By the Light of the Moon

1st full moon of 2014

The first full moon of 2014 is tonight and it is a clear, bright night. The moon is glowing with a large, beautiful aura. I feel a sense of anticipation and expectation--for the new year, my new life and the new open spaces that need to be filled up. Now don't take this the wrong way, I have a pretty amazing life as it is, in this moment. With my new found freedom after resigning from my school teaching position this year, I have time to develop my yoga-related passions, cooking, mothering and writing.

In the beginning, I felt this angst; this feeling like I had so much to catch up on. As I become more comfortable with time and setting up routines, I find my yoga practice has grown and continues to deepen. A different, new space has opened up. Articulating how I'm feeling is a bit of a challenge, but I feel at peace, at home within myself, alive, emotional, and it's all great stuff. So, as I look outside over the mountains at the glowing orb in the sky, I feel light and full at the same time. I think of Yoga Sutra 1.36, vishoka va jyotishmati. When I focus on something filled with light, I become filled with light.

We were chanting this last Saturday in class when I realized that light can mean something different to each person. There are the usual definitions of light, energy, waves, to ignite, illuminate, make visible, not dark; and then, there are those that we perceive because of our experiences in life, like courage, love, beauty, heat, fire, knowledge, brilliance, a spiritual guide and the list goes on.  What does light mean to you?  What does it mean to be filled with light? Can we be full and light or filled with light?

So I don't want to be busier and to fill my life with stuff.  I have enough to do and enough stuff.  I want to fill  my self, my life with light, positive energy and love and I want to be able to see things differently.  Yes, I want abundance, but I want abundance of these things I've listed and I want to share them with the other living things in my life.  So as Patanjali explains, if we focus on the light, we will become filled with light.  I want this.

Enjoy the energy and light of the full moon; bask in the raw emotion it evokes. Let it guide you to try a new sound, a new move, a new thought because all of those things are energy.

I realize that I've posted a number of mantras.  My idea is not to have you try a different mantra each week, but to find a mantra, a sound, that resonates with you and to stick with it.  Ideally, you have a teacher that you work with and can ask questions about these sorts of things (what mantra and/or meditation is good for you).  I have found that I get the most benefit out of practices that I repeat over a period time.  I did spend a good part of my life trying new things, relationships, jobs, not giving them time to work and then moving on to something new.  It doesn't work.  Trying some thing for a minimum of 10 days or times is a good start.

And of course, if you have questions, please ask me.