My Story to Empowerment!

My Journey to Empowerment...

I'm strong!
I'm powerful!
I'm beautiful!
I'm passionate!
I'm fierce!
I'm warm!
I'm generous!
I'm a mother, I'm a wife, I'm a teacher, I'm a friend, I'm a lover, I'm this, I'm that.

I'm all that and more! Thanks to Yoga, I'm empowered. Yes, I'm a kickass woman!....

I wasn't always this way. As a little girl growing up in India, I was very shy and subdued. I grew into a low self esteem teenager who always felt low and I was not good at anything. I was dark, had frizzy hair and on and on. You see, in Eastern part of the world dark skin girls are not desirable. Even my 20s was not better although I was in a better physical, social, financial place than most around me. I would never trust you if you told me you envy me and many did. I still felt I wasn't good enough. In India where I grew up it was the culture never to validate children strength and success especially girls. We were always led to believe we have to aim to please. In my teens I aimed to please my parents, in my 20s my husband, in my 30s my kids. That was my mantra all along.

It wasn't until I was in my early 40s my passion for yoga that I realised my life is more than just than just shade of the skin or aiming to please a person. Its how you feel about yourself on the inside. Soon I did not care what others thought anymore. Yoga gave me a sense of self. I started becoming comfortable in my own skin. Yoga taught me about self love and self acceptance. I recognised my true potential and I can do anything and I can achieve any heights without anyones validation. I realized I have earned all my imperfections, my insecurities, my belly fat, my wrinkles, my thinning hair just as I have earned my wisdom, my confidence, self love and my self respect. Don't get me wrong, I still have my flaws but now I own it and have fallen in love with them just like my attributes.

I want my daughters to look upto me and find me inspiring. I want them to be empowered by loving themselves just the way they are. I hope they find their true passion. I had to wait 40 years to realize this, hope they will not have to wait that long.

I'm so in love with myself, Hope you are too!

Some of the quotes of women which has changed my life and can change your life too...

-If you don’t like being a doormat then get off the floor. – Al Anon

-Living in a vacuum sucks. – Adrienne Gusoff

-If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun. - Katharine Hepburn

-Forget about the fast lane. If you really want to fly, just harness your power to your passion. -Oprah.

-Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. - Maya Angelou.

-The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. – Eleanor Roosevelt

-You grow up the day you have your first real laugh at yourself – Ethel Barrymore.

-Do you want to meet the love of your life? Look in the mirror. – Byron Katie.

-A woman is like a tea bag – you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water. – Eleanor Roosevelt.

-Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.- Veronica A. Shoffstall

-To love others, we must first learn to love ourselves. - Anonymous

And the most relevant for me which I always cherish:

If you are a woman and live in American you have already won- Oprah