Financial budgets are a necessary evil, though the idea may invoke feelings of math-induced panic, they are key in helping us avoid spending beyond our means; creating unnecessary stress. So we know that a fiscal budget is necessary, but why … Continue reading
There are a few schools of thought on whether or not to practice yoga during the full moon and what kind of yoga to practice during different phases of the moon. So, in honor of tonight’s Supermoon, the largest of the year, I thought I’d provide some insight.
We know that the sea level of earth’s oceans rise and fall twice a day — high & low tide — due to the gravitational forces exerted by the sun and the moon. The full moon occurs when it is directly opposite the sun, with the earth in between. During a full moon, tides are high. During a Supermoon in which the moon is at it’s perigee (closest to the earth), tides will be exceptionally high — including the tides within ourselves.
We are the Tide
The human body is more than 60 percent water. Blood is 92 percent water, the brain and muscles are 75 percent water, and bones are about 22 percent water. So, as water makes up such a large portion of our being, it’s no surprise we’re affected by the moon’s gravitational pull as forces of nature. Legends have existed for centuries about the moon’s effect on human behavior in stories of werewolves and ‘luna’ tics, but if you observe the synergy between the lunar cycle of the moon to the cycle of breath, you’ll better understand the universal symbiosis as something that can be harnessed, and not as something that “happens to us”.
The full, bright moon beams with energy and life, just as your fullest inhalation. Alive with prana, you are in sync. And just as the beginning of an exhale brings release and purification, so does the waning moon. Continue reading
There’s a running joke in my family about my appetite. When I was little, and one of the neighborhood parents would take the kids out to Dairy Queen, all of the kids would usually get a cone. Then, I’d step up to order. At 5 years old, and 35 pounds soaking wet, I’d order the peanut buster parfait and a frozen slushee. I’ve always eaten like it’s my last meal, and dessert in particular is a weakness.
No matter how full I am at the end of a big meal, if the server brings about the dessert tray, I suddenly have room. The joke is that I seem to have a separate stomach for dessert. And, I’ve come to realize that I have the same type of room in my life for yoga. No matter how much I’m dragging or reluctant to do my practice in the morning or catch a class after work, once I step onto the mat, I have boundless energy. It seems I have a ‘dessert’ stomach for yoga.
Take this past Wednesday, for example. I teach a Tuesday night aerial class until 8:30, so I don’t get to bed until 10-ish. Then I teach a Wednesday am class at 6:30, and then work my “real job” all day. By Wednesday at 5, I’m starting to feel like all I want to do is crawl into bed. But, I know how awesome I feel after yoga. So, I made it to a 6:00 class, and the moment I step into the studio, I begin to awaken.
When I stake my claim on the floor, and unfurl my mat, I’m even more alive. And when I step onto the mat, my body begins to connect with my practice leaving my brain behind.
This doesn’t mean that I don’t have to give myself a little push sometimes, because I do. I just try to remind myself how amazing I’ll feel after, if I catch myself starting to make excuses why I don’t need to go. This also doesn’t mean that I don’t skip asana every once in a while; everyone needs a break from their regular ‘something’. I just try to hearken back to those periods in my life when I let my practice slip and what that felt like.
Yoga is a part of me, like Laverne is to Shirlely; like day is to night, like dessert is to dinner. Yes, yoga and me make a great pair. And, all without the sugar crash.
Yoga is my passion. Yoga is my dessert. Do you have a dessert stomach for yoga?
Namaste.
– Your Charmed Yogi
Photo credits: The Chocolate Swirl Blog
There is more to the human body than the physical body. In yoga, we talk a lot about energy. And, you might hear your yoga instructor refer to your “heart chakra” from time to time. In an upcoming series, I’ll refer to various chakras, so I thought I’d do a bit about the chakra system.
Scientifically, we know that all matter is energy, and while condensed matter is different from energy, they are expressions of one another– connected. Yogically speaking (if that’s a word), there is an energy current, a life force, that flows through and connects everything. In Sanskrit, it’s called Prana, which means life force or vitality. Everything has Prana; and this vitality radiates through the physical, emotional and mental realms. This force is NOT electricity, but it can be thought of as an energy current like electricity.
A Charmed Yogi 