Moondays
Traditionally, the day of the full moon and the day of the new moon are yoga holidays in Ashtanga Yoga. Following this age old tradition is a good practice for many reasons. Not only does it provide a good rest for the body, to help prevent repetitive stress injuries, it also helps to make us more aware of the earth’s natural cycles. The main reason it is practiced though, is to help prevent injuries due to the strong unbalancing effects of the gravitational pull on the earth during these days.
The rest day is the day of your practice time closest to the full or new moon phase. For example, if you practice in the morning, and the moon phase occurs at 3 am, you would skip practice the morning after the 3 am moon phase. If you were an evening practitioner, you would skip practice the night before the 3 am phase, because that's closer to your regular practice time than the following day. You can find more information on the times of the moon phases in the Moondays link on the right side of this page.
Tim Miller, one of the few people worldwide to be certified in Ashtanga Yoga by Shri K. Pattabhi Jois, the father of the practice, explains it well in his website http://www.ashtangayogacenter.com/ :
Both full and new moon days are observed as yoga holidays in the Ashtanga Yoga tradition. What is the reasoning behind this?
Like all things of a watery nature (human beings are about 70% water), we are affected by the phases of the moon. The phases of the moon are determined by the moon’s relative position to the sun. Full moons occur when they are in opposition and new moons when they are in conjunction. Both sun and moon exert a gravitational pull on the earth. Their relative positions create different energetic experiences that can be compared to the breath cycle. The full moon energy corresponds to the end of inhalation when the force of prana is greatest. This is an expansive, upward moving force that makes us feel energetic and emotional, but not well grounded. The Upanishads state that the main prana lives in the head. During the full moon we tend to be more headstrong.
The new moon energy corresponds to the end of exhalation when the force of apana is greatest. Apana is a contracting, downward moving force that makes us feel calm and grounded, but dense and disinclined towards physical exertion.
The Farmers Almanac recommends planting seeds at the new moon when the rooting force is strongest and transplanting at the full moon when the flowering force is strongest.
Practicing Ashtanga Yoga over time makes us more attuned to natural cycles. Observing moon days is one way to recognize and honor the rhythms of nature so we can live in greater harmony with it. - Tim Miller
Traditionally, the day of the full moon and the day of the new moon are yoga holidays in Ashtanga Yoga. Following this age old tradition is a good practice for many reasons. Not only does it provide a good rest for the body, to help prevent repetitive stress injuries, it also helps to make us more aware of the earth’s natural cycles. The main reason it is practiced though, is to help prevent injuries due to the strong unbalancing effects of the gravitational pull on the earth during these days.
The rest day is the day of your practice time closest to the full or new moon phase. For example, if you practice in the morning, and the moon phase occurs at 3 am, you would skip practice the morning after the 3 am moon phase. If you were an evening practitioner, you would skip practice the night before the 3 am phase, because that's closer to your regular practice time than the following day. You can find more information on the times of the moon phases in the Moondays link on the right side of this page.
Tim Miller, one of the few people worldwide to be certified in Ashtanga Yoga by Shri K. Pattabhi Jois, the father of the practice, explains it well in his website http://www.ashtangayogacenter.com/ :
Both full and new moon days are observed as yoga holidays in the Ashtanga Yoga tradition. What is the reasoning behind this?
Like all things of a watery nature (human beings are about 70% water), we are affected by the phases of the moon. The phases of the moon are determined by the moon’s relative position to the sun. Full moons occur when they are in opposition and new moons when they are in conjunction. Both sun and moon exert a gravitational pull on the earth. Their relative positions create different energetic experiences that can be compared to the breath cycle. The full moon energy corresponds to the end of inhalation when the force of prana is greatest. This is an expansive, upward moving force that makes us feel energetic and emotional, but not well grounded. The Upanishads state that the main prana lives in the head. During the full moon we tend to be more headstrong.
The new moon energy corresponds to the end of exhalation when the force of apana is greatest. Apana is a contracting, downward moving force that makes us feel calm and grounded, but dense and disinclined towards physical exertion.
The Farmers Almanac recommends planting seeds at the new moon when the rooting force is strongest and transplanting at the full moon when the flowering force is strongest.
Practicing Ashtanga Yoga over time makes us more attuned to natural cycles. Observing moon days is one way to recognize and honor the rhythms of nature so we can live in greater harmony with it. - Tim Miller
posted by Andrea at 11:15 AM
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