Learn how to empty out and invite in the new with 5 sacred practices for the New Moon inspired by Ayurveda, Tantra and Vedic teachings.

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We are quickly approaching the October 1st full moon, known as Purnima in the Vedic tradition, and as women, we might feel deeply and intrinsically drawn to her ripeness at this time. In her fullness, Chandra (moon) represents the blossomed and fruitous energy of manifestation, of Shakti. This energy holds exceptional power, and when we are living in attuned alignment with the rhythms of the constantly fluctuating moon, our intentions can truly come into full expansion in tandem with the building energy that peaks when the moon expands into pregnancy.

 

But in an overtly 'yang' culture stripped of this innate relationship to the moon and the feminine capacity for manifestation, we can feel lost and devoid of the nurturance, the power and the capacity to birth forward new life in all forms, represented by the engorging and waxing moon, and equally to be emptied and grow inwardly still, signified by the waning moon as it moves towards complete nothingness.

 

In this light, we at RASA believe it is so important to return into deep contact, and even communion, with the moon cycles. Which is why we are so excited to soon begin offering bi-weekly New Moon and Full Moon online, private women's gatherings. Be sure to sign up to our e-newsletter to be the first to find out when registration opens for this potentially life-changing community experience. 

 

4 Sadhanas to Practice on & Before the Full Moon:

In the early evening, during the 3 days leading up to the full moon and on the full moon night itself, begin to connect to and stoke the abundant energy of fertility and creative potential that lives inside of you, through these practices...

1. Malasana (Squatting Posture)

This classical asana (yogic posture), is especially healing for women. It harmonizes and balances the Svadhisthana (sacral) and Muladhara (root) chakras, bringing balance to the sexual energy, regulating hormones, and activating the creative force. 

Bring the feet hip-width-distance apart. Slowly, bend the knees and come down into a squatting position, pointing the toes outwards. If you can't bring your heels flat to the floor, place a cushion underneath them for support. Bend forward slightly, while keeping the spine long, and rest you palms on the floor or on a block. Breath slowly, and deeply. Imagine the esence of the full moon circling through your pelvis and root.

 

2. Celebrate with the Fullness of Rich, Blessed Food!

 

Eat nourishing, Ojas-rich foods that feel as if they are pulsing with vitality. Preference things that are juicy, sweet, comforting and celebratory. In India, Prasadam (blessed food) is given out during sacred gatherings and holidays and usually consists of sweets for sharing or rice with a lot of oil and ghee.

3.  Shakti Meditation

On the night of the full moon, bring a Rupa (image or statue), of a sacred feminine figure or deity who you feel drawn towards. This could be one of the Mahavidyas, the ten great goddesses, or aspects of the Devi, from the Tantric tradition, or Mother Mary from the Christian tradition, or any other feminine form that calls to your heart. Bring her image onto your altar, offer her fresh flowers and Prasadam (blessed food),  and begin a pracice of Bhakti (adoration) with her. 

Practice Trataka, the ritual in which you gaze softly and steadily, without blinking, upon a form, and in so doing, come into union with the energy of that form. Try this with your chosen Devi for at least 10 minutes. 

 

4. Moon Bathe

Sit or lie under the full moon, and let your body be saturated in her light and energy. Bring any crystals you may have, such as your RASA Ayurveda Yoni Eggs or Yoni Wand, to bask in the moonlight overnight. You may even want to leave your hand-hammered, 100% Copper Water Bottle or Copper Cup, full of water, out all night to absorb the powerful energies, and to be drank the next morning on an empty stomach. 

Chandra Sadhana (moon practice) can quite literally alchemize your life. And as you begin to honor and worship this energy of Shakti, you will find a deeper embodiment into your own feminine form and an ability to harness the force of creativity and manifestation that is your birthright. 

 

To really dive into your own sacred femininity, check out our founder, Tiffany's continuing Women's Ayurveda & Tantra online courses. Level 1 and 2 are currently in session, and Level 3 just finished, but doors will open again soon for all three levels, so be sure to subscribe to be notified when they do!

