3 ways to Thrive during the Eclipse Season!
"BEWARE!!! It's eclipse season!!!"
Yes, but.
Let's set aside any victim mentality and take every situation as an opportunity to thrive!
On Saturday, March 15th, we have the Lunar Eclipse. On Saturday, March 29th, we have the Solar Eclipse. Astrologers warn us that the world turns upside down during Eclipse Season. BUT LET'S FACE IT: the world is already a scary place to live in.
So let's take advantage of this astrologically significant period to turn the world upside down in the BEST WAY POSSIBLE!
AND FOR THE SCEPTICS WHO DON'T BELIEVE IN ECLIPSES: well, an eclipse is an astronomical phenomenon, so I hope we can agree on that, at least. The Moon moves into the Earth's shadow causing a Lunar eclipse; the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun causing a Solar eclipse. These natural phenomena (φαινόμενα = observed facts) are traditionally considered powerful moments for breathing and meditation practices. So you can interpret them as exactly this: a socially accepted opportunity for you to work on your emotional and mental well-being!
"How do I make of the Eclipse Season a successful life-changing period for me?" I hear you ask. Well here's 3 ways how:
BE CONSCIOUS AND CAUTIOUS.
It is believed that these are times of hightened sensitivity.
On a daily basis, we feel feelings, sense sensations, think thoughts, mostly on auto-pilot. And during the eclipse season (which begins a good week before the Lunar Eclipse and ends some days after the Solar Eclipse, the Solar Eclipse considered more powerful than the Lunar one), it is argued that those feelings, sensations and thoughts have more intensity in them.
In other words, in the next days, you might find yourself with stronger impulses, overwhelming feelings, elated and tortured by thought patterns, trapped in habits... That's how most people live their lives in general, so, again, no need to "believe in eclipses" to see the benefit in this first advice:
Be conscious and cautious in the next few weeks. Don't believe everything you think, don't identify yourself with your feelings and sensations, and live in the present moment.
"Be present" is what Yoga teaches us: living in the past or living in the future is a cause of suffering. And since we are allegedly more sensitive, we will feel that suffering even more during an eclipse season.
Similarly, Yoga traditions advise not to do rigorous physical exercise during the eclipses because that extra sensitivity we have means that we will be more sensitive to any pain or injury we might have.
That is why during the times of the Lunar and Solar Eclipses, I will not be teaching any physical yoga practice but instead a breathing and meditation practice. You can join us online or in-person, if you want some guidance or simply to be part of a group during these auspicious times.
BREATHE TO CLEAR UP THE FIELD.
Pranayama is the practice of restricting/controlling (yama) or expanding (ayama) your life force energy (pran).
"Change the way you breathe and you change your life."
What if I told you that all the thoughts of suffering that torture you (on a daily basis) can be controlled and shifted? That is the practice of Pranayama: learn to calm your energy down (prana) so you get to calm your mind down (chitta).
This Eclipse period, which might bring a lot of feelings and sensations and thoughts up, is a great opportunity for you to learn how to control the effect those feelings and sensations and thoughts have on you.
If you already have a Pranayama practice, make sure it is suitable for what is happening to you right now. And if you are not quite sure of what you are doing, again, consider joining our breathing and meditation course:
four Saturday sessions of 2 and a half hours each that are actually recorded for you to revisit whenever you like (or for you to watch later, if you have to miss one of the sessions), and
four weeks of daily 10-to-15-minute online recorded practices (on Monday to Friday) so you stay consistent with your daily seated practice (sadhana).
On top of that, you get four free 75-minute group Asana classes and a one-hour private session at the end of the module where you can prove that you have integrated what was taught during the 4-week course in order to receive a 40-hour YACEP certificate accredited by the International Yoga Alliance.
So there's no excuse if you don't quite know how to work with your feelings and thoughts this Eclipse Season - you can sign up to the 4-week programme today and save your spot while there's still availability!
MEDITATE: BE THE KNOWER OF THE FIELD.
In the classical texts of Yoga, we learn the difference between identifying with the field (kshtra) and being the knower of the field (kshtrajna).
The field would be your daily reality: what you see, what you feel, what you think... You identify with your body, you identify with what you experience, and you embark on this journey we call life.
And that's fine! Because Yoga teaches us that we are here on this life to enjoy it (moksha).
BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN LIFE STOPS BEING ENJOYABLE?
Identifying with our physical restrictions, believing in our limited perspectives and insecurities, being controlled by our thoughts and philosophies ultimately leads to suffering. In other words, believing that the field is the Truth is what keeps us from enjoying the field.
Think of the field (think of your life) as your video game. Think of your physical body as your avatar/character. How far are you playing the game and how far is the game playing you?
Yoga is the practice of remembering how to enjoy the game. Meditation is the practice of disidentifying from the field and remembering who you truly are: You are the Knower of the Field - you are in control of your body, you are in control of your life.
In theory, it's easy. In practice, it's practice. Do your practice and you get there. And, again, you have to know HOW to practice so you get the benefits that you need to get.
And you guessed that right!!! You can join our 4-week programme, if you want to learn how to meditate the right way - we will be looking at classical yoga Meditation techniques, their knowhows, results, but, most importantly, you will get a first-person experience of all of them.
So now you know how to make of this Eclipse Season a life-changing event for you. Make use of this opportunity and come out of this Eclipse Season stronger, happier, healthier and a more confident and stable individual.
The world needs that ;)
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