I don’t often go see movies, and I’m not a massive superhero fan, but given all the hype about Wonder Woman I felt it was my feminist duty to support it and I’m so proud that I did. Made by a woman (Patty Jenkins), starring a woman (Gal Gadot), and with the smallest budget of any DC film to date and no deleted scenes, it was a raw and pure piece of badass storytelling that echos resistance, empowers women and has long earned its success in the box office.
I mean really, the entire thing was a freakin’ masterpiece. Firstly, Wonder Woman/Diana Prince has the whole Greek mythology thing going on. She’s an Amazonian queen who comes from a beautiful island with only beautiful badass women on it, superior to the world of men. Her superpowers include dope strength and combat skills, a lasso that forces the truth, energy-blasting bracelets and of course her strongest superpower of all: love. That’s right, she prefers peace and love over war and violence (but will light it up if she has to). She’s a compassionate warrior with the strength and heart of a damn goddess.
The empowering effects of Wonder Woman go back to the 70’s when the original TV show was super popular in North America, and at a time after the World Wars when women were speaking up for their rights (just as in the film). For four decades, women went to war and helped complete missions and earned medals and went to school and went to work and made supplies and became nurses and doctors and birthed children and cared for their families – with little in return. It was a time for recognition, equality, and the seize of opportunity.
And out comes the old time Power Pose! Recommended to women in America to help overcome life’s challenges, like an interview for example. The odds of women being hired compared to men were so slim, that they were encouraged to mentally prepare themselves just like an Olympic athlete before a competition. But it’s all good. When all this girl power comes together it beats the odds.
So as a yogi and raging feminist I present to you an updated version of the Power Pose: Wonder Woman Pose, also known as Badassasana:
How to do it:
Begin in mountain pose. Step your feet wider than hip distance apart and evenly distribute your weight. Activate all your leg muscles (think root to rise!) and continue to lengthen up the spine. Keeping the shoulders down and chest lifted, cross your forearms, make fists and gaze forwards.
Advanced:
Begin in Warrior 1. Pivit your back foot forward and into a lunge position. Rotate the upper body forwards, lift the chest, cross your forearms to make fists, and gaze up between the hands.
What it’s good for:
These days the odds are a little better when it comes to being hired, but you can strike this pose anytime you want to feel like an Amazonian goddess. Maybe your kid is screaming at you, maybe you’re about to go into surgery, maybe you feel sluggish and like you need a confidence boost, maybe you’re frustrated that your President is tweeting bullshit at 3am, or maybe you’re just burning the coffee first thing in the morning and you’re already late for work and you’re going to have a tiny meltdown if you don’t do it. But whatever your reason is, just do it in true Wonder Woman style and do it with love.
Namaste~
Melissa Ward 