Picture this: Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. What do they have in common? Each super hero conjures up a powerful, expansive stance that invokes a sense of confidence and pride: confidence in their ability to succeed in the task set before them, and pride in their accomplishments and talents. As we think about our own experiences, when feel powerless, less than, or not good enough, we often exhibit a closed off posture. Slouched, hunched shoulders, head hung low: you know the feeling (if not, try it now). However, when we're confident, we tend to display more open nonverbal body language by standing tall, holding our heads high, and exuding a strong presence.

What happens if we change our nonverbal behaviors? Are we able to change our emotional response? Social psychologist Amy Cuddy reports that power posing is a way of changing how we interpret our nonverbal body language. It can boost feelings of confidence, and might even have an impact on our chances for success! You can watch her entire TED talk here.

Power posing has even been used in schools to help students feel more confident and successful before taking exams. Check out this video of adorable children practicing their superhero poses.

Did you know that yoga has a power pose? That's right, mountain pose is the basis of all standing and balancing work. We have to find our confidence and strength first in order to find success in subsequent poses. How do you feel when you enter a balance pose slumped over and lacking muscle engagement? Doomed to fail? What about when you start standing tall, firmly rooted in to the earth? I feel confident and prepared for the task ahead.

So, what makes a powerful mountain pose? Let's build our pose from the feet up.

Start with your feet hip width distance apart. Shift your weight side to side to distribute the weight evenly across your feet. Lift your toes to feel the arches of your feel lift, which will engage the quadriceps.
Tuck the tailbone under slightly to find a neutral pelvis.
Lengthen the spine by reaching the crown of your head towards the sky.
Draw the belly button toward the low back engaging your core.
Shrug the shoulders down your back. Arms are relaxed by your side or in a prayer pose at heart center.
Gaze straight ahead.
BREATHE (arguably the most important step!)

How does this feel different? What is your emotional response to the nonverbal body language? What does it fell like to be in your body while engaging in our yoga power pose?

The next time you practice, I hope you will think of power posing and remember that you have your own yoga superhero pose in your arsenal to promote confidence and success!