Feminine energy and masculine energy are present in both genders, and as the yin-yang symbol beautifully illustrates, balancing both energies leads to harmony. You may think that being a woman means you are already chock-full of feminine energy, as a default setting. But living in a world that is biased towards masculine traits means that you may have downplayed or repressed many of your naturally feminine qualities without realising it.

How do we define these energies?
Masculine energy is all about action. It is very present, logical, focused, achievement-driven, and it wants to build and protect. Feminine energy on the other hand is nurturing, soft, receptive, creative, and in touch with intuition. If masculine energy is characterised by doing, feminine energy is characterised by being.

Now can you see why it is easy to lose touch with the feminine side? As women strived to be treated as equals in the workplace, they were encouraged to lean in by emulating their male counterparts. But according to holistic healer Rachel Rossitto, who works with women leaders in business and communities to help them reclaim what she calls their sacred feminine, “a woman who sources her creativity and energy from taking exquisite care of herself is more powerful than one who pushes so hard that she exhausts herself and is no longer experiencing joy and pleasure.”

What this means is that success can come much easier from honouring your feminine traits rather than stifling them, because true creativity and inspiration come from a place of harmony. A constant refrain on this topic is the power of a woman’s intuition, which you can get in touch with by doing grounding practices such as meditation, journaling, and breathwork. These practices strip away all the mental gunk we acquire from the overstimulation of today’s fast paced life and technology, clearing the space for your inner voice to emerge and be heard. You’ll realise it when you pose a question to yourself, and the answer appears in your mind while feeling right in your heart as well. This is in direct contrast to the indecisive, back and forth tendencies of someone who is not in touch with their intuition.

There are many small habits you can adopt to increase your feminine energy, and not all of them are of the “woo woo” variety so please keep reading for some practical, fun tips too!

Create a sacred space
Just as men desire a man cave, a room dedicated to their pleasures, a woman craves a space that is just for her. An entire room would be the ultimate luxury, but you can get the same benefits from a corner of a room or even just a side table. Transform any table into an altar by keeping objects of beauty on it that resonate with you: flowers, a candle, a crystal, a framed photo. Spend a little time at this corner every day, in the mornings if possible, and use that space for any of your grounding practices. Add a meditation pillow, or a pretty notebook and colourful pens for journaling. Or if you chose this space because it’s near a window with a nice view, simply savour your tea while sitting here and reflecting or daydreaming. Cultivating a space, however tiny, that is entirely for your pleasure and upliftment rather than a more practical purpose, allows you to honour your sacred feminine.

Dress yourself up
I have the utmost admiration for people who try to look their best every day. I’m one of those extremists who will make a huge effort to glam up for an occasion, but go about my day to day life barefaced and sometimes shabby. But while researching this column I came across the clever advice to do a “micro dress up” if you don’t have the time or energy for a full one. This means taking a couple of extra minutes to do one little thing that makes you look more put together, like filling in your eyebrows or putting on some jewellery. It could also be applying a few spritzes of a nice fragrance or wearing some cute ballet flats instead of your usual chappals. The ritual of adorning ourselves is so feminine, we should remember to do it for ourselves and not just for a party. Even such small touches will go a long way, not only for your feminine energy, but for your mood and confidence.

Stop striving for perfection
Having high standards is fine, until it starts holding you back. For example, postponing calling friends home for dinner because you think your dining room needs a few more touches. Or maybe you’ve been wanting to launch a fashion blog, but your photos aren’t dazzling enough, so you are waiting until you complete a photography course. You’d be surprised to learn how many of your friends have hobbies and creative pursuits that they do not share with you because they don’t feel their work is good enough. So one sad outcome of the pursuit of perfection is that it keeps us from sharing more of ourselves with our loved ones. The other result of always going for the gold is burnout, especially at work. Constantly looking for flaws and what could be improved will exhaust your mind, and is the opposite of being in the flow state that comes from a harmonious balance of masculine and feminine energies. Try to embrace the saying “Done is better than perfect”, meaning that it is better to complete something than to keep waiting until it is perfect.

Dance, and put your hips into it
The way people throng onto the dance floor at a wedding and never leave, it is obvious that humans love to dance, so isn’t it a shame that we wait for these infrequent opportunities to boogie? When I need a little uplifting, or if I’ve discovered a new song I can’t get enough of, I will lock my door, blast the music, and let it move me. It’s interesting to see how we dance and move when no one is watching! Go ahead and do those sensual, sexy moves that would shock the elders; this is your time to enjoy and connect with your body. And why put your hips into it? Energy practitioners believe that a great deal of our divine female energy is stored there, perhaps because of its proximity to the root chakra, so loosening up your hips not only while dancing, but while walking, allows this energy to flow.

Ask for help
Why are women reluctant to ask for help, when we are so ready to help everyone else in our lives? At work, you may think it makes you look weak or incompetent. At home, you don’t want to burden anyone. With friends, you don’t want to put them out. But doing everything yourself will lead to stress and burnout. Smart people know that asking the right person for help will save much more time than figuring it out on their own. And the beautiful thing about human nature and community is that people like to help others! Your loved ones would be happy for the opportunity to make your life a little easier, whether that is by babysitting or running an errand for you, and you will eventually get the chance to return the favour. They say it takes a village to raise a child, but it also takes a village to get through life, so don’t be reluctant to reach out to others for a helping hand.

I hope that trying some of the above practices helps you to slow down, embrace pleasure, and get into touch with your intuition. There is so much to celebrate about being a woman, so awaken your feminine energy and enjoy a wonderful balance between being and doing. Happy Women’s Day!