When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Become Durga

There are moments in life when we all feel cornered—by circumstances, by grief, by fatigue, or by the sheer weight of responsibility. In those moments, when it seems easiest to crumble or flee, yoginis do something different. We pause. We breathe. We remember who we truly are.

We become Durga.

Durga is not a goddess outside of us, riding a tiger in some distant myth. She is a force within—the embodiment of our courage, clarity, and unwavering presence. When life presses in and the demons of doubt, fear, overwhelm, and self-sabotage appear, it is Durga who steps forward. Sword in hand, she cuts through illusion. She makes us fierce—not in anger, but in truth. Not in violence, but in strength.

Leaning Into the Inner Fire

Yogic practice isn't just about flexibility or peace. It's about forging a relationship with our deepest Self. It's about learning to stay when things get hard. To stay on the mat. To stay in the conversation. To stay in the heart.

In the fire of practice—whether it’s asana, meditation, mantra, or breath—we touch something eternal. We awaken the goddess within. The goddesses of yoga are not mere symbols of antiquity. They are archetypes—living, breathing energies that awaken as our awareness deepens.

Durga lives in that moment when you say “no more” to the patterns that have kept you small. When you put down the mask and show up fully, raw and real. When you set a boundary, speak your truth, or rise after falling flat. She is in the willingness to face what is hard—not with bracing, but with devotion.

Wholehearted Devotion Is an Act of Power

We often think of devotion as soft, as submissive. But in the yogic path, devotion is anything but passive. To bow deeply to the truth is an act of radical courage. To surrender to the Divine is to open yourself to your full capacity. To say, “I am willing to be a vessel for what wants to come through me,” takes immense trust.

Durga’s sword isn’t for battle in the traditional sense—it’s for clarity. It cuts through confusion. It severs attachment to the stories that no longer serve. It slices through our self-imposed limitations and leaves only what is true.

Ritual: Remember Who You Are

When I feel overwhelmed or stuck, I light a candle. I sit in stillness, even for a moment. I remember that I’m not alone, and I’m not weak. I remember that the goddess lives in me. That the same power that holds up the stars is the one that beats my heart.

Sometimes the only step forward is a tiny one—but with presence, that step becomes sacred. We don’t have to know the whole path. We just have to return again and again to our center. To breathe into our belly, feel our spine, place our feet on the earth.

You don’t have to wait until you feel strong to act. The act itself will call your strength forward.

We Don’t Just Get Through—We Transform

To move through challenge with consciousness is to emerge changed. Empowered. Aligned. Grounded in something greater than the ego.

This is what yoginis do. We meet the fire and let it forge us. We invoke Durga—not with incense or rituals alone, but through our willingness to awaken, to act, to show up with fierce grace.

So when the going gets tough, remember: you don’t have to become something new. You just have to remember what’s already within.

Light a candle.

Take a breath.

Call Her name—not as a whisper, but as a roar from within your chest.

You are Durga.

And you are already enough.

The Goddess is not separate

She s YOU.