How to be Confident - Mondays With Maya

Hi, everyone!

I had such a good time when I went to Paris fashion week; I always get so inspired with the fashion, the people, and the creativity but in particular, this time, I got to thinking about confidence.

How to be Confident - Mondays With Maya

Seeing all the wonderful and different people in this industry and all the models on the runway, just oozing confidence, made me think: how can we also gain confidence, especially when we're not really feeling it? We all get those days, right?

Confidence is a state of mind. Just because you see someone who appears confident, it might not be that way in reality. They might be faking it. Faking it is a great way to start, though! You can fake it till you make it! If you act confident all the time, pretty soon your mind and body will start to believe it. The same is true with happiness. (Check out this post on how to fake it till you make it with happiness.) So how can we be (or appear) confident? 

Fix Your Posture

Models have to walk with an air of confidence, and that make them appear confident and perhaps even intimidating on the outside. They stand up straight, they walk with a purpose, and they hold their head up high. It just goes to show what a little thing like changing your stance and straightening your posture can do!

In Kundalini and in all yoga, posture is imperative. If you can get in your daily practice or yoga stretches, that's great, but if not, try this little quick tip to let you know where your posture can use a little help:

• Lie on the floor with your bottom near a couch or a chair, and put your feet up on the chair. The spine should be touching the floor, from the neck all the way down to the waist. Try to relax and feel yourself melt further into the floor with each breath.
• Notice how you might feel a bit of discomfort at the shoulders or at the waist. This will tell you where you have bad posture. If you have sore shoulders, try to make a conscious effort to straighten the shoulders when you walk. If you have a bit of discomfort at the waist, you should try to bring the pelvis slightly in when you are upright. Imagine the pelvis like a bowl of water, you don't want to protrude the bottom too far backward because the water will spill forwards, and you don't want to bring it too far forwards because the water will spill from the back! Keeping a nice straight, strong pelvis will help with the posture and avoid back pain in the future!

Try it and let me know how you get on! And remember...

Love and blessings and remember to stand up straight!

Maya x

P.S. My Yoga Teacher Training is this May '17 in sunny Greece! I'd love for you to join us! More details here. And don't forget to connect with me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook where I'll regularly share free yoga and breathing tips and inspirations from around the world!