HOW CAN YOU PROTECT & RE-ENERGIZE YOURSELF?

My journey into deconstructing my life and searching for a better way began with the realization that I was repeatedly uttering one of these phrases to anyone who would listen:

“I’m exhausted.”

“I never have enough time to get anything done on my TO DO list.” 

“My back hurts.” 

“My head hurts.” 

“My anxiety is through the roof. “

“I am constantly snapping at the people I am supposed to be loving.

“...I am over adulting.”

How could I have started out life as a child full of wonder and joy at the smallest of things to only end up in my forties in a perpetual state of complaining about my life? 

Is this what I was excited to grow up and be? What happened to me and who let this decrepit negative person in my body & mind?

Desiring a moment's peace from the thoughts within my head I went out to my porch, eyes full of tears & a glass full of whiskey.

Looking up I noticed that there was a full moon & I was flooded with a childhood moment of joy, remembering the awe that would wash over me when I’d stare up at that mysterious luminescent globe. 

For a brief moment the thought appeared like a flashing neon sign, is there a connected path to healing my adult self via my childhood awe?

And because I am a sucker for connections and details, I took a deep dive into research about our ancestors and the lunar cycles. 

The short answer yes, there is. 

If you are in a similar place that I was in… let’s keep talking. 

There is a rhythmic cycle for everything on our earth. And all humans had followed it until industrialization. Typical working hours ceased to follow the sun and moon phases. Despite that being 2 centuries ago our bodies have not caught up. And I don’t think they ever will. 

I see this in correlated overworked & stressed somatic symptoms showing up in our bodies, anxiety, anger, aches, pains, lack of sleep...etc. 

I want to make clear that I see these as correlated, not cause symptoms. Humans are dynamic and individual as are problems. What I found for myself was that there were many layers to the making of me as an adult, just as there are for you.

However, to get to the center of a cause we have to put the work into peeling the layers back. Following the lunar cycle may just be a few of these layers, but for me, there was a revelation to other areas I could work on in discovering my best self by starting. I became aware of all of these pieces working together, like a complex system of gears. 

So, what did I do? I knew that electricity is not going away any time soon and for the foreseeable future & neither were my long workdays…

I began to implement old practices in my life that brought me back to the natural rhythms that our bodies were designed to adhere to.

Modern-day humans tend to (re)evaluate their lives on a solar calendar. 

This type of life-in-review system always frustrated me about the amount of time that had passed between the first day of the year and the last day of the year. I find that my production wasn’t focused and I almost never followed through with any resolutions. 

What would happen if I went back to the natural rhythm during periods of production, rest, & review that our ancestors designed?

The moon cycle provided an easy & more frequent tracking system for me to follow. All I had to do was just look up at that wondrous globe from my childhood and follow it. 

Each lunar cycle my learning deepened and I started compiling a ritual list for each phase. In my years of teaching, I found that when I paired my lessons with three major senses, movement, sight, & sound my students' retention stayed with them for years. 

I want to share my lunar phase ritual list with you. With each lunar phase I’ve written its focus & underneath I’ve divided my ritual into 4 parts: Action, Breathwork, Yoga poses, Thought prompts.

I hope that you find it helpful on your way to transformation & self-discovery.

New moon is for New Beginnings

Action:

Cleaning & clearing. Our outer microcosmos represents our inner. The new moon is a wonderful time to straighten up & clear out the clutter. Once you have order surrounding you it is easier to gather your thoughts and plan. 

Breathwork:

Breath of Fire

Yoga Pose:

Take a moment to rest in ‘child’s pose’ this pose represents the beginning and is the perfect accompaniment to gathering energetic momentum as you come out of a restful phase.

Thought Prompt: 

Ask yourself where you are stuck, and what is a new way to look at it?

Waxing crescent is the right time to Set Intentions

Action:

Dream and establish your goals, sending out your hopes. Journal 5 - 10 things that you want, the order doesn’t matter at this point, just getting them down on paper does.

Breathwork:

Joy breathwork

Yoga Pose:

‘Crescent moon’ pose - opening our body up to expansion

Thought Prompt:

Now, looking at your journal list, ask yourself, what is the one thing on this list that will bring me the most fulfillment and peace? Highlight it.

First Quarter moon is to Take Action

Action:

taking discerning actions to support intentions & work through your obstacles. Write them all down. Pencil a few dates in your calendar for when you want to get certain ones finished. Then create daily post-it notes for which action needs to be completed that day.

Breathwork:

Grounding breath

Yoga Pose:

‘Warrior 2’ Looking ahead while remaining grounded. Mundane before magic.

Thought Prompt:

From the previous journal, think about the steps it will take to accomplish that goal.  

Waxing Gibbous moon is time to Refine & Hone

Action:

observe & realign hopes/goals trusting the process

Breathwork:

3 step-in 1 sigh-out breath

Yoga Pose:

‘½ moon’ pose to move the body to find balance and stability.

Thought Prompt:

Have my actions been aligned with my goals? What has been working well and not so much? What shifts can I make?

Full Moon is our Harvest time 

Action:

This is when you need to move ahead with your new Intentions or release them.

Breathwork:

Alternating nostril breath

Yoga Pose:

Standing backbend - energizing pose but also grounding. Opening the heart while grounding the legs

Thought Prompt:

How has your workflow been going? What might you need to release for another time? What support do you need to move forward?

Waning Gibbous moon is our Introspection time

Action:

Examine your habits, notice the ones that do & don’t support you & practice gratitude

Breathwork:

Heart connection breath

Yoga Pose:

‘Bow’ pose - heart-opening (each month you do this pose you will see how far you have come with your body creating tenderness for your progress)

Thought Prompt:

What lesson am I grateful for? What experiences have you survived and how it has made you stronger

Last/3rd Quarter moon is time for Release

Action:

let go of habits that are not serving you. give back to your community from a place of abundance.

Breathwork:

Releasing emotions breath

Yoga Pose:

Forward fold. Helps remind your body to turn inward and prepare for rest.

Thought Prompt:

What habits are stopping you? How can you shift them into one that serves? 

Waning Crescent moon is time to Surrender & Rest

Action:

Reflect. Rest. restore.

Breathwork:

Restful 478 breath

Yoga Pose:

Savasana - the quieter you become the more you hear.

Thought Prompt:

How am I doing on self-care? What can I incorporate right now to support myself?

If you are interested in learning more about how you can use the lunar phases to break cycles in your life, book a Cycle Breakers session