Ostara: Balance & Stillness

Ostara, the Spring Equinox, calls us into stillness.  A time to be still, in meditation and inner silence, as the earth’s energies rebalance and realign.  We are witnessing this on a global scale right now!  As more and more countries and communities experience ‘lock-down’ as a result of Coronavirus, being still and going within is becoming enforceable by law.  

So how are you finding it here?  

How is the stillness and the silence for you?  Many of us are simply not used to being so still, feeling so confined.  Are you finding yourself restless?  Easily distracted? Reaching for more food that you know you shouldn’t?  

You’re not alone.  Despite the social isolation.

Even if you’re not infected by the virus yourself, you’ve no doubt started to feel its impact in your life. And though we all know that this increased silence and stillness is exactly what’s needed for our planet and ourselves – it’s what our Mother Earth and our bodies and our souls and our nervous systems have been craving our whole lives – many of us may find that we don’t really know what to do with it now we’ve got it.

Worse still, much worse, it can be painful here.  Deep down in the base chakra where our fears and our longest held traumas are stored.  When sitting in stillness, deepening into the root, what is it you are sitting on?  What is arising within you that you prefer not to feel?  That you can usually keep away with constant movement, constant motion, constant momentum?

Has it got to you yet? The fear. The discomfort. The sheer pain of being present with yourself.  Is this how Coronavirus will affect you, even though it is not infecting you?

This is where we are. 

Many of us have seen and shared the positive news that the global shutdowns are rapidly restoring the Earth’s resources: crystal clear waters in Venice’s canals, reduced air pollution in China, and a massive reduction in fossil fuel use across the globe. There is unprecedented healing and restoration taking place worldwide, just because we humans have been forced to slow down.  Nothing else would do it.  

Collectively, humanity’s stillness and silence at this time is having a hugely positive impact on our Mother Earth, bringing about healing at an accelerated rate.  

So, whether you are feeling gratitude for the opportunity to be still, or discomfort at the necessity for self-reflection, Luna Rhythms Yoga is here to support you with a Spring Equinox practice to nourish, soothe and restore.  Deepening into the stillness of this time to help you ground, empowering you to move with what is arising.

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

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.  Ostara is a call to stillness, to find balance within ourselves and on our Earth.  

The waxing light is truly felt now, as the sun’s power seems to quicken. The lengthening of the days, which started at Imbolc, seems to be growing at a faster rate as the sun sets later and further north on each passing day. But just at this moment, the light and the dark exist in equal measure, and this gives Ostara its primary theme of balance. 

This balance is observed not only between night and day, but also generally in weather patterns. The harsh bitter cold of winter is behind us, and the heat of summer is yet to arrive. In colder climates it’s not unusual for spring and winter to take turns in these days, with one day feeling more like February and the next feeling like May. 

Nonetheless, the fertility of the earth becomes more and more undeniable, as the slow energies of winter give way to the fresh new vibrancy of spring. This is a time to reunite with the earth in a tactile way: using some of your newly abundant free-time – time not spent traveling to and from work for example – by taking any possible opportunities to walk on the land, breathe the fresh air, be close to the sea or water.  

As the weather grows warmer, Ostara is a particularly lovely time to get outdoors and take in the seasonal changes taking place all around you.

Choose a place to visit regularly and study the transformation of the trees and other plant life. Greet the bees and other insects with joy as they begin to appear, and thank them for their roles in sustaining life. Take every opportunity you can to watch the sunset just a little later each evening and if you don't have a garden to prepare, consider starting one, even if you only have a windowsill for a few herbs.

Raise your vibration and reveal your radiance:

Invoke the Goddess Lakshmi with the mantra Om Shrim Maha Lakshmi Namah, understanding that – amidst all the news of financial crisis and economic collapse - LOVE IS THE GREATEST CURRENCY OF THE UNIVERSE! 

This mantra supports you to call in abundance, radiance and harmony into the whole of your life. Chant this mantra when you feel depleted by conflict in your home environment and in your relationships. Chant this mantra to help you shift from poverty consciousness to abundance consciousness. This mantra supports you in the innermost flowering of your heart energy. It can help you to overcome fear with radiant, joyful, vibrant love.

If you are feeling fearful, uncomfortable or disconnected, try practicing Padma Mudra, or Lotus Gesture, like this: 

Bring your hands softly to Anjali mudra in front of the heart centre. Slowly unfurl your hands like a blossoming lotus flower. Keep the base of the hands together along with the thumbs and little fingers. Softly open the palm of each hand and the 3 middle fingers to resemble a blossoming lotus flower. 

Practice this mudra whenever you feel contracted in your heart energy and wish to remember the natural beauty of each moment. The profound energetic shifts of padma mudra enhance emotional cleansing, heart-felt communication and an overall sense of calling home the fragmented parts of self. This mudra helps to redirect prana into the heart centre when it has been dispersed through miscommunication, fighting, grief, loneliness, feeling misunderstood or anytime that the heart centre begins to shut down. 

Finally, connecting with your breath through a pranayama practice, such as nadi shodhana can help to calm your nervous system and restore a sense of balance. 

Nadi means "subtle energy channel".  Shodhana means "cleansing/purification". 

Nadi Shodhana is a form of alternate nostril breathing and helps to purify the nerves, release fatigue and tension, balance the moon and sun channels (ida and pingala), calm the mind and clear blockages from the subtle channels. It is a beneficial pranayama to practice for a few minutes before meditation. This breath helps restore a sense of internal balance.  

Practice:

·    Sit in a relaxed and upright position; place your left hand on your left thigh in chin mudra.  

·    Lightly place your middle and index fingers to the 3rd eye, the ‘Ajna doorway’ or use Vishnu mudra

·    Place the tip of your ring finger lightly to the left nostril and the tip of your thumb lightly to your right nostril  

·    Gently close the right nostril and exhale through the left  

·    Inhale left  

·    Gently close the left nostril and exhale through the right  

·    Inhale right  

·    Breathe with an even ratio in each inhalation and exhalation  

·    Rest your awareness in the space between each breath  

·    Breathe with nadi shodhana for 2-3 minutes  

This Ostara: be still, be radiant, be balanced and be well.

Namaste,

Diana 

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!