Virgo’s Full Moon brings the focus to your digestive system.  Now is the perfect time to really cleanse and strengthen your digestive system, boosting your immunity and reducing stress levels.  As the moon enters into its waning phase, moving towards the Spring Equinox in mid-March, there’s a real momentum for spring-cleaning our internal environment as well as the external.  While the world is focused on health and hygiene in response to Coronavirus, we can support our own systems with cleansing and strengthening our digestion and boosting our immunity.  Foods and supplements such as ginger, turmeric and aloe vera can really help to support both digestion and immunity.  Around the Virgo Full Moon, you’ll notice any toxicity in your diet more strongly, so avoid overly challenging foods and stick to as pure and healthy a diet as possible.  Any weaknesses in your digestive system will be magnified at this time – so check in with your body and notice what it’s telling you.  

How Luna Rhythms Yoga can support you during this Virgo Full Moon:

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. 

A strong and healthy digestive system, creating internal fire in the Manipura Chakra – or solar plexus energy centre – will help to support your immune system and physical vitality overall.  So in addition to foods that cleanse and strengthen, there are many Luna Rhythms Yoga practices that you can do to increase your internal fire. 

The bija mantra for the solar plexus is the chant RAM.  Sending the awareness of your breath down into your belly – grounding down deeply into the centre of your being, the centre of your own inner power – chant the sound RAM with every exhalation.  This Virgo Full Moon connects you to your own sense of empowerment – connecting you into the earth through your power centre and vitalising that connection with the chant RAM.  Celebrating your own embodiment, the radiant vitality of all that you are in physical form and the physicality of the world around you.  Find joy in the materiality of the world and your own body.  Love, honour and celebrate your life in all it’s rich potency.

Another mantra for this time is the Gayatri Mantra – a chant that calls upon the light of the sun and the empowerment of solar energy, which is also reflected in the full moon, for wisdom and strength and growth and enlightenment.  Om bhur bhuva svaha tat savitur varenyam bhargo devasya dhimahi dhiyo yo nah prachodyat.  Gayatri Mantra honours the Solar Deity as the source of outer and inner illumination.

Working with the core muscles is also great for stimulating and energising the solar plexus at this time.  Try alternate leg raises from a lying down position on your mat, alternately raising one leg and then the other into the air.  Keep your legs straight and support your lower back if necessary. Work with your breath and make the movements quite rapid.

From here, move into Navasana, the Boat Pose, with both legs raised and your arms outstretched, balancing on your coccyx.  Engage your core stomach muscles for support in this posture.  To deepen this, introduce Bhastrika, the Bellows Breath, to stoke your inner fire.  Breathing in and out through your belly, pump the air with your stomach muscles, working your diaphragm up and down to expand and contract your lungs.  This is both cleansing and energising.  The inhale energises your circulation with an increase in oxygen to your blood stream, while the exhale cleanses by releasing stagnant air from your lungs and cleansing the toxic waste from your blood more fully.  

This is a powerful practice!  If it’s not possible to practice both Navasana and Bhastrika together, you can practice them separately to feel their effects.  

Staying strong and healthy in your solar plexus can be key to increasing your vibrant vitality overall.  Both cleansing and strengthening your digestive system this Virgo Full Moon will stimulate a powerful joy for life that can help you to overcome any fears.  

Stay healthy, eat well, and live empowered!

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