Celestial Sister of September ~ Alison Litchfield

My path intertwined with Alison Litchfield for the first time in November 2015, during my Embody Shakti Yoga Teacher Training that was held in her personal backyard studio in Boulder, Colorado. This woman became a shining guide straight into the heart of Shakti, the feminine creative force. Alison studied Ashtanga Yoga in Mysore, India with master Patthabi Jois as well as her primary teacher Richard Freeman, Tantric Philosophy with Douglas Brooks, Vinyasa Yoga with Shiva Rea, and Iyengar Yoga with Gabriella Guibilaro. With this vast background of yogic studies, Alison helped me, as well as my Embody Shakti Goddess Tribe, to connect with our innermost shadows, root deeply into the Mama Gaia, and stretch high into the cosmos.

Our interview covered topics from this year's Embody Shakti program, to spiritual partnerships, to overcoming struggles to hold the feminine space in our current atmosphere. This exquisite woman is committed not only to yoga and building tribe, but most of all to her role as a mother to two young boys and wife to her loved husband. You can find her info at www.alisonlitchfield.com.

How did you come to the path of the goddess? What drew you to her initially?

I was first drawn to the path of the Goddess through a teacher of mine, Douglas Brooks.  Douglas used to come to Boulder every few months and is a Tantric Scholar in the Shakta tradition, a category of Tantric Saivism, where various goddesses are viewed as the central deity of their respective systems.  The first goddess who drew me in was Kali.  I was raising very young children at the time and felt this energy of the fierce mother for the first time.  It was incredibly powerful to practice with her shakti and it shifted my life tremendously to be able to embody this goddess.

For the majority of your life, have you embodied more feminine or masculine energy?

That’s an interesting question for me to ponder.  I would say more feminine energy overall but in my twenties I embodied a lot of masculine energy through all of the activities I thrived on in the outdoors.  I considered myself a pretty rad woman.  My initial introduction to yoga was through Ashtanga which I consider also to be more masculine in its form.  After having my first child at age 36, my body asked for something softer and slower.  This is when I came to the path of the Goddess, the feminine which was much more about listening and feeling my way through my practice.  The more I learned about the goddesses through the shakta tradition, the more balance of masculine and feminine I was seeking.

When you began to practice with Shakti, how did your life shift?

As I began to practice with an awareness of Shakti I began to feel more.  I was moved by the sensual energy of life that was pulsing through and around me. I started to feel my inner relationship to joy and passion as well as the fiery energy of anger which I used to be terrified of. My relationships began to deepen, my time in nature became more alive and vibrant  and I wanted to eat more high vibrational food.  Shakti is always moving us so as we practice with her we are in a constant state of change.

What is the best way you have found to empower other women?

Women want to be sovereign.  They want to be able to feel the power of who they are both individually and in the collective field.  (Another important piece is) getting women to speak our truth.

Name some challenges you’ve faced being a spiritual feminine leader in a predominantly masculine-driven world.

There are many challenges we face, one is that we live in a very driven world that wants to monetize everything.  One of my favorite books on the goddess is Red, Hot and Holy where Sara Beak talks about how we sell out our souls to satisfy the ego.  In our world, which is still predominantly run by the patriarchy model, we have forgotten how to listen to our soul.  As a feminine leader what you do and how much you make is not important.  Knowing who you are and how you contribute from that essence is what matters.  How are your relationships?  Do they bring you joy and freedom?  

What does the term “spiritual partnership” mean to you?

Spiritual partnerships are about being in true relationship with other.  When we are in relationship whether with a lover, friend or family member, we have an opportunity to grow.  The other becomes both a mirror and someone who holds us accountable for taking responsibility for our actions.  When each person is committed to their own path of growth then there is accountability for the shadow when it comes up.

Describe a time when you thought the worst thing in the world was happening to you, how you moved through it, and looking back, how has it significantly changed your life and shaped your perspective?

