Finding Your Inner Strength: Yoga for Confidence & Self-Esteem

In this blogpost, we are going to look at how Yoga can be your guiding light to help build your confidence and your self esteem.

On the blog a couple of weeks ago, we talked about yoga giving us this multi-dimensional strength – not just a physical strength – but also a mental strength. So we’re going to delve a bit deeper into that today.

This blog is for all my people who feel like they aren’t good enough, like they aren’t worthy enough. The ones who feel anxious regularly and not in control of their lives.

I want you to know, that you have an incredible source of strength within you, waiting to be tapped into and this is where yoga comes in!

Yoga has a positive impact on everyone

Yoga isn’t just for the super fit, or the super flexible, or just for young people. It’s for everyone and it meets you where you are, no matter your fitness level, or your past experience.

It really is for everyone and it stays with you for life.

And the good news is, you can start it at anytime and we can modify the practice, regardless of your age or ability!

I wasn’t fit or sporty when I started practicing yoga. I was active, in terms of walking around a lot and being outside, but I’ve never been a gym bunny, or into any kind of competitive sports.

Looking back, even though I looked pretty healthy from the outside, I actually wasn’t very healthy at all!

I had a stressful job, I was regularly going out socialising, so lots of late nights and eating what I wanted really and just because I didn’t think anything was wrong (I didn’t feel physically ill or sick), I just carried on doing what I was doing!

But actually, I was wrong, I wasn’t strong physically and I definitely wasn’t strong mentally!

I was suffering from anxiety and I was stressed out from work.

I started regularly practicing Yoga and I started to notice my arms, shoulder and back were looking more toned and sculpted. By the way, this wasn’t the reason I was going to Yoga, I was there to help me de-stress and relax. This new found strength in my body was actually a side effect of my practice.

With this increasing physical strength, I started to notice unexpected changes in other parts of my life too.

I was much less anxious, I found I was able to manage my stress levels much better too, things that would have usually stressed me out, I was handling much better and I wasn’t getting as stressed as much.

I felt more capable.

This was when I started to realise the connection between mental & physical strength.

The body achieves what the mind believes.

It’s the power of a strong mindset.

We’re all able to become mentally stronger, just like we can become physically stronger.

For me, being mentally strong means being able to believe in myself, having confidence in myself as a person and the decisions that I make.

One of the magical powers of yoga is its ability to teach self-acceptance.

Self-acceptance is crucial for developing mental strength. In our society, we’re often told we’re not enough, but yoga encourages us to embrace ourselves, flaws and all.

It’s a place where you’re perfect just as you are.

Confidence only comes when you really start to understand yourself. When you start to understand yourself, you learn all the good (and the bad!) things about yourself and you learn to accept them. Yoga steadily builds this self acceptance, which leads to more self-esteem, more self confidence and more mental strength.

All through the practice itself.

So dedicating a little bit of time to yourself each week, or a couple times a week, or even every day is like a little act of self-care or self love for yourself. It’s reminding yourself, that actually I am worthy of some self-care and I do deserve a little bit of time for myself, away from all the stresses and strains of everyday life.

We’re not just talking about a 60 minute or 90 minute practice here, it could be 5,10, 20 minutes. It’s the consistency that counts and the intention behind your practice, rather than the length of time you’re practicing.

Yoga is a safe space to release pent-up emotions, to let go of negativity and fill your heart with positivity. This self-compassion seeps into your daily life, making you more resilient.

The movement in a Yoga practice can actually change how we think & feel

When we are moving from pose to pose, or moving around the mat, we’re building strength in our muscles and bones and this can actually change how we think & feel.

So a bit of sciencey stuff for a minute:

The tissues in our body are constantly talking to our brain, sending messages backward and forwards non-stop. Think about when you cut your finger, your brain instantly knows it hurt because of that chitter chatter between your tissues and your brain.

When we move in Yoga in a way that makes our bones and muscles stronger, this actually changes this conversation between the tissues and our brain. When this happens, it has an instant impact on how we think and we feel.

Think of this way, if we let our bodies go weak – not practicing yoga and leading a pretty sedentary lifestyle, that chit chat between the brain and the tissues will run along of the lines of:
“I am Weak”
“I am Feeble”

“I need to try harder”
“I need to do better”

You can see why a sedentary lifestyle is often linked to anxiety and low self esteem, because when we move in a way that makes us feel stronger, it can actually change how we feel about ourselves and what we believe we can achieve.

We move from a “I can’t” kind of mindset, to a “I can try” mindset and those changes start to show up on the outside too. We feel better and more confident, we start to hold ourselves a bit better, our posture improves and we show up more confidently.

Just like that domino effect that I talk about so often, we feel capable and more in control, which is actually the opposite to anxiety!

We are less anxious and more worthy and that starts to feed back into our tissues, it feeds back into that never ending brain/tissue conversation and that starts to make us feel even more confident and even more strong.

All this, just by practicing some strengthening Yoga poses

How mastering a pose you have been working on can boost your confidence

That first time you nail a pose you never thought possible – that’s a confidence booster right there.

Every pose you master on your mat, becomes a metaphor for overcoming obstacles in your life.

I still remember the first time my toes touched the floor behind my head in Plough pose.

For those of your unfamiliar with the pose, you’re laying on your back with your legs up towards the sky and then your bring your legs down over your head.

Now the aim of this pose isn’t just about getting your toes to the floor – it’s a really big stretch for your back, but it’s a mental challenge too because it’s a really unusual position to be in. You’re making sure you’re not going to crick your neck and trying to keep you form and breathe at the same time!

I’d been practicing yoga for a while and coming into plough pose with my toes on the floor was what I was working towards.

I still remember I was practicing in the garden and my (non-Yogi) husband just happened to look out and said “Were your toes on the floor then?!”

And I was like yes yes yes they have!! It was such a huge breakthrough for me, over time I had really developed some confidence and mental strength in this pose and this time on the mat it paid off.

It felt so good, that something that once felt so far out of my reach, I could now achieve! I had this huge sense of achievement, that I had overcome this big challenge on the mat. It just felt so good!

Even now, with a regular practice of probably 13 or 14 years, I still come across challenges on my mat and poses that I need to work on. I still come across challenges with my breathing sometimes and have to try to keep my mind from wandering off, when I’ve got a lot on my plate.

Every time you practice yoga you’re breaking barriers and building a stronger, healthier you.

Thinking of things energetically now, building strength in your core, helps to bring your Manipura Chakra,
the Solar Plexus chakra into balance. This energy centre is located right in the middle of your core, just above your belly button and is responsible for your self-esteem, your self-trust and your willpower.

The stronger your core is, the more energy you give to this chakra, which in turn can help to build your inner strength and help you feel more confident too.

My classes aren’t just about poses, or the breathing, or even the relaxation at the end, they’re about connection.

Joining a yoga community can be a game-changer, providing you with encouragement, friendship,
and a sense of belonging. Surrounding yourself with like-minded people can do wonders for your self-esteem, knowing that they have the same struggles as you, really can help your own confidence too.

So, to all of you who may have been wrestling with low confidence and self-esteem, know this:

You have a wealth of strength within you, waiting to be awakened.

Yoga isn’t a quick fix, but it is an amazing journey of self-discovery and self-love. As you step onto your mat, remember that each breath, each pose, and each moment of stillness is a step towards greater confidence and self-esteem.

It’s about honoring yourself, embracing your journey and realizing that you are enough, just as you are.