Navarathri is a festival celebrated pan India to worship the divine feminine energy residing within every being. The nine nights honour nine different manifestations of feminine divine energy. In yoga perspective, the feminine energy is denoted by the Moon. Chandra Namaskar, is a sequence in yoga consisting of 14 postures denoting the lunar cycle of waxing and waning over 14 days. The Bharat Yoga Vidya Kendra offered yoga aspirants an opportunity to learn Chandra namaskar sequence by organizing an online workshop. Conceptualized and facilitated by Ms. Chitra Ganesh, 44 aspirants took part in this workshop. The classes were timed to coincide with moon-rise, the most apt time for this practice and the classes started with chanting and explanation of select Soundarya Lahiri sllokas, which is a classic compilation of adoration of divine mother in her various manifestations. Each posture has its accompanying mantra that is chanted in praise of the feminine energy.
An additional component to this workshop was the Pancha Mahabhuta Meditation, which was included to identify with five elements in our body, in both the gross and subtle forms. The aim was to connect to the feminine energy resonating with these elements. Towards the end of the class, participants were taught to chant the Chandra Gayatri mantra and meditate on the Bala Tripura Sundari chant rendered by Sri M. On the last day, couple of participants planned and put up a cultural program which included Guru Stuthi, Devi Bhajan, Bharath Natyam performance, Gayathri Chanting, many more meaningful renditions.
Each participant resonated with the calmness this practice brought about and here are some of their experiences in their own words:
“It is exhilarating and one feels closer to the divine.” – CP Vijaylakshmi
“Experiencing Peace, Tranquility, Wellbeing and better sleep.” – Krishna
“Calming the mind (the though waves have reduced comparatively during meditation) and experiencing peace.” – Kala Selvaraj
“The Chandra Namaskar Workshop has brought in the whole practice of asanas in new light for me. Importance of breathwork was revealed to me in these days and has helped me with my asana practice. It has definitely helped deepen the practice. Thank you so much.” – Dr. Seema Bendre
