Yoga Teaching Tip Tuesday - Yoga and Moon Musing - Over the last few years, I have been feeling the language of the planets influencing my yoga and the way I approach my practice. This comes in large part to my close proximity and astrological study with gifted astrologer (and my future husband), Adam Elenbaas. Through the study of astrology we can feel the subtle under currents of the day and the themes presented by the planets. When we tap into these themes we find a rich language of symbols that we can use on the mat to gently inform our teaching and our practice. The connection between yoga and astrology is an ancient one. We rise early in the morning to salute the sun, we arrange our hands into mudras where each finger and mound represents a planet. In Ashtanga yoga, students refrain from practicing on Saturdays (Saturns day) and practice is not recommended on the new and full moons. There is much more we can say about the connection between astrology and yoga but for today we will focus on the moon as our yogic muse. I find the moon to be a great place to start your astrological studies as its teachings and effects can be felt and seen on earth (ocean tides, birth/hatching cycles, menstrual cycles, plant growth cycles). The full moon energy corresponds to the end of the 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 and during the full moon we tend to be more headstrong. It is advised not to practice pranayama and asana during this time because of the likelihood of injury (mental or physical). The new moon energy corresponds to the end of the exhalation when the force of apana is greatest. Apana is a contracting, downward moving force that makes us feel calm and grounded. This time in the lunar cycle is best for resting, restoring, and remaining open to quiet and still energy of the seeding time of darkness. In a culture that places so little value on cycles and rest, tracking the moon with our students is a soulful way to bring this lunar influence back into the classroom. Like the English language, our vocabulary as yoga teachers seems to be shrinking and in many classrooms all we hear are the solar teachings of growth and advancement. We can honor the lunar counterpart inherent in the ha-tha practice itself by showing students that deepening our practice requires times of rest, restoration, and stillness. Linking our yoga classes to astrology is as simple as acknowledging what is going on above us and within us. Even if we teach a solar practice like powerflow, or a lunar practice like yin yoga, we can still draw our students awareness to the subtle influences of the lunar cycles. Last night for example, my Hatha Yoga I class was themed around the eclipse in Taurus and featured yin yoga postures with lots of rest and deep ujjayi breath to balance out the apanic energy. The intensity of the class has been waning with the waning light of the moon and will begin to wax and pick up intensity as the moon light slowly builds. On the night of the full moon we will do many grounding postures and will avoid poses or breath work that may overexert the body and mind. The moon is my muse. I follow her cycles in the skies and in my body. Today I bleed and rest under her dark orb of rain and softness. I trust her teachings and see her waxing in waning in all things as they arise from the dark mystery and return. As a teacher I am grateful to have her as a physical point of reference to help me stay attuned to the changes on the planet and in my body. As a guide she keeps my tongue honest. That I will never know certain mysteries, and that there is peace in remaining a student of her quiet language. Language exerts hidden power, like the moon on the tides. ~ Rita Mae Brown #yogateachingtiptuesday
Posted on: Tue, 29 Apr 2014 15:21:39 +0000