🌕Yoga and the Moon? What’s the connection? 🌕
Yoga has a special relationship to both the sun 🌞 and the moon 🌝 In fact Hatha Yoga translates from the Sanskrit to mean Ha= sun and Tha= moon.
The practice of Yoga is thus intrinsically linked to balancing and connecting with the sun (yang/pingala/masculine) energy and the moon (yin/Ida/feminine) energy found within us all, and present in everything around us.
Sun energy is warming, dynamic, external and active and moon energy is cooling, receptive, internal and passive. We need a healthy balance of both for different moments and phases of our lives, in order to live fully and be in touch with the full potential of our spiritual presence.
Both the full and new moons are powerful and intense times, a time to go within, to release and cleanse. Sometimes we can feel more emotional and our physical energy can be affected in various ways. For this reason, some yoga traditions like Ashtanga actually take pause from the practice of asana on new and full moons.
Since the human body can contain between 45-75% of water (depending on age, gender and many other factors), yoga has traditionally embraced the idea that we are affected by the moon’s cycles... as are the tides of the ocean. Ashtanga yogis often note that we may not feel grounded around the full moon. Since it is a particularly physically demanding yang style asana practice, with a set sequence of asanas that are not commonly adapted, reduced energy levels and sense of balance could lead to unwanted injury.
However, in other styles of asana practice, including Vinyasa Flow, to honour the full moon and to bring calm and tranquility to our minds at a time of intensity... we can practice in a way that invites yin energy into our lives and onto our mats. This might mean approaching your practice in a more gentle and receptive way, including incorporating Chandra Namaskar (moon salutations) instead of Surya Namaskar (sun salutations) and perhaps holding relaxing seated postures for longer to invite softness, opening and yin energy into your practice.
Chandra Namaskar or Moon Salutations, honour the energy of the moon. It is a wonderful sequence to practice on a full or new moon. It is a beautiful way to invite more yin, gentle, nourishing energy onto your mat or simply to quiet your mind and body through a mindful flow. The sequence is perfect for releasing tension in the legs, hips and back. Once you know this sequence you can begin to add in other creative asanas to build onto your own mindful flow.
My advice for practicing yoga around the full and new moon would be to listen into and tune into your body, mind and soul and adapt your practice accordingly. If you feel more emotional, tired or headachy around the full moon, then use your practice like a therapy to soothe your soul. Some gentle yin yoga, a yin/ yang flow or maybe even just a mindful meditation and some quiet time to reflect and set your intention for the next lunar cycle. I also suggest practicing Anuloma Viloma around the full and new moon. I find this to be a wonderful balancing and calming pranayama when energies are strong.
I have created three soulful moon practices for you on my Patreon website:
🌝 Full Moon Flow
🌛 Chandra Namaskar: New Moon Practice
🌞🌝 Sun Moon Balancing Flow
Practice here: https://www.patreon.com/yoga_brittanyb
I leave you with some full moon poetry
🌕La luna 🌕
Frequently making me feel like a luna-tic,
Reminding us of our intimate connection to nature’s cycles,
Our months,
Our wombs,
Our moods,
Our tides,
Our bodies and spirits,
Age old rituals and rites...
that dance to your rhythm.
In your fullness ...
A time to rejoice in full abundance,
Gratitude for magic woven,
Paths forged,
Love given...
And then a sacred reminder...
To stop, breathe, feel in and reflect,
To let what needs to be released go,
Weave in new intentions,
Making your soul light and bright for the next cycle.
Moon magic 🌘🌗🌖🌕🌔🌓🌒🌑
Happy Practice Yogis, Namaste 🙏
Brittany ॐ