Hello Folks, we are hosting Retreats During Full moon every month to honor the moon and the energy of the moon. We have seen people doing sun salutation and I have written a blog regarding sun salutation & it’s benefits. Very few people know about the Moon salutation and its benefits. I live in Samothraki, Greek island and there is a mountain I hiked it is called as Feggari (Moon in Greek language is called as feggari) . I underwent through a self-practice of vipassana and spent some time in nature doing yoga and meditation. I did practice little yoga based on Chandra namaskar until the new moon during vipassana. It was interesting Experience. During full moon we carry so much of energy and while we still mind we find ourselves calm and energetic the next day.
Moon Salutation in Yoga was introduced by group of women in 1980’s in India in Kripalu center. Moon salutation was cultivated in respect to female bodies & cycles while complementing Surya namaskar.
I have further added some modification so all level people all over the world can practice this and cultivate the practice of Moon salutation. Some little details in philosophy by complementing also Greek philosophy and the history of the moon & Sanctuary of God Niki temple. I consider all ancient siting as a temple to honor someone who have been indulged in a great cause. Niki of Samothrace is one of them. I wish I could see her but I learnt that Niki is in France and the temple is here. In India we say everywhere there is energy and everywhere there is God. So even in the Temple of Niki has her spirit and her energy, her memory and her actions are still imprinted in this island. what stays here is her energy which is love and it cant be conquered or possess from any nation or person. Which is her consciousness and spirit. We will visit to the temple of Niki of Samothraki to honor and respect her victory and celebrate the Full Moon retreat with Yoga, Silence and Meditation.
For history of Niki and kaverian mystery visit to this website to find reference link
My teachers kept saying at one point we are not the body; we are not the mind and we are not the Spirit. Then who are we? I feel different in meditation and it cannot be same for all. I feel the body- I choose not to feel the body, I am the mind and I choose to focus or not to focus on the mind and stay still to feel the spirit (atma). Finally just feeling the spirit of all as one consciousness & thriving to live what’s called as life just like the flower. A Lotus even emerges from the lake beneath the dirt and blooms as flower, smells like heaven. But the process was not all good or bad. It is as it is Love, it loved even in its bad and it loved and thrived even in its good.
We see the light shining upon us one is sun and another is moon. It only makes sense that Yogis ancient times did sun salutation during Morning and thanks to those women who also cultivated moon salutation. The moon salutation is best sequence to bring awareness to the first two Element which is the Root (Earth element) and Svadhishtana which is water element & Meditation in full moon is for all chakras to feel as one energy. If you know your cycles then it’s also good to practice 2 or 3 days before periods and switch to restorative asana during period and cultivate habit of breathwork and meditation during periods. We cleanse our body naturally every month and meditation or silence practice helps a lot to understand our body and mind needs and observe our actions. Its challenging to stay still on the cramps and pain if someone suffers just as me but you will find ways to comfort if mind is calm without anger or hunger overtaking emotional intelligence. By cultivating moon practice, one also is in tuned with moon cycles and see for themself and journal their experience of being calm, being disturbed, being in pain or being in comfort. The best meditation is when we combine the life force (Prana) oxygen,food,water, light and believe in our mental body to act upon physical and emotional energies and needs. When we have all in balance we find the bliss in meditation, when we disconnect from Prana which translates to “Energy “.
One must ask oneself –
What gives us Energy truly?
Food – Organic right from the garden why? Because your effort and emotion is given to the earth, water, plant and henceforth Life emerged and we see Life in the Plate and the mind is happy to eat the life, full of light and energy.
Water– Water when it is pure from springs, it has lots of minerals. Water when it is bottled with plastic it loses its mineral in process. So, what we drink generally is bottled or tap water. The only option that we are left with in this generation is bottled or chlorine. When the water is from the ground or spring. It’s great for the body. Drinking water in general is great. Because 75 percent of human body contains water – H20 – which is 2 hydrogen element and one oxygen. Water has oxygen so that’s one source of prana again from which our body hydrates.
Oxygen- Oxygen is the only thing is free as of now to breath in nature. When we are healthy practices like pranayama helps us to understand how we can take oxygen from nature and regulate the breath to activate our energetic bodies efficiently and sustain our body organically by breathing everyday consciously.
Sun & Moon Light – As sun light is important during the day for vitamin D, Moon light is important for equally too for Vitamin D which everyone forgot and never tried to take the light of the moon. In west because its cold they close themselves during winter and I always did a bath and offer moon the water also the light just like we pray to God. I receive the light and I gaze at moon; it just calms me totally down. Because moonlight actually reflects sunlight, it too can boost Vitamin D levels, and provides us nitric oxide, which is known to help regulate blood flow and reduce blood pressure.
So, bathing with the sun and bathing with the moon both are equally important. Bathing with sun in the morning for Vitamin D, and finding time in our schedule for moon light and being outside in the moon light appreciating the light is important.
Here is a link to start your daily surya namaskar which is sun salutation complimented with strength and fluidity to the body
Like in Gayatri mantra it says
Asatoma sadhgamaya – Clear me from my ignorance
Tamasoma jyothirgamaya – Lead me from darkness to the light
For example (Moon emits the light in darkness for few days and stars shine and give us light of hope)
Mrityorma amrutamgamaya – Lead my death to immortality.
For example (Sun gives us energy to live and lead to the source of light)
What’s immortal?
The body or the Light. Even all the planetary bodies have their limitation on their bodies, but the energies don’t have limitation. The energy of the planets can combine with space and be born again as Phoenix a “New life”. Similarly, our energy never because that’s the light we have within.
