you don’t need to be a male to wield fierce energy. The Dasha Mahavidyas, the great Tantric goddesses, are also fierce fighters for truth. The warrior energy we need right now is a fierce commitment to protect, to do the right thing, to show up even when it’s uncomfortable, to grow and transform and welcome change. This is the warrior bound to community and the collective good, not ego and personal wealth.
I find it interesting that in the Virabhadra mythology, it’s the masculine energy that kills and the feminine energy asking for understanding, following true love, and demanding reparations. The masculine energy is quick to draw the sword and resort to violence. The feminine energy is righteous too but sacrifices herself in a fit of her own rage borne from the stubborn refusal of men to see and honor her truth. And it is the feminine energy that requests things be made right. The masculine energy obeys.
The warrior poses are named after the warrior Virabhadra. But the rage I want you to tap into when exploring these poses is the rage of Shakti. She controls this story. She saves her father. She follows her true love. She demands her father accept her love. And she insists her lover make things right when he overreacts. She displays a fierceness for devotion, love, and peace, not for violence, ego, and self-serving glory. She is the winner.
The next time you rise up into Warrior 1, imagine you are rising again from the ashes, born again into the truest, most authentic expression of you. You have burned away all the parts you no longer need. What part of you is ready to be reborn? What truth are you ready to pursue?
When you open into Warrior 2, consider what you are ready to fight for. Not with violence and sword but with strength, perseverance, authentic expression, courage, love.
And when you move into Warrior 3, what problems are you ready to solve? How can you make amends? How can you make it right? Even if it’s not perfect.
Welcome to the year of the Fire Horse. We’re going to need your strength, your courage, your discernment, your heart, and your voice. This is your time. This is our time. This is Shakti-energy, mother-energy, goddess energy, warrioress energy time. Grab your swords of love. Let’s go.
Reasons to celebrate
Sunday, February 15
National Pancake Week
Annoy Squidward Day (this might be my all-time favorite holiday so far, though my husband informed me that in our family I would be Squidward so he will happily oblige 🙄)
Susan B. Anthony Day
World Hippo Day
World Whale Day
Monday, February 16
Carnival
President’s Day
Tuesday, February 17
Mardi Gras
Fat Tuesday
Islander Day
National Almond Day
Lunar New Year
Cafe au Lait Day
National Random Acts of Kindness Day
Ramadan
Wednesday, February 18
Ash Wednesday/Lent
Cow Milked While Flying in an Airplane Day…
National Drink Wine Day
Thursday, February 19
Chocolate Mint Day
Friday, February 20
Clean Out Your Bookcase Day
National Cherry Pie Day
National Comfy Day
National Love Your Pet Day
National Muffin Day
No One Eats Alone Day
No Politics Day
Saturday, February 21
International Mother Language Day
National Grain Free Day
National Sticky Bun Day
Real Bread Week
Am pretty sure I will feel different next spring when I mostly practice the warriors poses (to balance Kapha), I will feel all the rage of Shakti. And yes, she is definitely the winner! Thank you so much Ashley for sharing this fascinating story
Great post and inspiring explanation of the Virabhadra mythology.