Pink moon
Creeping phlox on a pink moon evening (Photo credit: Yantar Yoga)
Tonight the April full moon graces our night sky. Called pink moon, it is the first supermoon of the year when the moon looks especially big and bright because its orbit comes closest to earth. To be exact, the moon will appear to be 7% bigger and 15% brighter than a typical full moon. It won’t actually be pink but there is plenty of pink around to enjoy. The name has to do with all the wild blossoms in full force now - the start of spring in the northern hemisphere. Here in Washington after our iconic yet ephemeral pink cherry blossoms vanished, creeping phlox, pink dogwood trees, lilacs, azaleas, and inpatients are taking over the show.
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the April full moon is also known by other names, many Native American in origin and poetic in their descriptions of spring-awakened nature. I love these: Breaking Ice Moon (Algonquin) and Moon When the Streams Are Again Navigable (Dakota), Budding Moon of Plants and Shrubs (Tlingit) and Moon of the Red Grass Appearing (Oglala), Moon When the Ducks Come Back (Lakota), Moon When the Geese Lay Eggs (Dakota), and Frog Moon (Cree).
Looking up at a full moon always grounds me, literally. I feel connected to the earth, held safely by its gravity. At the same time, full moon reminds us that even when we are perfectly still we are always in motion, orbiting our star just like the Moon travels around the Earth. And the moon itself is reaching out toward us with its own gravity, pulling the ocean waters closer (and we are about 70% water, too). We are stardust on a cosmic journey. This realization is both obvious and incomprehensible, just sit with it for a moment.
Some yoga traditions like Ashtanga take moon days off - both the new or full moon - to rest and and regenerate as the energy shifts. I do practice yoga on moon days, but especially during full moon my favorite is yoga Nidra, or yogic sleep, focused on acceptance and gratitude. Yoga Nidra uses guided meditation to bring the body and mind into the state of total relaxation, somewhere between waking and sleeping. Yoga Therapy Link has this great collection of moon phase yoga Nidra practices by Nya Patrinos. You can wait for the new moon or you can start today under the full pink moon. Give it a try!