I first heard about power poses years ago, when I was invited to do one as part of a meditation designed to cultivate confidence before a big day. The instruction was simple enough:
Stand up. Put your hands on your hips. Lift your chest. Arch your back slightly. Take up space.

Basically—stand like a superhero. I remember thinking: I’m not sure about that. It felt corny. Performative. Slightly ridiculous. I’ve never been someone who naturally stands tall, chest open, shoulders back. In fact, posture was something my parents used to grill me about endlessly when I was growing up, “Stand up straight!” which mostly just made me more self-conscious. Years later, I learned that I have some curvature issues in my spine that make “perfect posture” genuinely difficult. So, the idea that confidence could be summoned by simply changing my stance felt… oversimplified at best.

And yet. I tried it. And almost immediately, something shifted. It was subtle—but undeniable. I felt more grounded. More present. Slightly steadier in myself. It was strange, and a little uncomfortable, and not at all magical. But it was also empowering. And, unexpectedly, liberating.

That experience is what keeps bringing me back to the idea of power poses—not as a gimmick, but as a doorway into something deeper: the way our bodies can lead our minds toward steadiness, confidence, and self-trust.

What Is a Power Pose?

At its most basic level, a power pose is a body posture that emphasizes openness, expansiveness, and groundedness. These poses typically involve:

• An open chest
• Upright or rooted posture
• Taking up more physical space
• Relaxed but intentional positioning of the arms and legs

You’ve probably seen examples without realizing it: a runner crossing the finish line with arms raised, a leader standing solidly behind a podium, a child standing hands-on-hips declaring, “I’ve got this.”

Power poses contrast with protective or collapsed postures - crossed arms, rounded shoulders, hunched spines, downward gazes - that often emerge when we’re anxious, threatened, or trying to stay unnoticed. Power poses aren’t about dominance or intimidation. They’re not about “fake it till you make it” in a way that bypasses authenticity. Instead, they’re about aligning the body with internal resources that already exist but may be offline in moments of stress or self-doubt.

Why Power Poses Can Feel So Uncomfortable at First

If your first reaction to power poses is skepticism, or even resistance, you’re not alone. For many of us, especially those shaped by trauma, chronic stress, or social conditioning, taking up space hasn’t always felt safe.

• We learned to be smaller, quieter, less visible.
• We learned that confidence could be read as arrogance.
• We learned that standing out might invite criticism, judgment, or harm.

So, when a power pose asks the body to open - to expand - it can feel exposed. Vulnerable. Even wrong. That discomfort doesn’t mean the practice isn’t working. Often, it means the body is encountering something unfamiliar. What matters is choice and consent. Power poses should never feel forced. They can be adapted, softened, modified. Even a subtle shift - lifting the chest slightly, planting the feet more firmly - can be enough. This isn’t about performing confidence. It’s about experimenting with embodiment.

Common Power Poses (And Gentle Variations)

Here are a few classic power poses, along with gentler ways to approach them:

1. Hands on Hips (Superhero Pose)

• Stand with feet hip-width apart
• Place hands on hips
• Lift chest slightly, soften shoulders
• Gaze forward or slightly upward

Gentler option: Keep arms relaxed at your sides but roll shoulders back and widen your stance.

2. Victory Pose

• Stand or sit tall
• Raise arms overhead in a wide “V”
• Let the breath deepen

Gentler option: Lift arms halfway or rest hands behind your head.

3. Open Seated Pose

• Sit with feet planted on the floor
• Spine upright but not rigid
• Hands resting openly on thighs

Gentler option: Sit back in the chair, supported, with chest open.

4. Grounded Standing Pose

• Feet firmly planted
• Knees soft
• Arms relaxed
• Weight evenly distributed

This one is especially helpful if expansive poses feel like too much.

What’s Happening in the Body and Brain?

From a neuroscience and nervous-system perspective, power poses work less because they “hack confidence” and more because they shift physiological signals traveling from the body to the brain.

