Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Headstrong moon

One moon shows in every pool;
in every pool, the one moon.
- Zen Forest Saying


On the Full moon, the body is full of ungrounded energy which creates physical instability. According to the Upanishads the main prana lives in the head. During the full moon we tend to be more headstrong. The human body, similar to our planet, is affected by the gravitational pull of both the moon and the sun.
According to the Ashtanga Yoga system, one should not practice on those days, as the body is more vulnerable to injury - either through tiredness/lack of energy or too much of it and a risk of over-exertion.

In other forms of yoga, moon days are not always respected but usually acknowledged as times of fluctuating energy, unsettled moods and hence not ideal for strong physical practices.

I myself did my usual morning practice, a gentle one. Still the moon provided me with some extra challanges to stay focused in Salamba Sirsasana.

Moon days can be seen as honouring nature, and thereby one's relationship with the world.

What about you, how do you spend your moon day? Relaxing in the chair or moving on like nothing special?


5 comments:

  1. I did also a gentle practice. My teacher says that the moon affects the whole body, always. But when it is newmoon or fullmoon there is also an ingredient of violence in the energy, therefore you have to be extra careful.
    I like the chair on the picture!

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  2. Hej (förlåt svenskan..), jag avstår helst från att yoga när det är fullmåne. Men jag är väldigt medveten om månen och blir alltid full av beundran när man ser den, och tacksam för vår planet...

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  3. No yoga for me yesterday. I had a very relaxing day and went swimming instead. Nice post.

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  4. Jag vilar ofta vid fullmåne, eller så vilar jag i yinyogan. Vid nymåne blir det oftast vila, jag är så seg både i kroppen & knoppen då.

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  5. Great yoginis, you listen to your own bodies.

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