 

Let us know in the comments below, how you celebrate the full moon! 

 

And please do share this article via social media and with the women in your life. This truly supports the work we do here at RASA to enrich the lives of as many as we can through the magic of Ayurveda!

 

 

 

 

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“The Rishis tell us that our most significant task as human beings is to take nothing from life for ourselves, but rather to give of ourselves to life. If we were to align our lives with those of plants and emulate their memory of random, selfless acts of giving, we would know that the most divine action we can perform is one of sacrifices as executed by every tree, plant shrub, grass, and herb.”

- Bri Maya Tiwari

Why is RASA Ayurveda committed to staying 100% vegan and cruelty-free, in all of our apothecary products, offerings, and in our own lives, actions and intentions? Because it aligns us to this natural recognition of interconnectedness with this Earth and all Beings. In the Ayurvedic world it is rare to find a commitment to vegan preparations, and RASA is not promoting “veganISM” (there is no call to take on yet another label), but we do invite you to inquire into the impact your every step has upon your own heart, this planet and those who reside here.

 

Consider how many animal products are consumed as a by-product of our collective pursuit of fun and indulgence. How many animals suffer for our temporary pleasure? Did you know that even wine relies upon fish bones for its processing, and most cheese is filled with rennet (animal stomach lining)? Ayurveda considers that all of creation, including animals, are expressions of the One Consciousness, living through an awe-inspiring diversity of forms. When we look within in deep meditative inquiry, we see this to be true. We feel the chord of sameness and our inherent unity. So when I hurt another ‘form,’ I am contributing to a collective wounding, which will have direct results in my own life. Statistics show that those who work in slaughterhouses have some of the highest percentages of alcoholism and domestic abuse. We are simply not separate. Touch into that knowing. Our nature is #Ahimsa; longing to live in peace and non-violence towards all beings.

 

There is however, another reason that Ayurveda recommends a vegetarian life. Plants themselves are seen to be great offerers of #Yajna, meaning divine sacrifice or offering. The entire Universe is founded on Yajna, on giving forward. Certain species of trees give oxygen 24 hours a day! Plants are an inspiring embodiment of this selfless giving. While humans and animals may spend their lives chasing their own individual survival and pleasures, plants come into existence with a much more communitarian intention of offering themselves up to continue and maintain the symbiosis of life. Plants do not worry about their own fate, they do not argue and compete amongst themselves, they are not status-seekers, they do not oppose their superiority or seek to be loved and validated. They are a living masterpiece and anyone who has grown a garden knows the awe we can have for their beauty. They sprout, they grow tall, they spread their seeds across the land, they offer their #Prana and nutrients to whatever creature asks for it, they retreat into the earth, and then when the sun beckons, they repeat this cycle all over again.  They are wholeheartedly committed to #Dana, selfless giving. We have so much to learn.

 

We are not born to endlessly take, but to offer our life to life itself.

 

If we choose to eat more plants with awareness, we absorb their selfless nature, we start to consider how much we truly need to be alive, and we too find ourselves becoming more and more giving. What was once a health, humane or environmental choice, becomes a joy! And our bodies rejoice as well, happy to be charged with the food that nature intended for them.

 

We challenge you to start out this week fresh, by cutting down on your meat and animal-product consumption by one meal per day. Replace this meal with an abundance of nature’s bounty. Try new recipes! Visit a vegan restaurant. Get your family involved. Explore what happens if we eat less from conditioning and more from freedom. It is one of the primary actions we engage in in this life. What if 3x per day you ate in the spirit of Presence + Love? Well, that would be simply beautiful.

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How to survive and even THRIVE in the dry cold of Autumn, according to Ayurveda? If you’re tired of feeling dry, itchy and chilled to the bone at the first leaf-drop, read on, as this post is your survival guide, or more specifically, your Vata-Pacifying Guide for your transition from the balmy days of summer to the windy, coolness of Fall.

