It may be a full moon tonight... But should I practice yoga when the moon is full? What is the relationship between the moon and yoga?
Our moon is one of the biggest moons in our solar system. Around each full moon, the sun, earth, and moon arrange themselves more or less along a line in space and their combined pull increases, because the magnetism/ gravity of the sun reinforces the moon's magnetism/ gravity. This, in turn, has an effect on the glands in our body. This is why you often find it difficult to get a good night’s sleep on a full moon and why you seem to have more energy. With this is mind, it is easy to overdo a work out on a full moon and injury yourself. At the Prana Vashya Yoga Studio we tend to run softer / ying style yoga classes on a full moon.
Prana Vashya Yoga™ and Hatha Yoga are both types of Raja Yoga. The Gheranda Samhitha is the original Sanskrit text on the secretes of Hatha Yoga and Raja Yoga. Translated from Sanskrit, ha means “sun” and tha means “moon.” This symbolises the two energy bodies present in us all: the male / sun / yang energy and the female / moon / ying energy. All forms of Raja Yoga seek to balance these two opposing energy forces within us.