At the studio where I teach yoga classes we have dedicated the week to Viparita Virabhadrasana, one of the warrior poses. Yoga's mythic literature is full of them and asanas (postures) in their honor. Right now I can think of heroic ones like Arjuna, Rama, Lakshmana, Hanuman, Surya or Virabhadra. The warrior is a figure familiar to us, westeners. What is not talked about too often (and might surprise many of us) is that tantra yoga also has a team of warrior goddesses, even more powerful and sometimes fierce. 

Today's image represents Durga. She is the Mother of the Universe, she loves us unconditionally and is able to pick up the weapons in order to fight our own ignorance. Durga rides a tiger (or a lion) showing her mastery over qualities like power, willingness or determination. Even though she protects us from all directions as if we were in the middle of the battle, her face has the sweetness of someone in peace and her red and gold sari is always perfectly displayed! Durga finds great joy in supporting our journey. We can see her holding a half opened lotus flower because her presence is key in the process of our evolution. Another hand makes the gesture of protection -Abhaya mudra- as if she was saying "Don't worry, offer your challenges to me and my power will help you".

Durga is the spiritual "warrioress" par excellence. She symbolizes the triumph over demons like not knowing what we truly are; the belief of separateness; of the wrong idea of living only in the fragmented time span of the current life.   

Her presence is unconditional and somewhat wild because love assumes many forms and shades. She is "the invincible" and shows herself as the cosmic force that will never let us fall, as the one who protects us along the whole journey to the soul and as the one who frees us from all that keeps us from seeing that we are the most beautiful Light. When you feel out of focus or overwhelmed, invoque the presence of this magnificent  spiritual warrior energy. She is the ferocious love of a mother, of Mother Nature and the entire creation.  

Om Aim Dum Duragaye Namaha

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