Solar, Lunar Interplay
Having an awareness of the movement of the Sun & Moon gives rhythm and ritual to our lives.
As we look out our window in the morning, we may sense the time simply by observing the colour and tone of the filtered sunlight cast onto a leaf or a flower. The moon’s shape changes with every night and so does the quality of its glowing, silvery light, amplifying everything that is white.
This rhythm of light, and harmony of masculine, the solar, and feminine, the lunar, essence is a mirrored movie image of what is pulsing through our inner being at all times. Both scientific research and yogic practice delineate this positive and negative field of magnetism within the body / mind.
Solar / Lunar Innerplay
The right side of the body being the yang, warm, active, and vitalizing aspect and the left side being the cool, yin, receptive, and passive aspect of our functioning.
As we breathe, we tend to have one nostril that is more open and active than the other in guiding the energy of breath which feeds and purifies our organs and cells.
Inner Sun & Inner Moon
Just like the sun and the moon, the right nostril tends to be more active during the day as we are expending energy for work, exercise and using the rational, linear parts of our mind to achieve our goals. While at night, the left nostril tends to be more open, as we are retreating deeper into rest and more introspective cognitive states.
As humans we are prone to imbalance. Poor posture, overstimulation and mismanaged emotional states can cause one side or one aspect of our being to become more dominant than the other. This may come at the expense of our creativity, our intuition, our physical vitality and initiative, or our ability to feel and integrate our emotions.
Centering Technique
Here is a short and simple technique to bring balance to the mind and body, while bringing that cosmic rhythm back in sync with the dynamic macrocosm, the Sun & Moon.
It’s called Centering.
Take a seat somewhere where you will be undisturbed for 5 minutes. Deepen the breath as you drop into your seat and presence.
Base of your Spine
Bring your attention to the centre and base of your spine, the perineum, that place where you can envision your spinal column would extend upwards from. Take some long, conscious breaths and envision an expansion of this area as you inhale and a contraction as you exhale. A very grounding practice.
Center of the Belly
Next, Bring your attention to the centre of the belly, just below and behind the navel.. Breathe into this space, expanding and contracting. Just rest and observe.
Center of the Chest
Finally, bring your attention to the centre of your chest, the heart. Again, give your full presence to this area while focusing on the breath.
Center of the Breath
To finish, while breathing deeply, consciously direct the air to enter equally through both the right and left nostrils as you inhale and exhale. This may take a little concentration or practice at first.
After Effects
You’ve just taken over the autonomic functioning of your breath and created balance within your right and left brain hemispheres as well as your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Congratulations.
This is a beautiful practice to do in the morning to set the tone of balance and grounding for the day. It’s brilliant if you are feeling scattered, confused or overly emotional. This can be practiced any time to gain a deeper connection to your self, while you are walking, waiting in a line, etc. Like everything, consistency is key.