The Sun, Moon, Yoga, and You
Hatha Yoga is the system of uniting our sun (Ha) and moon (Tha) energies in the body. In other words, we find the macrocosm of the universe within the microcosm of the human body. As above, so below.
The Sun is at the heart of our Yoga by the Stars practice. The Sun's energy gives life to the Earth and without it there would be no life on our planet. Its gravity holds everything in the Solar System together. The Sun-Earth relationship is what drives the seasons, weather, climate, and ocean currents.
The aim of the Yoga by the Stars approach is to empower you to locate the Sun at your centre and to help you live authentically from that radiant, powerful centre. Everything that forms part of you, your body, your mind, your emotions, is a constellation that revolves around a centre. Are you the Sun at the centre of your own life's constellation? Or do you wander around at the periphery of your life looking for someone or something else to orbit around?
Try this: put your hand to your heart and say, I am the Sun at the centre of my own life. How does that feel? When you find the Sun at the centre of your life, you will have found the path of your natural orbit. You will feel centred and aligned with your life's purpose. This is the Golden Chalice that is the prize of all spiritual quests. You are what you seek. Thou art that.
The Sun is at the centre, and around the Sun are the twelve signs of the zodiac. You are the Sun that shines a light into each of the twelve signs revealing the treasure to be found within. Without you, without your sunlight, there is no life in the signs, it is you, your light, that brings them to life and lets them shine. The purpose of our pilgrimage around the Zodiac Wheel is to find the Sun at the centre of our life and to shine that light out into the world.
In the Yoga by the Stars book you will find Sun Yoga practices and meditations that are healing, calming, energising, uplifting, and empowering.
Moon, We Salute You
The Moon is the Earth's natural satellite that shines by reflecting the Sun's light. In many ancient cultures the Moon was worshipped above all other heavenly bodies, including the Sun. The Moon speaks to us of time passing, its waxing and waning connects us to the ebb and flow of life. The gravitational pull of the Moon, and to a lesser degree the Sun, creates the ocean tides. If you regularly observe the response that the Moon's cycle elicits in you, it will help you to find a rhythm of activity and rest that is uniquely healthful and energising for you.
In the Yoga by the Stars book we explore some of the many ways that you can introduce a Moon theme into your yoga practice. You can include circular sequences that mirror the phases of the Moon, such as Salute to the Moon (Chandra Namaskar). Or you could try including flowing, fluid, watery movements into your practice. Off the mat meditative, circular walks also have a satisfyingly Moon-like quality to them.
In the Yoga by the Stars book we explore some of the many ways that you can introduce a Moon theme into your yoga practice. You can include circular sequences that mirror the phases of the Moon, such as Salute to the Moon (Chandra Namaskar). Or you could try including flowing, fluid, watery movements into your practice. Off the mat meditative, circular walks also have a satisfyingly Moon-like quality to them.
He-Sun, She-Moon?
I've noticed in yoga circles that it is often unquestioningly accepted that the Sun is gendered male and the Moon female. The term "Moon Yoga" seems to have been adopted by the wider yoga community as a generic term for Women's Yoga. On the one hand, of course who wouldn't want to identified with that wonderful, hazy, watery, beautiful Moon that lights up our night sky. However, on the other hand, if you are a woman are you happy to have no light of your own and only to reflect his (the Sun's) more powerful light? This assumption mirrors patriarchal society where his light is stronger and she shines only by reflected glory.
In the Yoga by the Stars book we examine how this He-Sun, She-Moon, way of thinking came about. Also we look to history to find inspiring examples of how this was not always the case. And we envision a spiritual practice that catches up with modern day sensibilities that empower both sexes with the freedom to act in an authentic, life-affirming, soul-felt way. Once this happens, we are like planets that can follow the trajectory of our true orbit. Or rather, we are the Sun, shining bright and true at the centre of our own solar system.
In the Yoga by the Stars book we examine how this He-Sun, She-Moon, way of thinking came about. Also we look to history to find inspiring examples of how this was not always the case. And we envision a spiritual practice that catches up with modern day sensibilities that empower both sexes with the freedom to act in an authentic, life-affirming, soul-felt way. Once this happens, we are like planets that can follow the trajectory of our true orbit. Or rather, we are the Sun, shining bright and true at the centre of our own solar system.
The Yoga by the Stars book is available from: Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Indiebound, Barnes and Noble, Waterstones (UK), and my publisher Llewellyn Worldwide. Or order from your favourite independent bookseller.