There are student who are surprised and confused whenever i tell them that there will be no class, because it will be Full Moon or New Moon day!

Many of them are wait for me in the small living room to ask what is that thing of the Moons and why we can not practice on these days! I usually laugh because it’s funny how they ask, almost whisper and shrink, as if we were talking about a secret, or a sin!

Allow me to tell you that all the schools and teachers who studied directly in the KPJAYI (Shri Krishna Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute) first with Guruji, Shri K. Pattabhi Jois (1915-2009) and currently with Sharathji, Sharath Jois,  that naturally place this “rule” in their schools.

1. because Shri K. Pattabhi Jois ended up bringing this indication to KPJAYI, and Sharath Jois continues not to teach in the days of Full Moon and New Moon.
2. The reasons may be many more than what I will expose, but during these 15 years as a practitioner of Ashtanga Yoga, what I have always heard from my teachers is that in these two days there is a greater possibility that our body and our head are more unstable.
3. Because just as the phases of the Moon influence the tides, we humans, who are mostly made up of water, will also be instigated to be predisposed to some changes.
4. The Full Moon arises when it is in opposition to the sun, and has a force of expansion, which tends to make us more active, awake, with visible energy, but the mind can show restlessness and lack of focus. The New Moon happens when it is in conjunction with the sun, and brings with it an energy of contraction, introspection, reflection, and greater calm. And the body may show signs of inertia and little will for movement and activity.
5. Since we use our body and our mental focus to make Ashtanga Yoga, my teachers in India believe that we should not practice these days. These are days to rest from practice.
6. Ashtanga Yoga is dynamic and strong from the physical point of view, and implies a great increase of concentration, discernment and mental focus, it forces us to be attentive to our breathing and to the present moment. Guruji and Sharathji believed that in these two days we have the greatest energetic influence capable of disturbing the capacities of our body and mind, and therefore there is a greater chance of our being hurt. What I have written here has no great scientific basis, perhaps there may be someone out there who will organize a specific study on this issue. There will also be maybe other reasons associated with not practicing during these two specific days, which comes from Hindu culture and rituals. But above all, it is interesting that the practice of Ashtanga Yoga is sensitive to the natural cycles of moons and nature.

The Moon is a celestial body that moves at great speeds, it is proven that there is influence in the oceans, tides and agriculture. There are those who talk about its relationship to the birth and birth of babies, hair growth, animal behavior and so many other examples. Believing or not in its influence on our body and mind, perhaps if we become more awake to these relationships, we can return to a life of greater connection with nature.

BOAS PRÁTICAS