When I was 19 my mother was diagnosed with cancer.  I couldn’t imagine a world without her in it.  She was the one steady in my life, a touchstone for me my whole life up until that point.  She died a year and a half later. It was tragic and was a very difficult time in my life.  Looking back, this experience of losing my mother at such a young age gave me the perspective of how fragile and temporary this life is.  I was able to look at life from a very different perspective than most of my friends.  This very experience is what diverted me onto my spiritual path and my focus became all about growth and seeking out what was meaningful.  I received the great gift of  learning to trust in something so much bigger that me; to be in relationship with Divine Mother. I was given the awareness that this is all temporary and that became a doorway on this path of living my life to it’s fullest potential.

What’s your best piece of advice for anyone, young or old, man or woman, meeting with their shadows for the first time?  

There’s a great practice one of my teachers gave me called “Feel, Kiss and Flow”.  When you notice your shadow stuff come up for the first time, the first step is to just feel what’s there.  Then give it space and let it be there and then the key is to let it flow.  Soon you will see that many of these shadows are not as scary as they seem when we give them some space and let them breathe.

How do you apply your spiritual practice to your home life or “real” life?

I apply it into every area of my life.  My spiritual practice is a daily practice of breathing, being aware of my thoughts, feelings and emotions and not getting stuck, being present and loving with my loved ones, friends and work relations, eating high vibrational foods, spending some time with nature daily, drinking lots of water and practicing growth and moving forward.  

Please describe your vision for the Embody Shakti program

My vision is to cultivate tribe and empower women to know who they are in their wholeness, remembering their feminine creative power and purpose through embodiment practice.  I feel am here to serve the awakening of both the feminine and masculine energies that are coming into union through us to serve the evolution of a new consciousness.  In this program we are learning who we already are as teachers and leaders through the capacity to listen to the wisdom and intelligence of our body, understand the clarity of our mind and hold each other in the tenderness of our hearts so we can make empowered choices that will serve in the highest.  

How has teaching yoga impacted your life?

Teaching yoga has impacted my life in such a huge way.  After 4 years of practicing very regularly and feeling the transformation my whole being went through,  I knew I had to teach this to others. Teaching has definitely been an edge for me.  To teach well you really have to know who you are intimately and it takes courage and commitment.  I was not one to teach on a superficial level because that’s not who I am.  I like to dive deep and do the transformational work and you can only take people as far as you are willing to go yourself.  Teaching, therefore has always been very confrontive for me.  I’ve had to face a lot of deep-seated fears, doubts, insecurities and shame. Through all of these challenges, however,  I’ve stayed committed to the work through my deep desire to keep growing myself and help others do the same. Yoga has taught me that often our greatest strengths lie in our vulnerabilities and that life is a gift to be cherished.

What brought you to yoga initially and when was that?

A friend took me to my first yoga class in Montana at a health club in 1989 very soon after my mother had passed.  I was a stiff, young athlete but it felt so good to my body and soul.  A year later I moved to Boulder, Colorado where I found my teacher Richard Freeman and fell in love with the Ashtanga practice.

What other things are you involved in?

I hold women’s retreats and workshops and I offer one-on-one Yoga privates and bodywork sessions that include Rolfing and Access Bars energy work.   I am currently studying to become a Practitioner of Raphaology. Raphaology is a return to the practices of the ancients in which the innate knowledge of plants, elements, earth, and the human body kept people free of dis-ease, and living long, joyful, and healthy lives.

Where can we find you? When/where do you teach?

I live in Boulder, Colorado and teach weekly classes as well as Embody Shakti Teacher Training out of my home studio in downtown.  My schedule is on my website at alisonlitchfield.com.

Alison Litchfield will be teaching this year's Embody Shakti program. Embody Shakti is a 200 hour Certified Yoga Teacher Training through Yoga Alliance with heavy emphasis on Hindu Goddess traditions, earth-based practices, yoga philosophy, and the science behind yoga. I can personally say that my experience through this Embody Shakti program was ground-breaking, earth-shaking, world-changing and I would never, ever have made a different choice had I given the chance. Embody Shakti was the single-most incredible turning point in my short life so far - without it, I would never be teaching yoga. I would still struggle with knowing myself on a deeper level. I would not have the beautiful Sisterhood I have now, and I would not have decided to dedicate my life to service, empowering the feminine, and healing the collective consciousness. I give enormous gratitude and thanks to Alison for opening up a passage for Shakti to move through me.

If you are interested in learning more about how this program will change your life, go to https://alisonlitchfield.com/teacher-training/. 

Namaste.