We recently ran a Yoga workshop in Malvern – Victoria on Shiva and Shakti, Consciousness and Energy.
Here is some of the information we shared.
In yoga philosophy, the entire universe, along with our own bodies and minds, is understood through the dynamic relationship of two fundamental principles: Shiva and Shakti.
Shiva is the masculine energetic principle and Shakti is the feminine energetic principle. These are not gendered identities but symbolic expressions of two universal forces that together constitute reality itself. They are often described as opposites, yet they are inseparable and complementary. One cannot exist without the other.
Shiva translates as consciousness or awareness. Shakti translates as energy. Consciousness and awareness are synonymous; energy is the force of movement, vitality, and expression. Together, they form the essence of existence.
Consciousness gives energy direction. Energy gives consciousness substance.
Consciousness is permanent. It is the centre of our being, the silent, steady presence that is always here. Energy, by contrast, is in constant motion. Energy without consciousness is like a car without a driver: powerful but without intelligence or purpose. Yet consciousness without energy would remain inert, a vast but unexpressed potential.
Wherever awareness goes, energy goes. Wherever energy goes, awareness goes.
This is why yoga places such importance on refining both consciousness and energy through self-awareness. Being is consciousness. Doing is energy. When these two are aligned, life moves with clarity and coherence.
Individual and Universal
Yoga recognises both individual consciousness and universal consciousness, as well as individual energy and universal energy. The same principles that shape galaxies also shape our thoughts, emotions, breath and movement.
Shiva is the witnessing presence, unchanging, infinite and steady. It is the knowing principle. As human beings, we have the unique capacity for self-reflection: the ability to have an experience and be aware that we are having it. Shiva is that capacity. It is clarity, presence, steadiness, and insight.
Consciousness is the space in which all thoughts, emotions, sensations, and memories arise. Without consciousness, nothing can be known.
Shakti, on the other hand, is pure energy. It is movement and vitality: breath, sensation, effort, emotion, creativity, and flow. It governs all form and matter. It is nature itself, ever-changing, alive and expressive. Without Shakti, nothing could appear or move.
Though described as two, Shiva and Shakti are one reality experienced in two ways. Consciousness without energy would have no agency. Energy without consciousness would be blind and directionless. Creation arises only through their union.
Macrocosm and Microcosm
On the macrocosmic level, Shiva and Shakti are the structure of the universe. Every movement of the cosmos is Shakti; the intelligence that pervades and orders it is Shiva.
On the microcosmic level, this same dynamic exists within each human being. Shiva is awareness within, the capacity to witness experience. Shakti is the vital force animating the body, breath, emotions and mind.
In yogic physiology, cosmic Shakti is said to rest as kuṇḍalinī energy at the base of the spine, while cosmic Shiva abides at the crown as pure consciousness. Yoga is the process of reuniting what appears divided, allowing energy and awareness to recognise their essential unity.
Thus, Shiva and Shakti are not opposing forces in conflict but polar principles in creative tension. Their apparent duality allows manifestation; their essential unity reveals non-duality. To recognise this is to see that the same intelligence shaping the universe is active within one’s own awareness, the cosmos mirrored in the self.
Shiva & Shakti in Yoga Practice
In yoga practice, Shiva and Shakti are not abstract philosophical ideas, they are embodied and directly experienced. Every aspect of yoga works with the relationship between consciousness and energy. In truth, every aspect of life does as well.
Asana balances these two forces. Shakti expresses as strength, flexibility, effort and dynamic movement, creating form. Shiva is the inner stillness that observes alignment, sensation and the subtle signals that guide intelligent action. A posture is not just something you do; it is something you inhabit. When effort is guided by awareness, the pose becomes meditative.
Pranayama refines Shakti through the breath, the most accessible form of life energy. Conscious breathing invites Shiva, awareness into direct relationship with Shakti, transforming raw vitality into a regulated, intelligent force. Awareness gives direction; energy gives substance.
Meditation emphasises awareness without excluding energy. Thoughts, sensations and emotions continue to arise as expressions of Shakti, yet they are held within steady witnessing awareness. Over time, awareness becomes aware of itself, a vast, open field of limitless consciousness. A seeming nothingness that is, in fact, the space in which everything arises.
The Heart of Yoga
Ultimately, yoga is the cultivation of union, not only between body and mind but between consciousness and its expression. It is the awakening of Shiva and Shakti in their divine potential.
The mat becomes a microcosm of life itself: a place where we learn to refine our energy, clarify our awareness and allow doing to emerge from being. When consciousness and energy move together, life becomes an expression of intelligence, presence and wholeness.
See workshop details: https://stretchyourlife.com.au/product/shiva-shakti-energy-consciousness-yoga-workshop/
