Yoga, Tantra, the Goddess, and the Modern Yogini
There is a shift moving through humanity right now—can you feel it? A pulse beneath the noise, a stirring in the belly of the Earth. This is the awakening of Shakti: the sacred, sensual, creative force of life itself. For generations we’ve been taught to suppress her—to dim, to harden, to disconnect from the body, from intuition, from the soft and wild knowing that lives within. But she cannot be silenced. And now, she returns. Not just in women, but in all beings who are ready to remember.
Since I began studying yoga (almost 20 years ago!) + tantra (in more recent years), both in their interconnectedness have felt like a spiritual home to me. For many reasons, one of which is the foundational place of the Goddess in yoga and tantra philosophy. For those of you who aren’t really into this stuff, here are the basics: The Divine is conceptualized as Shiv-Shakti; Shiva being the divine masculine principle and the infinite consciousness behind all of creation, and Shakti being the divine feminine principle and the animating power behind all of creation. In tantra specifically, the Goddess is central to everything. The texts, the worship, the practices, the philosophy. So this obviously resonated strongly with me because I was already organically experiencing the divine as feminine, as mother, as nurturer, as earth and plants and ocean and river. This is INNER KNOWING, which is a magical key 🗝️ to your spirituality and your path.
What I’ve described thus far is the essence of yoga + tantra. It’s by no means the whole picture. I’ve noticed that with any major philosophy, belief structure, religion (the worst offender), well meaning seekers tend to get lost in the trees and lose sight of the forest entirely. Yoga is no exception. There are so many texts, sutras, tantras, with so many tiny details of practices and rituals and well, to be blunt, rules. Several well-respected modern scholars, including Dr. Uma Dinsmore-Tuli and Dr. Anya Golovkova, have used this phrase to describe well known yoga + tantra texts: they are written “by men, for men”. This is not an insult to yoga or tantra as a tradition; it’s more of a historical and cultural commentary. In eons past, many societies were designed in such a way that formal education, literacy, free time to leave home and study, etc, were available mainly to men.
Giving these long ago guys the benefit of the doubt, they were very likely totally genuine in their devotion to the Goddess and their seeking of Samadhi, bliss, union with her, and they were just trying to share the ways that they found to do that. There’s nothing wrong with this at all. But here’s where it DOES go wrong: When any practitioner, yoginis (female yoga practitioners) especially, trusts the texts over their INNER KNOWING.
Here’s the kicker: the long ago guys, they were seeking YOU. They were seeking SHAKTI. They were seeking the Goddess. And news flash, she’s already inside you! Controversial statement coming up: treating yoga + tantra texts as gates or pathways to what YOU ALREADY HAVE is problematic. You are the authority on your path. If you’ve been at a circle with me you’ve heard me say, YOU KNOW BEST, WHAT’S BEST FOR YOU. You might not need to do the practices or follow the rules that someone else did. ESPECIALLY if the practice in question, whether it’s movement, breath, dietary, sleep, or whatever, was designed for male bodies seeking peace, seeking bliss, seeking realization, etc. If xyz practice feels good for you, that’s great! But if xyz practice doesn’t feel right, you have to be willing to trust yourself and walk your own path.
For those of us in female bodies this time around, there are considerations that male bodied humans don’t have. For example, lunar cycles vs solar cycles: female bodies are in a monthly energy cycle; we have more energy at times and more tenderness at other times. Male bodies can reset their energy every 24 hours, with every day being the same (theoretically and not allowing for life circumstances). Pretending this doesn’t exist is harmful and oppressive. The way our bodies are designed is part of our power; it’s beautiful and intentional. It’s not a deficit; it’s not a weakness; it’s not a flaw. It’s the total opposite. Being naturally attuned to feminine energy, to FLOW, to shifting and flowing like a river, to being sensitive and connected to the cosmos - these are the siddhis the ancient yogis were seeking. They worshipped women; they knew that women and their bodies and their energy held the keys to realization.
What does this mean for the modern yogini? It essentially means you need to commit to trusting yourSelf. Trust your inner knowing. Cultivate a loving, devotional relationship with yourself, with your heart space, with your body, with your innate spiritual power. No more dimming your sacredness; no more staying small; no more keeping others comfortable. Shakti is awakening in YOU. You Are Divine.
If this resonates with you, I’d love to hear from you! Send me a message, come to an event (virtual or in person), or book a healing session with me. Just use the menu at the top of the page.
Love, Gaia