In mantra it reminds us to believe in the light within. Respect the light outside so we can pray and connect to the light outside with our light inside.
That’s why I would like to bring awareness among people for both the sun light and moon light to give equal importance and perform a small ritual during the Full moon and meditate in silence, gazing the moon light and contemplating in meditation with concentration within us. Moon light meditation is best for Throat chakra, third eye, Sahasara and Bindu chakra. All the Eather and space elements.
Visiting temple will be one of the rituals to honor the Greek goddess and gods.
Hiking to waterfalls to feel the energy of the spring water and meditation.
Moon salutation Yoga practice with Pranayama and Yoga Nidra.
Sun salutation and modification of sun salutation.
Visiting to the Local shops for organic olive oil, Feta cheese or any organic items to carry while you go home to gift your parents or friends.
Meditation by the sea side with water element and learn different types of meditation
*Chakra meditation (Energy center awareness meditation)
*Vipasana meditation (silence meditation)
*Trataka Meditation (candle meditation)
Who can benefit from these practices?
Note that this is not just for women but for all as its great for those who have tight hamstring and is trying to achieve mobility and flexibility in the body. This is the Foundation of Yoga as Yoga started to be popularized from those yogis who are aligned with the planetary movement, they go where the light is the moon and sun. They practiced Sun salutation during the day 108 times and during full moon days they would sit for sadhana of meditation for hours to flow with energy and understand.
In Sanskrit “Soma” means Moon and in Greek language soma means body.
Although in Vedic knowledge of astrology they say Sunday – Aditya Vara the first day of light.
Aditya Vara. The day of Sol. For example, the first day of child as Spirit in the womb as tiny particle. (Bindu chakra)
Soma Vara second day soma is moon so it’s linked as consciousness & subconsciousness in India, although in Greece they say Soma as Body. So, I combined both information as an example. So, its conscious day of the week. For example, the child coming to the womb forming the body and in contact with water and forming a spirit and shaping or taking a form of body. (Sahasara & Ajna Chakra)
Mangala Vara auspicious day. Child coming into contact with water and Air and first contact of Earth. (Vishuddhi chakra)
Buddha Vara The day of sound. For example, Child coming in contact with sound. (Anahata chakra)
Guru Vara The day dedicated to teacher just to listen, learn and have patience. for Example, child getting in contact with knowledge. (Manipura chakra)
Shukra Vara The day in the week to understand and to be Present. For example, Child getting an experience and testing the learning and living the experience of bad and good depending in its own action(karma). In a way developing the sense of self (Atma) & centering the self and balance (Svadhishtana chakra).
Shani Vara Developing Higher Consciousness and understanding about patience and virtue for example- collective experience of growth and experience the future. For example, growing old and knowing that the body will be gone but the Memory of life unites to the consciousness of us and we multiply child and grandchild. (Moola dhara) going back to the root)
If you see our ancient people recorded the day, they saw the light as Sunday and then they realize that there is another body the moon light & they named Monday. Tuesday, they say auspicious day because they see the life outside in light. Then Thursday the one who listened the sound carefully of the nature, would have started to realize that we have senses and consciousness to operate our brain in light, sound, air, water. Friday that was the day we united to work to the mind, body connection. Saturday Shani Vara- When the human realized how to connect to this mother earth and seeded the knowledge and saw the seed come into life with water, air, light.
The day that one realizes that the body is just a material and the (collective memory) light within us immortal. The day we realize one day we need to leave this body and we need to let go of everything that doesn’t serve us Anger,Greed,Jelousy & emit like the light that we see and return to the source of light.
The one who thinks their knowledge is just a seed will remain in light of knowledge, the one says they know everything will close the doors themself to the knowledge and remain in dark. One who knows everything is the space and they are our ancestor great grandfather our space, great grandmother the ether. They have lived million and billion years. We know nothing in here we just starting to come to an understanding that our fear leads to darkness and our knowledge to seek brings us closer to light. Moon is our grandmother giving her light through calmness during night, sun is the father who provides us light during day to continue to evolve. Earth is our home nature is our mother and water in our father, we all must respect where we stay and not destroy it. And similarly, we all must respect our parents as we came from them too and not quarrel or lose patience. When we are small parents keep patience with us and when we grow up, we need to keep patience with them and when we get old, we should just relax and watch everything all over again in silence experiencing the bliss through wisdom and share the knowledge for the future ones who are coming.
We shall speak many interesting topics and philosophy of Greek history and Indian mythologies, rituals for moon and sun along with Greek ritual for full moon.
I welcome you to this retreat with my full heart, I am not a person to say its only for women. Yin and yang are also concept of light and darkness, we all have the dark and light outside and inside of us. Without darkness light would not exist and without light darkness doesn’t exist. Hence forth they both have to be co-related and balanced to be in harmony.
This practice is for all those who really love yoga and retreat to visit during moon cycles equally like sun cycles. For all those who would like to cultivate the practice for Moon days are welcome to participate, Women will see the benefits for it and also man. Generally, women need more strength and man needs more flexibility. that’s also like seeing our weakness as darkness and coming into light by supporting each other as Yin and yang, So I welcome all humans from my center of the heart to participate and share your experience with us after.
That is why our practice is complimenting the sun salutation so we work on strength during the day and Stretchy during the evening and end with a beautiful meditation.
You can lead to the Retreat page to get some insights on our offers or subscribe to our newsletter to get all future updates
Recent Comments