Get yourself grounded, calm and ready to embrace all that this new moon has to offer with this new moon yoga practice designed to help you let go and be ready for change.
New moons are associated with new beginnings and with new beginnings there can be excitment but also uncertainty. Yoga helps to bring you back to yourself, your values and your intuition so that you’re able to remember your why, why you do the things that you do and what you want to call in what you do.
I believe movement is an essential part of setting new moon intentions as it allows you to release old stagnant energy and make room for the new. It gets you out of your head and into your body (remember, your gut is your second brain, and let’s be real, is often the right one!).
Happy new moon yogi, may it bring all of your intentions for this month to fruition.
How does a new moon affect us?
The lunar cycle affects humans, sometimes in profound ways, if you pay attention to the cycle, your emotions, feelings and energy. While some people say they feel nothing, this could simply because they’re not in tune with themselves enough to notice.
While the phases of the moon are powerful enough to affect our oceans, I think it’s fair to say that as human beings, who are made of up mostly water, the phases of the moon affect us too.
During the new moon most people feel lower in energy as one lunar cycle comes to an end and another begins. When people are low on energy or feeling tired it often makes us want to turn inward to be by ourselves. This means that your intuition is typically heightened and it’s a great time to reflect on the past lunar cycle and prepare for the new by setting intentions or goals for the coming cycle.
What do you do on a new moon?
The short and simple answer is that you can do whatever you want that feels good to you. Many people like to create a ritual around setting new moon intentions, some of which can be quite long, others that are simple.
Some of the most common things to do on a new moon are to meditate and journal. There are an abundance of new moon journal prompts available (I include some in my guide as well) that will help you to reflect on the past lunar cycle and focus in on what you really want to call in for the new lunar cycle. Sometimes you think you know what you want, but through meditation, movement and other new moon activities things come to the surface that you didn’t have at the front of your mind.
I go into detail of how to set powerful new moon intentions in my guide, including ideas of what to have around you and what practices to do in what order. I believe movement is a very strong and often overlooked part of new moon and full moon rituals as it’s through movement that you’re able to let go and get out of your head and into your body. Your body typically knows all the answers you seek already, which is why it’s important!
While I often recommend dance as movement, yoga is a great option too and it gets you to focus so much on what you’re doing in each pose.
Why practice yoga on a new moon?
Some yoga styles such as Ashtanga do not practice yoga on a new moon or a full moon. While I respect each yoga lineage, I believe it’s more important to follow what your body needs and craves and on days such as the new moon oftentimes we need to move heavy energy out. Yoga is just one practice that you can use to do so and it can easily be adapted towards what your body needs for each new moon. Perhaps one month you need a more powerful flow, perhaps another month it’s yin yoga. Either way, no matter what you choose, yoga is always a great way to welcome in the new and release the old, especially when a class highlights such a theme.
New Moon Yoga Sequence
I’m a yoga teacher and put together this 30-minute new moon yoga flow to help you embrace the new and change. What exactly does that mean? It means that I highlight ways in this yoga practice that you can reflect upon sensations in your body, reminding you that each month, moon cycle and day brings something new and to embrace that change with open arms, because it is inevitable.
This yoga practice is designed for all levels but of course knowing the basics of yoga always helps! I recommend doing this yoga sequence before you meditate and journal, as yoga is what prepares you for meditation. With the energy moving from this flow you’ll be letting go of what no longer serves you so that you can sit down and really get to the good stuff of what your intuition really wants you to work on for this coming cycle.
Enjoy!
I hope this new moon yoga served you and was able to help you get more clear on your intentions and goals. If you loved this video and want to see more, subscribe on YouTube!
New Moon Yin Yoga
Perhaps you’re not feeling so high energy this month, so why not try new moon yin yoga? This gentle sequence will bring up all the feels of the new moon and encourage you to explore new ways to settle into a yin pose and into your intentions for this month.