Vata is a Dosha (a mind/body type in Ayurveda), comprised of the elements of Air and Ether (space). We don’t just find the Doshas being expressed in our bodies, but in everything in existence, including the seasons. Vata is most predominant in the late summer to early Winter.

Ayurveda offers us guidelines of living, specific to each season (rutucharya), including suggested foods, herbs, daily habits, types of exercise, colours, aromas, Yogic practices, etc. which will bring in the opposite energies of those that are most predominant during that seasonal period, thus bringing balance back to our bodies. This is why Ayurveda is so amazing in its simplicity and applicability.

10 AYURVEDIC TIPS FOR FALL (+ 2 BONUS TIPS)

1. Think HEAVY, WARM & MOIST. Apply these tenets to everything, including what you eat, how you eat, and your overall lifestyle. 

2. Prioritize foods that are Sweet, Sour & Salty. These 3 Rasas, or tastes, balance/decrease Vata dosha. 

3. Avoid or limit foods that are Pungent, Bitter & Astringent. These tastes increase actually increase/aggravate Vata dosha.

4. Choose herbs like Cumin, Coriander, Fennel, Cinnamon, Clove, Tulsi, or just drink our VATA TEA daily to simplify things!

5. Avoid or limit coffee, as it can be very Vata and Pitta-aggravating (dry, spacy, heated, jitteriness anyone?). Try our AYURVEDIC COFFEE instead. It offers all the comfort and ritual of your regular cup of coffee, but without all the detrimental short and long-term side effects. Plus, it is enriched with the stress-busting and immunity-boosting powers of adaptogenic herbs.

6. Avoid cold or windy environments, or dress warmly, especially covering the head. Vata literally means 'wind,' which is why we want to limit our exposure to too much moving air at this time. 

7. Keep exercise slow, calm and repetitive!  High intensity, erratic workouts will only increase Vata energy in the body and mind. AND routine is key! Schedule your daily activities at regular, repetitive times. Eat, sleep, work and wake at the same times, as much as you can. 

8. Take warm baths. Practice Abhyanga (Ayurvedic Oil Massage) 30 minutes before you bathe (Our VATA ABHYANGA OIL is especially grounding and calming for this practice.)

9. Meditate once or twice per day. If you are new to the practice, begin with just 10 minutes. Tiffany offers some beautifully-crafted guided meditations to ease you  into a place of deepened calm and inner quietude.

10. Adorn your body and environment in scents that are warming, comforting and calming, like our VATA SACRED ESSENCE, or use Ginger, Orange, Clary Sage, Vetiver, Spikenard, etc.

BONUS TIP #1. Yogic Asanas (postures) & Pranayama (breathing techniques) to pacify Vata? Try Standing-Forward Bend (Uttanasana), Legs Up the Wall (Upavistha Konasana) & Bee 🐝 Breath (Bhramari Pranayama). Hold each posture for 3-10 mins, and breath slowly, with soft awareness to whatever sensations and releasing that may occur. 

 

BONUS TIP #2. Fall into a period of internal cleansing & dietary simplification. Order a KIND CLEANSE, if you live in or around the Peterborough ON area, and ease into a self-retreat of 3, 5 or 10 days in which your diet will be paired down to the delicious, nourishing, unctuous and deeply cleansing Kitchari dish, a highly-revered and traditional meal of organic rice, mung beans, spices and vegetables cooked specifically for your unique needs and doshic imbalances. The junction between the seasons, this time of pause, has always been known to be a potent and ideal time for bodily and mental cleansing.

Autumn does not have to be such a challenge for Vata constitutions, especially when we modify our lifestyle in ways that honor the changing rhythms of nature in accordance with the endlessly wise teachings of Ayurveda. 

So here's to a wonderful Autumn transition rich with crisp walks, colours ablaze and spiced teas in hand!

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