Rob - Day 4: NEW MOON - Simple Yin and Some Reflections

Now I've had many a debate with yogis of different styles about the importance of moon days. The skeptics argue that millions of "renegade" yogis from non-ashtanga styles practice on moon days without any ill effect. And I suppose to some extent they're right. I've yet to see an exploded head, broken limb or complete PranaQi meltdown from such behavior. But for ME at least, I definitely tend to feel really wonky when I practice on them. Also, given Mr. Jois's knowledge and the level of refinement of the Ashtanga system I'd tend to say that he's probably onto something...

But as per my commitment I did hit the mat today, although very lightly. I did about 30 mins of freestyle Yin at home to limber up a bit. Still, and I'm not sure if this was the moon or what, I was VERY restless and felt a bit off afterward. Certainly not my typical post-yin mellow vibe.

I think I'm already starting to notice the effects of the consistent practice. Whenever I practice regularly, especially with Ashtanga, I tend to have much more energy. This morning I woke up at 4 more or less ready to go, despite the fact that I felt like I slept much lighter than usual. The thing that I must be mindful of is that sometimes I have TOO much energy. It's like the Prana's all spinning around with nowhere to go. I'm sure that over the next year I'll get a feel for how to properly contain this and adjust my practice accordingly.

Tomorrow promises to be a VERY yogic today. I'm going to a teacher's workshop with Barbara Benagh about the subtle body and chakras. Exciting! I'll be sure to let you know all about it in my next post.

Still, I do have to say that it's tough to make it to the mat with wonderful articles on Huffington Post expounding the Top 10 Reasons NOT To Do Yoga! :)

Om Shanti Gangstas!