Welcome to our blog! Since this is the FIRST EVER blog post for Yoga Luna, I thought it would be a good time to give a bit more background behind our philosophy and the underpinnings behind it, including the yoga philosophy and Ayurveda.

Our philosophy at Yoga Luna revolves around the idea that we are all cyclical beings. This means that our bodies (and minds, and every layer of us since they’re all connected) are subject to the ever-changing influences of life as it moves in its cyclical rhythms. These cycles include the very small cycles of the heartbeat and breath all the way up to the large cycles of the seasons we move through every year. The amazing thing about these cycles is that they all follow a similar pattern, and so each can provide us with a “map” of the others.

Let’s take the breath as an example to start with, since it is the centerpiece of so much yoga and pranayama. Consider the breath as having 4 parts: the inhale, the inhale pause, the exhale, and the exhale pause. Each of these parts has its own qualities. The inhale is a time of expansion and rising energy. The inhale pause amplifies and intensifies that energy. The exhale is a time of release and letting go, and the exhale pause is a space where we rest and the body prepares for the next inhale. Each phase flows into the next, and each phase prepares us for the one that comes after. This is the fundamental pattern of how life works, and the breath calls us home to a deep intuitive connection to this pattern when we bring intentional focus to it.

Now let’s map this small cycle onto the cycle of the day. The morning is like the inhale, a time of rising energy as we awaken and start to move about in the world. The midday is like the inhale pause, when we are often at our most active. The afternoon/evening would then be a lot like the exhale, a time for winding down and letting go, so that we can sleep during the nighttime, the “exhale pause” of the daily rhythm.

For yoga to be beneficial for all of our systems (digestive, respiratory, reproductive, etc), it needs to align with these rhythms to support their smooth flow and transition. This is the centerpiece of Ayurveda and where Ayurveda and Yoga intersect (we’ll go more deeply into Ayurveda in a future post). In the cycle of the breath, that often means that we are using the inhale to support movements that are expanding, like raising arms overhead. We then use the exhale to support the natural movements of release or grounding. In terms of daily rhythm, it means that our yoga practices should help to support the demands of the time of day in which we are practicing, and to help us transition smoothly into the next phase of the day.

At Yoga Luna, that means that our morning yoga classes tend to be more active and energizing, while our evening classes tend to incorporate more grounding and down-regulation, like Restorative Yoga and Yoga Nidra. In the case of Prenatal Yoga, or other modalities that we offer at different times of day, like Melt Yoga, we may structure class differently to support these rhythms.

Our evening prenatal classes always start with Yoga Nidra to support the nervous system to “down shift” before we transition into movement and breath work. Our morning Womb Yoga class starts with more active practices and ends with Yoga Nidra for integration at the end of class.

This framework of cyclical living for health is the cornerstone of Ayurveda, and we believe that yoga is more powerful, more healing, and more supportive when it aligns with this framework as well.

The translation of the word yoga is “union”. This means a unification of consciousness, a quieting of the mind, where the knower and the known become one and we dissolve the illusions of separateness that we carry through so much of our lives. Like a still lake where one can see to the bottom and also see the sky reflected above. For this level of stillness to be found and endure as a form of awareness, we have to include all of our parts, functions, and pieces in this awareness. This must include tending to and caring for the rhythms and needs of the body. It is nearly impossible to quiet the mind when one is poorly rested, or dehydrated, or has unaddressed tension, etc.

When we align our practices with the rhythms of life, we create the conditions for this kind of integration and wholeness to occur. When the body’s rhythms and cycles are cared for, acknowledged, and honored, we can have access to a much deeper quietude and stillness, and we are able to see clearly, act kindly, and live in alignment with our deepest values.

I look forward to expanding on this and more topics in future blogs with you all, dear readers, dear yogis and yoginis. Thanks for reading, practicing, and walking the path with us.

Namaste (the light within me honors the light within you),

Maddie
Founder of Yoga Luna