![]() ![]() This simple practice can be done as a formal seated meditation with your eyes closed, or as a relaxed journaling exercise. They have revealed that a gratitude practice lifts your spirits, promotes empathy, boosts happiness and can also enhance your relationships, decrease depression and improve your heart health. “Gratitude is a gracious acknowledgment of all that sustains us, a bow to our blessings, great and small, and an appreciation of the moments of good fortune that sustain our life every day,” writes Jack Cornfield, a renowned meditation teacher and author of The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness and Peace.Ī growing number of scientific studies have examined the effects of gratitude on mental and physical health. Nourishing kitchari, a light and simple Ayurvedic dish of rice and mung beans prepared with fresh seasonal vegetables and spices, is a suitable option during this time. Full Moon practices for a yogiĮxperiencing a sense of heaviness and sluggishness during the Full Moon is common, so you may want to eat lighter, nurturing, easily digestible and freshly cooked sattvic (prana-rich) meals to balance out the heaviness and coolness of the Full Moon. While you may feel energetically elevated, you may also experience amplified emotions, yet lacking the sense of being grounded. The energy of the Full Moon relates to the force of prana, the end of the inhalation, characterised by a feeling of fullness, upward-moving energy and expansiveness. This is why traditional yogis honour the auspiciousness of sunrise (performing sun salutations) and sunset (saluting the moon) for practising yoga. The aim of hatha yoga is to achieve balance between the solar and lunar energies, between activity and receptivity. The energy of the sun never fades, whereas the moon fades every month and again from fading comes to fullness.” Masculine has a feminine polarity, with shakti female energy ruled by the Moon (associated with love, compassion and creativity) and shiva male energy governed by the sun.īKS Iyengar further elaborated in his book The Tree of Yoga, “ Ha means sun, which is the sun of your body, that is to say your soul, and tha means moon, which is your consciousness. Hatha yoga recognises that every yang quality has its yin counterpart. When balanced, this energy has nurturing qualities and cools “fiery” behaviours and heightened emotions, manifesting in stability, sensuality, grounding and creativity. This dosha carries the qualities of heaviness, coolness, density and slowness, which you may notice reappearing in your mind and body during the Full Moon. ![]() ![]() The body is also influenced on a physical, mental and emotional level by the five elements.Īccording to Ayurveda, the energy of the Full Moon is closely connected to kapha dosha (earth and water elements, responsible for moisture, stability and structure in your body). The system of Ayurveda has three energies ( doshas) that govern physiological activity in the body they are known as vata, pitta and kapha. Incorporate them into your evening practice on the days of Full Moon as well as any time when you feel exhausted, overwhelmed, overstimulated or overheated. Moon salutations are highly soothing and cooling in their nature. This is practised by aligning with its natural rhythms, adapting seasonal diets, adjusting to the cycles of the sun by modifying eating and sleeping patterns (eg waking up at sunrise) and allowing time for rest, reflection, meditation, ceremony and self-care in the dark hours). ![]() Influence of the Full Moon: Ayurveda & yogaĪyurveda (the healing system of India and sister science of yoga) observes the healing forces of the universe and has a deep connection with its cycles. This article honours the Full Moon and offers practices to align with its energy, enhance your connection to the lunar cycle, release tension and restore yourself, leaving you feeling grounded, rejuvenated and fulfilled. It denotes an abundance of acquired goodness, heightened energy, receptivity and strength, but this fullness can also manifest in the overflow of emotions, erratic behaviour and overheated conversations, bringing with them physical and emotional tension. “Full” is the term describing the moon as it reflects light from the sun. It also calls for reflection and gratitude for the abundance in your life. With its pull, it changes the tides of the ocean, signifying fulfilment and completion. Have you ever been mesmerised by a Full Moon in the sky as it exudes beautiful, cooling light? What are the forces that draw you in? Going a little deeper, are you aware of the influences the moon has on your physiology, energetic body and mind?Ī Full Moon occurs when the sun and moon are opposite from each other, gravitationally influencing the earth. ![]()
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