For many people, yoga begins with movement and breath. But beneath the physical practice lies a rich philosophical tradition filled with stories, symbols, and archetypes that help us understand ourselves more deeply. Among the most powerful of these are the goddesses of the yogic tradition.
In the yogic tradition, the study of gods and goddesses is not necessarily about worshipping multiple deities or abandoning one’s own faith tradition.
The stories of Kali, Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, and others come from Hindu mythology, where they are understood as expressions of different divine qualities and cosmic forces. For many yoga practitioners, these figures are explored much like archetypes, sacred stories, or symbolic representations of qualities that exist within all of us—courage, wisdom, compassion, abundance, discernment, and transformation. Students from many different religious backgrounds, including Christianity, often find value in these teachings without feeling the need to change their personal beliefs. The invitation is not to replace your faith, but to explore the wisdom these stories offer about the human experience.
Whether viewed as divine figures, sacred stories, or symbolic representations of universal human qualities, the goddesses offer a rich framework for self-study and personal growth.
In yoga, the goddesses serve as mirrors, helping us recognize aspects of ourselves that may be dormant, hidden, or waiting to be developed. Lakshmi teaches abundance and gratitude. Saraswati embodies wisdom, creativity, and authentic expression. Durga represents courage and healthy boundaries. Kali, perhaps the most misunderstood of all, symbolizes transformation, liberation, and the fierce compassion required to release what no longer serves us.
Kali’s image can be startling at first. She is often depicted with wild hair, a necklace of skulls, and a sword in her hand. Yet these symbols are deeply psychological and spiritual in nature. Her sword represents discernment—the ability to cut through illusion, conditioning, fear, and outdated identities. Her fierce appearance reminds us that growth is not always gentle. Sometimes healing requires us to face uncomfortable truths, grieve what has been lost, or release patterns that have become too small for who we are becoming.
This teaching becomes especially relevant during the New Moon.
In yoga, Ayurveda, and related Vedic traditions, the lunar cycle is understood to influence our physical, emotional, and energetic experience. The New Moon represents the darkest point of the lunar cycle—a time traditionally associated with rest, reflection, and inward awareness.
While the Full Moon illuminates what is visible, the New Moon invites us to explore what lies beneath the surface: our habits, fears, desires, and the stories we carry about ourselves.
This June’s New Moon falls during an Adhika Amavasya cycle, a spiritually significant dark moon period associated with introspection, energetic clearing, and renewal. It is considered an especially potent time to pause, listen, and create space for what is ready to emerge.
It is Kali territory.
Not “destruction” as many western minds would perceive it, but the sacred clearing away of what no longer serves our growth.
At Embodied Health, we believe yoga is not simply about stretching the body. It is a practice of becoming more fully ourselves. The stories of the goddesses offer a framework for that exploration. They remind us that strength can coexist with tenderness, that wisdom can emerge from darkness, and that transformation often begins the moment we stop clinging to what no longer fits.
As I write this, I am preparing to welcome a new baby into the world any day now. Like many women standing at the threshold of a major life transition, I find myself reflecting on the paradox at the heart of the feminine experience: every beginning requires an ending. Before a child is born, a version of ourselves must be released. Before new life emerges, we enter a period of uncertainty, surrender, and profound trust.
This is one of the reasons Kali’s teachings feel so relevant to me right now.
She reminds us that transformation is rarely comfortable, but it is often sacred. Whether we are birthing a child, a new chapter, a new relationship, a new business, or simply a new understanding of ourselves, we are invited to meet the unknown with courage.
The New Moon offers a similar invitation: to pause, to listen, to release, and to trust that something meaningful is taking shape—even when we cannot yet see it.
Our upcoming Kali Unbound Women’s New Moon Gathering is an opportunity to experience these teachings not as abstract philosophy, but as a living practice through movement, breath, sound, reflection, and community. Together, we will explore the transformative energy of Kali through somatic movement, yoga, breathwork, music, and sisterhood.
Because the goal of yoga is not to become someone else.
It is to remember who you have been all along.
When the darkness is deepest, we return to our power.
Kali Unbound: A Women’s New Moon Experience
Sunday, June 14, 2026
Embodied Health | Bradenton, FL
With Nicole Skaggs, ERYT-200
An evening of somatic movement, yoga, breathwork, sound, rock music, reflection, and community inspired by the transformative energy of Kali and the New Moon.
Embodied Health 
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