Do you struggle to follow the same exercise routine every day?
Do you find that your energy ebbs and flows through the month?
Did you know your menstrual cycle maps to the phases of the moon?
In most good yoga classes you will be encouraged to listen to your body. However, our ‘culture of doing’ can make this feel quite difficult. Even when our bodies try to tell us to stop and rest, we might push through tiredness barriers and eat sugar or drink coffee to keep us going. This can leave us feeling disconnected from our bodies, exhausted and fed up.
Lunar Yoga takes listening to your body to a deeper level.
Lunar Yoga classes help you to develop a deeper understanding of your cycle and how it corresponds to the eight phases of the moon. These classes are about harnessing the feminine wisdom and power from within; where we learn about the phase of the moon and our cycling bodies and how we can adjust our yoga practice (and life) accordingly. These classes are about working WITH YOURSELF – as you are – on any given day so you can improve your health, vitality and energy levels. If you no longer have a cycle or your cycle is more erratic than the weather (like mine!), you can use the phases of the moon on their own.
We don’t have to be in perfect synchronisation
Given we live in an age of artificial light, separate non-community living and our lives are filled with huge stressors, it would be a miracle if we were all at the same phase in our menstrual cycles. This is ok.
If you are at a different point in your cycle than the practice offers, you may notice that your energy is in a different place. There are always options to make postures more active/Yang or make postures more passive/Yin depending on how you feel on any given day. You may explore these options yourself, ask me to modify for you, or explore the practice as it is and notice if you’re getting annoyed because it’s too fast/slow. Know your boundaries AND be open to accepting what is offered.
A little word of caution…Superwoman
Societal conditioning often turns us into on-the-go Superwomen. Our self-worth is often wrapped up in Doing Something and being productive. This is channelling yang or masculine energy and it is helpful because it means we Get Sh*t Done but it’s not helpful all the time and it isn’t the only way we prove our worth in the world. The cyclical nature of the feminine means that there are points in our cycles where this feels a lot like pushing, forcing and striving. It is not working WITH. So if you are an on-the-go woman with superwoman tendencies, you may find the slower practices hard to get used to…just like it takes time to get used to rigorous exercise, it also takes time to get used to slowing things down. The former is harder for your body, the latter is harder for your mind.
Cyclical not linear
Remember, we are cyclical, not linear. This means our energy ebbs and flows and what we need at different times is different. A gym workout or yoga practice can energise us one week and the same one can deplete us the next. Yoga is one long check-in process….it encourages mindful attention and acceptance of yourself exactly as you are in THIS moment.
Period experience & tracking
Different women experience periods differently. You may largely ignore them or have debilitating pain which makes that impossible. You may find them inconvenient or you may be appreciative and in awe of the fertile cycle and your body’s all-round amazingness. You may not have thought about them much or you may be preoccupied with them. We are all different.
Do you track your cycles?
Do you note your mood?
Can you plan ahead according to your cyclical patterns?
I strongly recommend tracking…and noting the phases of the moon at the same time. If this feels onerous and just like another thing to do, simply write one word a day that summarises that day. You may begin to notice some patterns in your mood and energy. And if you’re writing “irritable” every day then something is not quite right and needs some investigation!
Give it a go
These classes are not about showy headstands or acrobatics – they have an inside out approach. They work on reconnecting you back to yourself, helping you find your inner compass and giving you an opportunity to explore what feels right through practising specific yoga sequences for the different phases of the moon and menstrual cycle. The use of wonderful supportive props like bolsters is encouraged. If you’re even a little bit curious, come and give a class a try. They are open to all women with all levels of yoga experience.