Today I was reading Lisa Danylchuk's book
"Embodied healing: using yoga to recover from trauma and extreme stress" and I got inspired by what this amazing therapist mentioned in chapter 3 (by the way, if you are a trauma survivor and are interested in yoga4trauma resources you might consider subscribing to her free newsletter here https://howwecanheal.com/).
Lisa mentions the work done by Dr. Amy Cuddy from Harward Business School and the so called "power-poses". According with Dr. Cuddy and
colleagues, holding a power pose for as little as 2 minutes reduces the stress hormone cortisol and increases the levels of testosterone (hormone related to feeling powerful. Here the link to the original study http://www.people.hbs.edu/acuddy/in%20press,%20carney,%20cuddy,%20&%20yap,%20psych%20science.pdf) For example, holding "The Wonder Woman" pose (standing with your feet apart, hands on your hips, and your chin
tilted upward) for 2 minutes will increase your testosterone levels and your confidence level.
Reading about this study was really inspiring because it made me realize how some activities/disciplines (e.g. dancing, yoga, self defense) actually make you practice "power poses" ALL THE TIME without you even knowing it! For instance, I recently got back into dancing and yoga and today I realized how much my sense of confidence has increased in the last 6 months, just by dancing and practicing yoga exercises on a regular basis! Dancing and yoga, in fact, make you stand up tall, long spine, open chest at ALL TIMES! Powerful power posing right there and then!
So... Are you headed to a job interview or an important meeting and need a boost of self-confidence?
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