Tag: Full Moon

Happy Sharad – Lakshmi Poornima / Full Moon- Ivy or Hunter Moon/ last SUPERMOON of 2015!

alessandrayoga1 Comment

Happy Sharad also called Lakshmi Poornima / Full Moon- Ivy or Hunter Moon/ last SUPERMOON of 2015!

October Ivy Supermoon
October Ivy Supermoon

Tonight the energy of the moon shining is considered particularly benevolent as the moonlight rays represent AMRITA/nectar pouring straight from the Goddess of Abundance Lakshmi.

To Celebrate Lakshmi – goddess of beauty , wealth and prosperity – a night vigil is observed. Jaagrati (vigil) suggests that those who wish to acquire wealth should always be vigilant at night. Continue reading “Happy Sharad – Lakshmi Poornima / Full Moon- Ivy or Hunter Moon/ last SUPERMOON of 2015!” →

Spring Full Moon – Holi Yogic Salad!

alessandrayogaLeave a comment

Happy Full Moon – Holi, the festival of colour, love and merriness that is celebrated at the end of the winter season on the last full moon ( Purnima) day of the lunar month Phalgun, which usually falls in March, sometimes in late February. The festival honours the arrival of spring  in the form of a carnival of colours, where participants play, chase and colour each other with dry powder and coloured water.

Holi - Spring Festival Of Colours
Holi – Spring Festival Of Colours

Spring is symbolic of growth and renewal and nature begins to bloom and blossom in a multitude of colours.

The spring season, during which the weather changes, is also the time where we get rid of the toxicity and lethargy accumulated in Winter, often through fevers and colds. During the Festival of Holi the playful throwing of natural coloured powders has a medicinal significance: the colours are traditionally made of medicinal herbs prescribed by Āyurvedic doctors like Neem, Kumkum ( made of Saffron or Turmeric) , Haldi ( Turmeric ) and Bilva.  Continue reading “Spring Full Moon – Holi Yogic Salad!” →

Ekadasi: Auspicious time for fasting and other Vedic and Ayurvedic practices for Spring Time.

alessandrayogaLeave a comment

Happy Ekadasi. Twice a month in the Vedic Lunar Calendar ( and 24 times in the cycle of a solar year) is EKADASi… Ekadasi falls twice in a Lunation ( Lunar month , is calculated as a cycle of 30 days) and it is the perfect time of the month to embrace fasting. Normally a cycle of fasting would last for four consecutive days from Ekadasi to the day before  Full Moon or to the day of New Moon. Fasting is not recommended if you are pregnant, on your moon or you are ill. Ekadasi is an auspicious day for fasting and this is the right time of the year for cleansing to be aligned with the flow of Spring. Ekadasi means ( eka= 1 and Dasi = 10 1+10 = 11 ) the 11th day of the Calendar Month, before FULL or  to NEW MOON .

Vasanta Navaratri
Vasanta Navaratri

Fasting, in the tradition, is a sacred observance that is practiced to reclaim your state of inner balance with the cycles of Nature. It is a powerful inner medicine way of healing all diseases and rekindle Agni, your digestive power. Fasting also lightens the body, relieves toxins , cleanses and nourishes all your tissues and cells and strengthened your innate intelligence. Continue reading “Ekadasi: Auspicious time for fasting and other Vedic and Ayurvedic practices for Spring Time.” →

Blue Moon Meditation!

alessandrayogaLeave a comment

As i contemplate the Moon  Chandra shining outside my window i cannot resist to write once again about her. My intention to write about meditating on the Blue Moon allows me to expound on a concept so dear to those in the practice and studies of Yoga: the concept of Time Kala.

The meditation on the Blue Moon is about our perception of time. What would we do if we had more time to complete that unfinished project?

Every two or three years we are experiencing an extra Full Moon. That is an extra chance for realization and manifestation. A  lunar phase cycle  corresponds methaphorically to an evolutionary cycle: from darkness – New moon – to light – Full moon . From unmanifest to manifest. Therefore  with an extra Moon cycle  we are given an extra chance to bring about manifestation.

ChandraShekra, adorned by the moon crescent. Attribute of Lord Shiva.

A bit like the day outside time of the MAyan calendar, the Blue Moon is an extra chance to manifest our  intentions and make them tangible. Continue reading “Blue Moon Meditation!” →

The Light of Devotion. Full Moon Guru Poornima!

alessandrayogaLeave a comment

The first full Moon after the longest day of the year – Summer Solstice –  is celebrated as Guru Poornima.

It is a special day when all spiritual aspirants and devotees in India and around the world are grateful for the sage Vyasa ,that represents the first  Guru as he edited the four Vedas and other divine scriptures, and their respective gurudevs ( spiritual teachers , enlightened masters). It is a time for paying respect to one’s teachers with meditation, chanting and prayers. Alternative ways of celebrating are observing the vow of silence and studying the books  or writings of your Guru, or mentally reflecting upon his teachings. It is a good time to begin your spiritual lessons. Traditionally,  spiritual seekers commence to intensify their spiritual ‘sadhana’ from this  day.

Sage Vyasa dictates the scriptures to Ganesha

The Guru ( literally  means one who leads “from darkness to light”) is a spiritual preceptor whose teachings enlighten us in the journey of life.  Our very first Guru is our Mother, that has literally taken us from the darkness of the womb into the light of existence as human beings. Continue reading “The Light of Devotion. Full Moon Guru Poornima!” →