The Goddess Sessions

Durga means “fortress” and “the one who takes us through difficulties.” Blazing one - The warrior goddess of strength, protection, and courage, she is the revolutionary force within our being that initiates massive change and compels us forward in our own spiritual evolution. Her battle cry unleashes our innermost desire to grow and take responsibility for our lives. No challenge is too big for this blazing goddess, Mantra: Oṁ Duṁ Durgayai Namaḥa “Om and Salutations to the feminine energy, which protects from all manners of negative influences and for duṁ which is the seed.” Mudra: Abhaya Hrdaya Mudra  Fearless Heart ***May we untie the knots of our heart and set our spirit free. Mudra Magic: This mudra helps to strengthen a fearless connection to one’s Heart Truth and have the courage to follow this truth. Fearless Heart mudra increases focus and vitality, reduces scattered energy and imparts an overall sense of calmness. It helps to stabilize a fragmented mind, rejuvenate one’s vital force and connect to the “heart of the matter” versus being lost in the story.

Saraswati: Like a river she is always flowing, however we are not always aligned with that flow, not always able to receive it. That is what our personal practices help us to do, to find our way back into alignment. This is what she teaches me. To me she is a symbol of grace in action. Saraswati is the Goddess of leaming, knowledge, and wisdom. The Sanskrit word sara means "essence" and swa means "self." Thus Saraswati means "the essence of the self." Meet Saraswati, the Goddess of Intuition She is the connection with the cycles of the moon and the feminine rhythm that reveals wisdom from within. Saraswati is the free-flowing creative energy that lives within everyone. Saraswati helps release stagnancy that blocks the creative flow and abides in the third eye with clear sight from within. Saraswati is the poet’s goddess, the deity of musicians, students, and orators, and the power behind creative inspiration. How To Use Saraswati’s Teachings Saraswati teaches you to listen within and trust your intuition. Everyone has strong feelings, and it’s a challenge to trust your innermost knowing when it doesn’t make sense to your logical mind. Saraswati’s great gift is the discernment that lets us find divinity in the world. Being discerning is not the same as being judgmental. Discerning is big-minded and awake. Judgment is narrow-minded and operates in the dark. Discernment is our wisdom coming to life. Mantra: OM AIM SARASWATI NAMO NAMAHA I bow to the Goddess of Speech Mudra: Jnana Mudra - inner wisdom - Tip of index and thumb-palm down Sankalpa resides at the root of the heart;  in essence, intention helps us to cultivate both roots and wings. Sankalpa Mudra joins the hands together to create a positive mental image for one’s life. When conscious attention and clear intention join together, a magnetic field is generated and the Universe rallies to support the manifestation of vision.  There is a triadic teaching of the Goddesses of Yoga.   Left palm up invokes Durga/Kali: Courage through the threshold of the heart  Durga/Kali are the fierce-loving Goddesses. Durga rides the tiger and Kali springs forth out of her Third Eye to defeat the demons. They represent the raw power of our deepest intention and the direct honesty of our desire. The left palm up is receptive to our primal nature and must cross through the threshold of the heart for courage to reach the right thigh.  Right hand down invokes Lakshmi : Manifestation of radiance and beauty  Lakshmi is the Goddess of inner radiance and the beauty of manifestation. The right hand grounds down into the open palm of the left hand. This creates an anchor for the manifesting current. Both hands together invokes Saraswati: artistic weaving of raw power and radiant beauty.   Saraswati is the flowing river of life. She represents the artistic weaving of heart, mind, and body. When the two hands come together, they hold both strength and beauty. Primal power and radiant beauty come together in perfect offering.  We can nourish our connection to Saraswati through the Pranayama practice of so-hum breathing. Saraswati’s mount is a swan. In Sanskrit, the word for swan is hamsa. When we breathe in, we mentally repeat the syllable “so.” Breathing out we mentally repeat the syllable “hum.” As we focus on the breath, so-hum, so-hum, so-hum eventually becomes ham-sa, ham-sa, ham-sa. Thus, when we practice this Pranayama mediation, the goddess Saraswati is quite literally on our breath.

Ganesha represents the power to dissolve obstacles in the mind and free the heart into the sacred play of life.  I invoke the great body of support, the ground beneath my feet, and the steady foundation from which to grow. Ganesha, power of the root and guardian at each new threshold, I call upon your protection for this journey. Ganesha always sits before the Goddesses because we must be willing to crack open our ego before we sit at throne of our heart, then the Goddess will help us with all the rest!  Ganesha is the body of the yogi, the Temple of Being.  Patron Saint of Yogis and Writers Pranayama Samavrtti Pranayama – Equal Flow Inhale/Exhale Breath Mantra: OM GUM GANAPATIYA NAMAHA “Om and salutations to the remover of obstacles.” This mantra is helpful for new beginnings and the embodiment of divine knowledge. It helps to clear the obstacles, honor the crossing of thresholds, and transform the obstacles of the mind.  Ganesha Mudra, the "Remover of Obstacles Gesture." This mudra helps to vitalize the heart by breaking up stuck energies and enhancing the willpower to face the difficulties of life.