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2/10/2021 0 Comments

Circular Breathing + Pisces Glyph

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The Pisces glyph  represents two crescent moons: one waxing and one waning. Originally, the glyph meant the waxing and waning of each life in cycles defined by the Moon. The Sanskrit name for the constellation of Pisces was Mina, which means fish, and the glyph is sometimes interpreted as two fishes pulling in opposite directions, one representing the physical side of our nature and one representing the spiritual side. In yoga terms this would be the tension between prakriti (matter) and purusha (spirit). I prefer to see the thread that joins the two fishes as an umbilical cord that nourishes both spirit and matter, rather than the two working against each other.
The Pisces glyph was my inspiration for the Pisces-inspired yoga practice in the Yoga by the Stars book. The practice is relaxing and energizing, grounding and elevating. It promotes stability, resilience, and an ability to go with the ebb and flow of life. It provides an opportunity for a deep and profound healing to occur on both a physical and emotional level, and it helps promote a healthy breathing pattern. ​
The Pisces glyph encapsulates that just-before moment: the moment just before a flower opens, just before the New Moon is visible in the sky, just before sunrise, just before a baby opens its eyes and sees daylight for the first time. The glyph’s waxing and waning Moon represents the cyclical nature of life, where every ending is a new beginning. In the Pisces-inspired yoga practice, this led me to focus on the cycle of the breath, noticing where each part of the breath begins and ends, as well as observing the spaces between one breath ending and the next breath beginning. This focus gives a deeply meditative quality to the practice.
Below are instructions for Circular Breathing, Visualising the Pisces glyph, which is how we begin the Pisces-inspired yoga practice in the book. 
​Circular breathing and Pisces glyph visualization
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Find yourself a comfortable position, lying down. In your mind’s eye visualize the Pisces glyph. Hold this image in your mind as you begin to follow the natural flow of your breath. As you observe the breath, notice where your inhalation begins and where it ends. Notice where your exhalation begins and where it ends. Be aware of the spaces between the breath. Notice the space between the end of the inhalation and the beginning of the exhalation, and the space between the end of the exhalation and the beginning of the next inhalation. Observe the circular nature of the breath, in which each ending is a new beginning. During the yoga practice, you keep coming back to this focus on circular breathing and picturing the Pisces glyph.

You can find the Pisces-inspired Yoga Practice in the Yoga by the Stars book. 
See also:
​The Pisces Page of this website.
​The Blossoming Feet Visualisation
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    Author

    Hello, I am Jilly Shipway, the author of Yoga Through the Year, and my forthcoming book Yoga by the Stars. In this Yoga by the Stars blog I will share with you zodiac-inspired yoga insights and inspiration. I also have another blog on my Yoga Through the Year website. 

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The Yoga by the Stars book will be released early December 2020. It is available for pre-order from: Amazon USA, Amazon UK. It will also be available from Indiebound, Barnes and Noble, Waterstones (UK), and my publisher Llewellyn Worldwide. 

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