For yoga teacher Lisa Hood, the moon is a gateway to reconnecting with both nature and herself. In her book Moon Yoga, she shares simple poses and practices to help you tune into the flow of life. We talked to her about the benefits of connecting with the lunar phases.
Lisa, tell us why the moon is so important to you.
We are living in a world full of technology that is getting stronger and faster every day, and we are sadly losing our connection to Mother Nature.
But when we start to notice the moon, I think it helps us all to slow down a little and take a bigger look at all that is around us.
The moon is in all of our skies all over the world nearly every day and she is quite hard to miss on some nights.
It might be as simple as glancing up at the moon, and taking a deep breath when you see her, or checking in with your energy when you look at the shape the moon is in.
Who is your book Moon Yoga for?
Moon Yoga is for everyone, absolutely everyone. I didn’t want my book to be for a seasoned yoga practitioner, and I purposefully made the yoga in the book untraditional,
I can proudly say there are no chaturangas in it! I kept thinking of my Mum and wanted her to be able to pick up the book and take part in the flows.
My intentions for Moon Yoga are that there would be something for everyone, depending on how you are feeling, and that there would be something for you to honour the moon and her phases.
The book is very easy to follow and it does not set the reader unrealistic goals. Was that your intent?
Yes, 100%. I am a mother of two young boys, and as much as I would love to take part in long ceremonies to honour each moon phase, it’s just not possible for me, and I know I am not alone.
And I am not only talking about parents, but people who have full-on jobs, or who are carers, who have to commute and so on.
We all have lots of things to do daily and my intention was to enable the reader to do perhaps just one of the practices for the book to honour that moon phase when they can.
And it doesn’t have to be every moon phase, perhaps only when they feel the need or desire.
Lots of the readers of Moon Yoga have told me how once they start, they want to carry on with all the different rituals in the book. That’s amazing, but even if you can do one thing that’s amazing too.
What is the connection between yoga and the moon cycles and how did you come to unearth this link?
It all began when I started practising Ashtanga yoga. The methodology of this style of yoga acknowledges the new moon phase with no physical asana. This intrigued me and so I started to delve deeper.
I read books on the moon, attended moon ceremonies and events and began to notice the effects the moon phases were having on me. I then started to take my moon musings into my public classes, which resonated with many people.
It all felt aligned to be speaking about this, so when the book proposal came through there was no hesitation.
I knew I had a lot to share in terms of movement and mindful practices, and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome.
Can you briefly guide us through the moon phases and what they represent?
There are many different opinions on the number of moon phases, it ranges from five to twelve.
I feel and believe that there are nine phases to the moon, not many people include the Dark Moon, but I believe this energy is just as important as the others.
New Moon – New Beginnings, setting your lunar cycle intentions
Waxing Crescent – Planning, how to make your intentions a reality
First Quarter – Grow, embodying your intentions
Waxing Gibbous – Hope, time to get inspired, energy is building
Full Moon – Abundance, a time to feel grateful for everything that you have and all that you have achieved.
Waning Gibbous – Decelerate and start to slow down, now is the time to surrender
Last Quarter – A time to be gentle with yourself
Waning Crescent – A Peaceful time, find calm
Dark Moon – Rest, be still and reflect.
In the book you say the New Moon is your favourite phase. Why is that?
For me, the New Moon phase is a great opportunity to start a fresh, clean slate.
Maybe the previous month’s intentions haven’t been going so well, or you are having a challenging time or just want to start something brand new. New Moons are all about this.
I also like to use New Moons as a check-in point. I start the beginning of the year with a one-word intention. For example, this year I want to find ‘ease’ in my life, with my work, my family and my practice.
On a New Moon I ask myself, what do I want this month? What can I do for myself to feel more at ease? New Year intentions or resolutions can sometimes be lost by February, but by following the lunar cycle we can keep reminding ourselves what we wanted to call in at the beginning of the year. I love this and helps me to stay aligned with myself.
How has working with these energies helped you in your personal life and career?
Working with the moon cycles has given me the tools I need to live a more harmonious and balanced life. It’s given me moments to know when to rest and reflect, and when to make my intentions, plan my actions and then execute them.
As a mother of two young boys, I know how busy and full life can get, and that if we carry on trying to push forward and be strong then we risk burnout and exhaustion.
Following the lunar cycle gives me an opportunity for me to check in with myself, move my body with intention, notice what I need to do or let go of.
I hope that the readers of Moon Yoga can find the practices easy to follow, not stressful, and ultimately I hope that once they start, they will find it easy to carry on.
The book contains affirmations for each phase of the cycle. How do you use affirmations and do they work?!
Affirmations are so powerful! Sometimes I feel that they have a negative representation for being a bit wishy-washy, but for me they are magnificent.
I have been having some health issues this year and along with working with doctors, I have been using affirmations as part of my daily practice.
Affirmations aid in positive thinking. They give emotional support, encouragement and empowerment to believe in you. They are a beautiful way of sending positive energy to yourself, even when perhaps you don’t feel like it.
I like to say my affirmations out loud whilst looking in the mirror, and I also like to say them to myself when I am lying down in a Savasana or sometimes when I am in bed before I go to sleep.
As with all these kinds of practices, it’s about finding something that works for you, experimenting, being playful, and if it doesn’t sit well with you, then maybe this practice isn’t for you and that is okay.
You’re a parent of two young children. What encouragement can you give to readers whose yoga practice might have slipped due to juggling so many roles and tasks? Or indeed anyone who struggles to fit yoga into their regime?
A little goes a long way. As a yoga teacher and ritual space holder you would probably think that I practice an hour a day and have mini ceremonies for myself.
I wish this was the truth, but as I said before, as a mother, wife and small business owner, time is very precious. So my movement self-practice is normally around 20 minutes, sometimes 10!
But even just 10 minutes of movement can help to shift my mood, perspective and energy. It is quite amazing how much better you can feel.
I try to get to one public class a week. But if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen.
Try to not put too much pressure on it and remember that your daily movement practice could be walking to school with your children or walking to the train station before work.
A little of something is better than nothing at all.
Moon Yoga by Lisa Hood is published by Godsfield Press (£12.99) – Buy your copy HERE
To find out more about Lisa’s retreats and classes go to her Website and follow her on Instagram
Images by Basae Illustration.
