“And just like the moon, you shall go through phases of light of dark and of everything in between. And though you may not always appear with the same brightness, you are always always whole…”
Just like the moon flows through phases, ebbing and flowing with the tides of nature, humans also move in cycles. Throughout a day, week, month and beyond, our energy, bodily functions and emotions are constantly wavering. Yet, in a linear society that favours repetition and routine, our true nature is often ignored in a bid to meet expectations of consistency. All too often we disconnect from the cycles existing both outside of and within us, but the moon is a constant reminder for us to re-connect.
Like the phases of the moon our minds can wax and wane, sometimes we feel newly connected, fully connected or and more often we reside in the space of quarters or halves. Connection lies at the core of yoga, which is why it is the perfect practice to tune into nature and honour inner/outer cycles
If you have practiced yoga for a while, you have most likely encountered the famous “Sun Salutations” or “Surya Namaskar”, designed to generate warmth in the body, the poses connected to the flow of our breath. Even the shape of our modern yoga mats is designed to work with this linear movement forwards and backwards. I often reflect on this as expressive of our yang energy, determined to progress and get ahead and perhaps fearful of falling behind, all qualities of solar energy.
BUT WHAT IF WE PAUSE. EXHALE...
and turn to the long border of our mats. What if we let go of straight lines and embrace curves and circles. Our awareness drawing to our pelvis and transitioning slower. Turning our movement practice into a MOON inspired flow with reverence for the body!?!
THE MOON & OUR BODIES
Intuition is a quality of the lunar energy, but our mind may still seek an intellectually interpretation of the influence of the moon. We may uncover a cognitive connection through the element of water. As the gravitational pull of the Moon shifts the tides, we, too, may feel it’s fluctuations. This is one hypothesis as to why the ebb & flow of our energy level & feelings move with the Moon.
The relationship of the moon and the menstrual cycle is another example of deep intertwining. While a solar cycle plays out in 24 hours of a day, the moon gathers her modern name from the Old English Môna and Latin mensis, which means month. Woman’s bodies have at almost the same cadence as the Moon.
YOGA AND THE MOON
Yoga is all about aligning the body and the mind with the natural rhythms of the universe. If you’re hoping to bring a little more depth to your yoga practice, syncing up your energy with the lunar cycle can be a great place to start.
Historically, long before artificial lighting & sticky yoga mats, yogis were often ascetics who lived in closeness with nature. Originating within spiritual traditions indigenous to Southeast Asia, yoga was not practiced purely for physical cultivation, but with the aim of progressing towards enlightenment through meditative awareness. It was observed that moment of the lunar cycles could bring unique benefit or challenges to one’s practice, this is because the lunar cycle contains a balance of expanding & contracting energy. Just as the moon pulls the tides of the ocean, it shifts can also tug at our energy and emotions, at times throwing us off centre.
Connecting to the moon on our yoga mats gives us an opportunity to embrace alternative directions of movement, spirals, circular flows, curves, crescents & horizontal movements. The lunar cycle inspires expansion and expression, but also require us to conserve our energy, gently withdrawing and resting as needed. As we become familiar with the phases of the Moon and align ourselves with its energy, we might find that we are more at ease in our bodies & our lives.
The word Hatha (pronounced ha.thuh), describes all physical practices of yoga, although it has many unique translations. Most directly it means “forceful”, describing the effort of a physical practice (compared to a meditative or devotional path) – But a more common relatable translation is derived from looking at its roots. “Ha” means Sun (solar energy, the more active, hot & masculine) and “Tha” means Lunar (receptive, cool, calm & feminine). Together they symbolize the balance of opposing forces within us: the active and the passive, heating and cooling, masculine and feminine. This is a practice of creating physical and emotional balance through integrating these oppositional forces through the teachings and practices of asana, pranayama (breathwork) and meditation
THE LUNAR CYCLE / PHASES OF THE MOON EXPLAINED
The moon does not produce its own light but acts as a mirror to the illumination of the Sun. as it journeys, the orbits of the Earth and Moon mirror each other, so that we always see the dame face of the Moon. This is why the phases of the moon are determined by the Moon’s position as it orbits the Earth & reflects a silvery glow back to us. As it dances between Earth and the Sun, we are unable to see the Moon. It’s always present, but not visible to us in the position of the dark or New Moon.
As it continues its journey, a crescent of light appears and expands during the waxing phase, until the Moon travels across to the far side of the Earth. Here it can fully reflect the Sun’s glow back to us in the Full Moon phase.
In the waning phase, the light begins to fade from its face once more as the Moon returns to orbit between the Earth and the Sun, mirroring less light towards us. This cycle repeats approximate once a month (every 29.5 days)
This button below takes you to a wonderful video explaining things a little clearer
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