A September Full Moon Lunar Eclipse Navigation

Hello Moonchild :)

On September 7th/8th we experience a Full Moon and a Lunar Eclipse. In India, this eclipse begins at 9.57PM on the 7th and ends at 1.27AM on the 8th. This is a significant one in India as it is a total Lunar eclipse. The total eclipse is said to be from 11PM to 12.23AM. Thus the Eclipse season has commenced with a New Moon Solar Eclipse happening after this on September 21.

Here is a reminder on what eclipses entail...

Eclipses bring forth destined events, fueling much needed transformation in life. So the theme at play in your life will be magnified, and along with it your emotions, feelings and tendencies. It is in your hands to stay aware of these and decide how to navigate the season wisely. The nature of the time is such that you are bound to react, read too much into things and blow them out of proportion. The invitation is to not do that, instead ride the wave consciously, in a grounded calm state, staying open and curious, so that what needs to be revealed to you as a direction will show up with clarity, sooner than later. The eclipse season is a catalyst for release and endings, which translates to wonderful new beginnings.

Think closure, completion of a cycle, owning your truth, shedding the old (ideas, habits, connections), evolution, raising consciousness, honouring the flow.

Remember these:

• If harsh, impulsive words/thought/plans of action occur to you, simply become aware that they have surfaced.

• Avoid overthinking

• Decide to delay your judgements and responses.

• Be patient, choose to be a witness.

• Do practices that take you into your deep space of calm and quiet, without actively seeking answers. Allow them to come to you.

• If fear is a constant underlying emotion, adopt practices/rituals that help appease it.

• Be open, curious and non judgemental to all that is happening.

• Feel free to get perspective from people in your life whose inputs are impartial and objective.

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PRACTICES/RITUALS FOR THE 7TH/8TH

A. RITUAL FOR 7TH EVENING (Finish this by 9PM before the eclipse starts)

You will need: A quiet room, about 1/2 hour to one hour, loose paper and pen (not a book). Light a lamp. This ritual will be even more powerful after moonrise. Do it before 9PM as it is not advisable to practice during the eclipse time.

(To know Moonrise timings, I use the My Moon Phase app)

Sit in a meditative posture. Centre yourself by observing your connection with Mother Earth. Remember your ancestors and Gurus and seek their blessings. Visualize a Full Moon in your eyebrow centre. As you inhale and exhale a few times, ask the lunar energies to flow through you and guide you.

1. Body work: Asana practice/Intuitive Body Movement + Massage

If you are a regular asana practitioner or teacher, go through a 30 minute sequence that works towards opening hips, shoulders and heart. Let these be poses that are close to the earth. Avoid standing postures. End by sitting in a cross legged posture, breathing comfortably.

Alternately practice Intuitive body movement as explained below:

Start by lying down in whatever way you are comfortable.

Notice your breath and breathe in and out for a few rounds till you feel calm and settled.

Run awareness through various parts of the body.

Pause at parts where you sense discomfort/tension/tightness/aches/pains/numbness.

You can move or sit up and touch this part to connect with the sensation.

Ask yourself, what kind of movement will help ease this out. The body has an innate intelligence. Allow yourself to be guided by that. There is not right or wrong here. And this can be any kind of movement, not necessarily asana. The only thing you need to make sure it that you breathe well all through.

Attend to the body, part by part till you have spoken to every little ache or niggle. These may not fully go away but there will definitely be a shift after this practice.

Sit down and take a few breaths as you run your palms over your whole body. Be supremely grateful for this gift of your body.

After this, gently massage your whole body, sensing every nurturing touch, knowing that you are feeding yourself with fresh life force wherever you touch. You can exert as little or as much pressure as you would like to. Cover the whole body with this touch/massage.

2. Breath practice - Alternate nostril breathing

- to enter a state of 'Samatvam' and experience deep silence

Sit cross-legged or on a chair with an erect spine. Observe the natural flow of your breath. Equalize your inhales and exhales to a comfortable count. Take 12 breaths.

Take Vishnu mudra in your right hand. Close the right nostril with the thumb, a little above the flare of the nostril. Inhale and exhale through the left nostril 6 times. Maintain equal duration of inhale and exhale. Release the palm and mudra. Breathe normally.

Then close the left nostril with the ring finger, a little above the flare of the nostril. Inhale and exhale through the right nostril 6 times. Maintain equal duration of inhale and exhale. Release the palm and mudra. Breathe normally.

Take Vishnu mudra again. Close the right nostril with the thumb. Inhale through the left nostril. Close the left nostril with the ring finger, open the right nostril and exhale through the right. Finish exhaling, and inhale through the right nostril again. Close the right nostril, open the left and exhale through the left nostril. Maintain equal duration of inhale and exhale. This is one round. Do 12 rounds. Keep your breath steady, quiet, smooth and even. Once you establish a rhythm in the practice, also become aware of the tiny spaces between the breaths.

End the practice by releasing the mudra, sitting still with palms on the knees and witnessing the effects of the practice.

3. Journaling

Reach out for your paper and pen. Start writing with the prompt:

'I release...'

Write continuously for 10 minutes without thinking. Allow flow. Write without inhibitions and more importantly, without stopping. Language and grammar do not matter. It might even feel like gibberish - it does not matter. Just keep writing. After ten minutes, stop.

Do not read what you have written, tear up the paper and dispose it. Then sit in silence, with eyes closed, witnessing your experience.

Lie down in Savasana for a while.

Close the ritual by offering gratitude to your ancestors, your Gurus, the Moon and Mother Earth.

B. SIMPLE PRACTICES TO INTEGRATE INTO YOUR DAYS FROM NOW TILL THE NEXT FULL MOON

Here are some simple yet very powerful practices to bring in grounding, calm, clarity, avoid overthinking, and to raise your frequency so that you do not get swept away by the erratic energies at play.

• Move the body for half hour to one hour everyday - Asana practice, Walks, Dance or any other form of movement.

• When you find yourself overthinking or notice yourself getting fearful/anxious, focus on your breath. Breathe in through the nose and exhale/blow out slowly through pursed lips, visualizing the body and mind relaxing and thoughts getting released with the out breaths.

• As soon as you wake up, before you open your eyes, sit up and observe your breath. Rest your awareness in that silent space between the inhale and the exhale, in the upper torso, for a few seconds. Only then open your eyes and get on with the day.

• Keep alarms for 10AM, 2PM and 6PM - important transition times as per ayurveda. Each of these times, wherever you are, close eyes for a few seconds, clasp your palms together interlacing your fingers and watch the breath flowing into and out of the heart space. Do this for 12 breaths. Do this just before you go to sleep too.

  
  

  

  
  

• Spend time in nature, walk barefoot on the Earth, do some gardening, work out of a park, bring in some green into the house, go for walks

• Go through a guided Yoga Nidra practice with a Sankalpa included. You can choose the following Sankalpa: "I am calm, grounded, safe and secure. I am a witness to all that is unfolding." Here is a link you can use.

• Ensure you get your quota of sleep.

• Be super mindful of what you eat. Eat what works for your body, food that digests well.

• Use devices sparingly, instead explore a forgotten or new hobby or do something that moves your body and the prana within! (eg: pottery, exploring new places, trekking, jogging, skipping, cooking, home decor activities, dance etc.)

Do not try too hard to make sense of what is happening. Let's just say the eclipse is eclipsing :) Give it time. Rest the mind, rely on and work with your body and breath.

Sending you all love and healing energy!

Gratitude

Sheetal