`Mat-Free` yoga practice and the feminine power of Shakti . Yoga for Women’s Bodies and Hearts - Part Two YOGA YOMU MAGAZINE. TOKYO, JAPAN. Originally published in Japanese. “Shakti is Sanskrit for “to be able”. It means sacred force or empowerment. It is the primordial cosmic energy and represents divine feminine creative power.` Wikipedia. I am a yogini and a yoga instructor who rarely uses a yoga mat. If you come to one of my workshops or `lifeshops` I encourage you to also practice `mat-free`. Of course when we need to define our personal space, protect our body from cold and hard surfaces, and maintain our balance in some vinyasa sequences, the sticky support from mats is helpful. But I believe that mats can also be a hindrance to our yoga practice if we rely on them too much. Have you ever seen a yogini lay down her mat in the same place every time she practices at the studio? Have you ever been practicing on your mat and felt a toxic whiff of synthetic chemicals enter your system? If you have an organic cotton mat then great! But could you feel comfortable practicing when you are traveling and have no mat? Moving up and down, front and back repetitively become boring for me and I felt trapped, so four years ago I started practicing `mat-free`. I soon realized I move more naturally, more creatively, and more like a women. I can flow and face all directions of the compass and incorporate all types of yoga and movement (qigong, yoga dancing etc) to deepen my traditional asana practice. `Mat free` I feel a real  sense of physical and emotional freedom and this has allowed a natural transition of my physical practice into a `living` practice. I can now practice yoga wherever and whenever I want – inside or outside, at work or on the beach. I notice I naturally do breathing practices as I wait for the train and I ground my feet as I climb the stairs or when I go mountain hiking. Mat-free, my movements and hence consciousness has expanded. The most powerful effect of my `mat free` practice is that I feel `Shakti`-I feel the active feminine energy within me that seeks to be soft, round and flowing. I feel like a yogini and a natural women and this has inspired a sense of balance in my everyday life and personal relationships. Why don’t you give  `mat-free` yoga in your `self-practice` a try? I would love to hear your experiences and help other yoginis share in shakti power.