We all have days when we wish we had a little bit more confidence. Of course, even the most confident people still have days where they wake up and they’re just not feeling it, whether your hormones have shifted throughout the month or you just had a bad night’s sleep some days. We just need a little adjustment. That’s why I’ve designed this 15-minute yoga class to give you a boost of confidence any day you need.
So how can yoga actually make a difference on your confidence? According to research by Amy Cuddy suggests that certain postures, such as ones that expand the chest, do great things for our confidence by boosting testosterone.
Testosterone is actually one of the magical hormones that is most associated with high levels of confidence.
Self Talk for Confidence
Of course, we can do more than find movement to help boost. Another important thing to do is change up the way that we talk to ourselves.
Which is why I’m giving you a series of affirmations throughout the class today. This is to help you to mentally and emotionally get on track for greater confidence while we enjoy powerful movements.
There’s also some goofiness and laughter, because that’s also important.
Yoga for a Confidence Boost
I also made this a shorter class because I want you to be able to drop in and complete the class whenever you’re needing it. Usually when we’re locking some confidence we’re having tough days and it’s not always easy to encourage ourselves to get on the mat.
We might be feeling a lot of anxiety or feeling rushed which again can make it challenging to commit to an hour-long class. Which is why all you need is a mat and 15 minutes (and maybe an open mind) for today’s class.
Okay, meet me on the mat!
Yoga Poses for Confidence
Let’s break down some of the poses that we use in this sequence that are doing a nice testosterone boost on the body.
Superman Pose
Superman pose while this isn’t a “yoga pose” exactly. Superman is a common posture that we’ve all come to learn. It’s great for giving ourselves a physical “pep talk” when we’re about to do something that takes courage, whether it’s a job interview or giving a presentation at work. Superman posture is actually becoming The norm in Corporate America.
And it’s super easy to do!
For this posture try standing with your feet just a bit wider than hips. Placing your hands on your hips open your chest as much as you can by pulling the shoulders down and back, away from your ears. Think about puffing out your chest like Superman might do.
You can keep your hands on your hips and continue to puff out your chest and maybe even talk to yourself in the mirror. It’s nice to walk through the presentation you’re about to give or some of the interview questions you might be asked.
You can take this posture one step further by reaching the hands up overhead, kind of like you’re doing the “Y” from YMCA. You’ll continue to lift up the chest and feel super energized as the testosterone starts to naturally flood the body.
Warrior II
This is another posture where we focus on expanding that chest. It’s a power pose in yoga for several reasons.
We’re standing in this fierce fighter position, and we’ve got our arms reaching out, expanding, which is a confident position. If we weren’t feeling confident, we would physically express it with rounding the shoulders forward, trying to cover our central body.
In Warrior II, we’re fully expanded. The chest is puffed out and lifted and we’re feeling really strong.
Cobra Pose
This is another pose that opens the chest and feels really good. Of course, you can lift into the full expression of Upward Facing Dog, but I always appreciate a simper pose when I’m in need of a pick-me-up.
Start laying on your belly with the feet stretched back behind with the tops of the feet pressed into the mat. Bring the palms underneath the shoulders, fingers spread wide, and the elbows are pulled in.
On an inhale, press into the palms as you lift the chest off the ground and pull the shoulder blades back together. The elbows should stay tucked into the sides as the chest opens and the head remains neutral, not allowing the chin to reach upwards.
Speak kindly to boost confidence
Just like in the yoga practice, there are several things that we can be saying to ourselves in order to help encourage confidence.
For those who already feel like they possess a lot of confidence, it might be good to just have a handful of confident affirmations for when you are feeling like you got a sluggish day. I’ve got a list of over 50 affirmations that you can grab right here.
For those of us who maybe feel like confidence is a daily struggle, it’s best to have a regular practice. Making time to encourage your confidence and self esteem is going to vital.
Of course, you can check out those affirmations, but I find it’s even better to write your own. That way, you’re really connecting with words that ring true for you.
My dear friend, Rachel Havecost, recently wrote a guest article for us all about how to write your own unique affirmations. Take a look at that article and get in the practice of writing out a series of affirmations every single day. It can be a five-minute practice.
Even the busiest Of us can add in just five minutes to prioritize our confidence in our own self-esteem!
When You’ve Boosted Confidence
So what happens when we have more confidence?
- We tend to make more money, because we feel worthy of asking asking for it.
- We find ourselves in better relationships with people who treat us well.
- Our whole life begins to shift around the belief that we are worthy of all of our desires, which makes them come true much quicker.
If you have any questions about today’s yoga practice or about confidence building in general, please drop a comment down below.
If you’d like to connect with me about ways to boost your confidence on a private alignment call, I still have space in my calendar to book some free mini sessions. You can click here to schedule your call now and I guarantee you’ll walk away with at least one new tool you can be implementing to boost your confidence regularly.
I believe in you. You’ve totally got this.
Enjoy the yoga,