Here’s what’s happening under the hood:

1. The Body Leads the Brain

We often assume emotions start in the mind and move downward. In reality, much of our emotional experience flows bottom-up—from body to brain. Posture, muscle tone, breath, and spatial orientation all send constant feedback to the nervous system about safety, threat, and readiness. An open, upright posture can signal:

• I am not under immediate threat.
• I have access to resources.
• I am oriented and present.

2. Nervous System Regulation

Power poses can gently nudge the nervous system toward a regulated state, particularly when paired with slow breathing.

• Collapsed postures often accompany freeze or shutdown
• Rigid, tense postures can align with fight-or-flight
• Grounded, open postures support ventral vagal regulation—the state associated with social engagement, confidence, and clarity

This doesn’t mean a single pose will erase anxiety. But it can create just enough internal shift to bring the thinking brain back online.

3. Hormones, Attention, and Interoception

Early research popularized by Amy Cuddy suggested power poses influenced hormones like cortisol and testosterone. While later studies have complicated those claims, what has remained consistent is that power poses reliably influence:

• Subjective confidence
• Sense of agency
• Attention and focus
• Interoceptive awareness (our ability to feel internal states)

In other words, even if the hormonal story is more nuanced than originally thought, the felt experience is real—and clinically meaningful.

How to Integrate Power Poses into Daily Life

Power poses don’t need to be dramatic, or public, to be effective. Here are some ways to weave them into everyday moments:

Before Something Hard

• Before a meeting
• Before a difficult conversation
• Before hitting “send” on an important email

Take 30–60 seconds. Stand or sit tall. Breathe. Let the body arrive before the mind has to perform.

As a Nervous System Reset

When you notice:

• Slumping at your desk
• Shallow breathing
• Mental fog

Shift posture. Open the chest. Plant the feet. It’s a quiet reset button.

In Private Transitions

• In the bathroom
• In your car
• In a hallway
• Between sessions, meetings, or tasks

Power poses don’t need an audience.

Paired With Breath or Intention

Try silently pairing the pose with a phrase like:

• I am allowed to take up space.
• I am here.
• I can meet this moment.

Power Poses as “Borrowed Strength”

One of the reasons I’ve grown to love power poses is that they don’t ask us to feel confident first. They let us borrow confidence from the body, even when the mind is uncertain, tired, or afraid.

That feels especially important in a culture that often equates confidence with certainty, loudness, or dominance. Power poses offer a quieter version of strength. One rooted in presence. In choice. In embodied self-trust. They remind us that confidence doesn’t always come from thinking differently. Sometimes, it comes from standing differently.

An Important Reframe: Power Without Force

It’s also worth naming what power poses are not. They are not about forcing the body into confidence or overriding fear. They aren’t a demand to “stand tall” when what you actually need is rest, support, or protection. True power, especially from a trauma-informed lens, is not coercive, even when the coercion is self-directed.

Instead, power poses work best when they are offered as an option, not a requirement. An invitation rather than a mandate. On some days, the most powerful posture might be expansive. On others, it might be contained, supported, or grounded close to the earth. Listening for what the body needs in that moment is part of the practice. In that way, power poses aren’t about performing strength, they’re about cultivating relationship with your body, and letting that relationship guide you toward steadiness.

A Gentle Practice Invitation

This week, I invite you to experiment, not perform. Once a day, choose a moment:

• Before something challenging
• After something draining
• Or simply when you remember

Shift your posture. Open your body just a little more than usual. Stay for three slow breaths. Then notice, not whether you feel powerful, but whether you feel more present. That presence is often where real power lives.

What I’m Loving This Week

Sound:
Moments of quiet punctuated by music that wakes something up in my body.

Practice:
Power poses as a way to borrow confidence from the body, especially before moments that feel stretching or uncertain.

Tool:
A brief pause between tasks to stand, breathe, and re-orient instead of rushing into the next thing.

Quote:
“Take up space.”

Song:
A Praise Chorus by Jimmy Eat World

I used to love this song when I was an avid runner, and I recently heard it again for the first time in years. When they sing, “I want to always feel like part of this was mine,” I can’t help but stand a little taller, slip into a power pose, and feel a rush of excitement and aliveness move through my body. It’s a reminder that presence—really inhabiting our lives—can be an act of power all on its own.