Harvest Moon

Tonight's full moon (7:55 pm EDT) has a special meaning. It is the moon that comes closest to the Autumnal Equinox, which this year is on Wednesday, September 22. According to the Farmer's Almanac, tonight's full moon is known as the Harvest Moon, since farmers are able to do their reaping well into the night using the brightness of the moon's reflected sunlight.

Some Native Americans have called this moon the Corn Moon since it is the traditional day when the summer's final corn crop is harvested. Other Native American peoples, such as the Cree call it the Rutting Moon, recognizing it as the beginning of the elk mating season. The Ojibwe call it the Falling Leaves Moon since this is when, in the cooler climes of the northern hemisphere, we see leaves from the trees around us begin to shed their leaves. The Cherokee call it the Nut Moon, since this is a time when many nut trees start bearing their fruit. In Abrahamic traditions, this moon is a celebration of the Harvest Festival.  In Yogic tradition, the moon is associated with nourishment and the "divine nectar" that is responsible for the blissful being that occurs in deep states of meditation. 

The Harvest Moon celebrates abundance in nature. Expanding our minds to open up what is outside ourselves helps us to welcome abundance into our lives. Meditations such as yoga nidra can help shift the mind from scarcity to abundance. We are not talking about physical abundance but more about mental/emotional abundance. We can do this by expanding awareness of the things outside yourself.

Crystals and the Full Moon

Helpful Tip: If you have crystals, every full moon is a good night to recharge your crystals. Just leave them outside overnight to attract the light and energy from the moon.

Resources:

Farmer's Almanac Staff (2021). When Is the full harvest moon?

Space.com (2021). Harvest Moon 2021: When and how to see September's full moon

The Thinking/Emotional Sheath: Manamaya kosha

This week, we cover the third kosha: the manamaya kosha, the thinking, intellectual, emotional sheath. While we are unable to visibly see our mental body it is still definable on a conscious level. This body or level is most connected with our eyes. We can tell this when our eyes are closed and the mental being autonomically starts the journey to quieting the mind as thoughts drift away and our other senses begin to take over (Desai, 2017).

The manamaya kosha is our mental sheath.  According to Sartain (2012), the mind is a tool. That's it. It is a A tool that helps us process the world around us. However, we go through life believing that our memories, thoughts, fears, mental patterns, are all permanent. Yet, each is fleeting. We are not our thoughts since our thoughts and our minds are constantly changing. The permanence is found in our immutable soul. The core that defines us as ourselves.

In yoga nidra, we come to this kosha when we start to focus the mind during the visualization portion of the practice. Here we are recognizing thoughts and allowing each thought to pass through the conscious mind as new images appear when our eyes are closed. Whatever you see during this internal mental visualization is the opening of your mind.

Resources:

Desai, K. (2017). Yoga nidra: the art of transformational sleep. Twin Lakes, WI: Lotus Press.

Sartain, C. (2012). The Sacred Science of Yoga & The Five Koshas (pp. 51-52). Unknown. Kindle Edition.

Schedule Changes

Tonight's Yoga Nidra is canceled and will resume next week on Monday September 27.

The Kosha workshop will take place beginning January 12, 2022 rather than September 29, 2021.