IMBOLC: Root To Rise

Have you seen any snowdrops yet?  Or what about crocuses and primroses?  The earth is awakening.  Imbolc signals the end of winter, though there may still be cold days to come.  Signs of new life are stirring and the first flowers push above ground.  Imbolc is the time when the seeds begin to stir.  The dreams of life that have slept beneath the surface through winter are now finding their form in reality.  Tender new shoots manifest themselves as the emergence of possibility. 

Now is the time you can really Ground to Grow. At Imbolc the earth’s energies are entering the waxing phase of the cycle, increasing from now until the Summer Solstice.  As the light increases more and more each day now, you might begin to notice a fresh sense of hope.  With the fresh energies literally rising up from the earth, it’s important to maintain a grounded connection with yourself to create a practical foundation from which your dreams can grow.  

Setting clear intentions now, and taking practical steps to manifest them, will help to support your own growth throughout the year ahead.   

Ganesha, the elephant-headed god of yogic mythology, can be invoked as a stabilizing force for your manifestations and a grounding influence on your energies. Embodying strength, grounding and protection, Ganesha can be called upon to ground your intentions for the year ahead. At Luna Rhythms Yoga we work with a forty-day sadhana (spiritual practice) for each of the eight seasonal cycles.  The sadhana involves 108 repetitions of a mantra each day for a whole season.  Throughout Imbolc, we’ll be chanting Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha 108 times a day to invoke Ganesha and ground our intentions.  Japji, or mantra repetition, is a very powerful practice that can have a tangible impact on your daily life.  Try repeating the mantra each day from February 1 to March 21 and see if you notice any shifts in yourself and your behaviours.  Perhaps you’ll feel stronger, more grounded, better able to take the practical steps you need to achieve your goals.  

Imbolc is a fire ceremony, one of the Celtic cross-quarter festivals, which falls midway between the Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox.  Fire purifies by burning away what is unnecessary and strengthening what is left.  Which aspects of the old year or the lingering winter can you release into the flames now?  Which parts of yourself will you strengthen as you carry them forward? 

You can celebrate Imbolc at home by lighting candles to honour the return of the sun, or having a purifying bath to cleanse away the old winter energies.  You may like to burn away the qualities or behaviours you wish to release by writing them down on a piece of paper, folding it three times away from you to signal letting go, and burning it in the candle flame.  To increase the power of this practice, invite friends to celebrate the seasonal change and do this ritual together around a fire.  When you are ready to set your intentions for the year ahead, write them down and fold the paper three times towards you to signal calling in, then burn them in the flame as before.  Speaking your intentions out loud before you burn them can also make this a particularly powerful practice.  Burning sage to purify your home or altar is a simple and effective way of cleansing the energies in a space.  

How Luna Rhythms Yoga can support you through the season of Imbolc

At Luna Rhythms, our unique system of yoga integrated with the lunar cycles and solar seasons teaches techniques from the ancient yogic practices of asana, pranayama, mudra, bandha and mantra in alignment with the energies of the day, season and cycle.  Imbolc is a reminder that it is first necessary to Ground, before you can Grow.  

Bhumi Sparsha Mudra, or Earth Witness Gesture, is a hand position for connecting you in to the energies of the earth from which you can grow.  In a comfortable seated position, place the open palm of your left hand on your lap in a gesture of receiving. Rest the inside of your right wrist over your right knee with your fingers lightly touching the earth or pointing towards the earth. In this mudra, your right hand serves as a lightning rod to ground the energy. Relax your fingers on both hands.  With this deep and reverential connection, call upon the earth to witness and support you in grounding your intentions for the cycle ahead. 

An energising pranayama practice for this time of year can be practiced either outside in connection with the earth and sky, or inside with meditative awareness.  Within your breath, notice the flowering, uplifting, expansive energy of each inhalation. Observe the grounding, rooting, stabilizing energy of each exhalation.  Notice how the in-breath holds the out-breath. Observe how the out-breath holds the in-breath. 

Earth-Sky Pranayama is a beautiful standing practice that unites the flow of energy. If possible, practice this breath standing outside in the morning sun or at any time of day with your feet upon the Earth.

Stand in a wide Tadasana, grounded, at ease and with unlocked knees.  Rest your awareness in the flow of your breath.  Inhaling your arms up overhead, breathe in from Earth to Sky. Exhaling your arms back down to the sides, breathe out from Sky to Earth.  On the inhalation, remember the Earth. Feel your connection down through your feet.  On the exhalation, remember the Sky. Hold the skyward lift in your chest.  Repeat several times with flowing movement in harmony with the breath. This breath creates an integration effect where one breath holds the other. The inhalation is naturally uplifting and the exhalation is naturally grounding. 

By Grounding to Grow, you can set clear intentions and take practical steps for self-empowerment this Imbolc. 

Each season at Luna Rhythms Yoga we practice a range of different techniques from the yogic tradition that enable us to embody and integrate the energies of that season in powerful and positive ways.  We work with the monthly and daily rhythms of the moon cycle to give subtle nuance to those techniques, ensuring that our practice is always in alignment with exactly what we need when we need it.

To find out more about these practices and how you can get involved check out our Classes, Retreats and the Luna Rhythms Yoga Foundation Course.  Join us!