A Confidence-Enhancing Yoga Practice for the Full Moon in Aries
The fiery influence of Aries can remind you of your strength and act as a catalyst if you've been waiting to take action in creating the life you want.
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For those who listen to its subtle energies, the full Moon offers us insights into personal development and spiritual maturation. Every full Moon is different, largely due to the influence of the sign it resides in that day.
On Sunday, October 9, 2022, the full Moon in Aries will illuminate the night. A cardinal fire sign, Aries invites us to initiate things and take action toward our goals. Fiery Aries energy wants us to cultivate motivation and self-belief. Often associated with passion and even aggression, Aries energy can be used as a powerful catalyst to bring about needed change.
The full Moon in Aries is an extremely powerful time for new beginnings. This is a potent time to ask yourself where you have become inert and dormant, where you desire change, and how you can reconnect to your passions and desires. If you’re someone who tends to wait around for the “right time,” then the full Moon in Aries will provide the nudge you need. Cultivate your inner self-confidence and trust in your own abilities. Ask yourself, “Why NOT me?” and “Why NOT now?”
A vinyasa yoga practice for the full Moon in Aries
This 30-minute vinyasa yoga sequence will help you cultivate confidence and stoke your inner fire. Since Aries rules the head and the neck, we’ll begin with some stretches to release this area. A seated pranayama practice awakens your solar plexus chakra. Then, a take on traditional Sun Salutations helps clear your mind and focus on prana, your life force energy. A Warrior series challenges your balance and strength in your lower legs, while cooling forward folds help balance out all that fire.
Consider closing your eyes during your practice to help focus. Before you start, you may like to take a few rounds of Surya Namaskar A (Sun Salutation A) to help you release the thoughts and tension from earlier in your day so you can tune in more deeply to your breath and your practice. If you’re following along with the video, we will take a modified version of Sun Salutation A after the opening seated and kneeling stretches.
Sukhasana (Easy Seat) with neck stretch
Come into a cross-legged seat with your shoulders over your hips or any other comfortable seated position. Start with your hands resting on your lap and take a few breaths to settle into your body.
Lean your right ear toward your right shoulder. To emphasize the stretch in your neck, gently walk your left hand out to the side away from your left hip. You have the option to place your right hand just above your left temple and lift your head toward your hand for a deeper stretch. Take at least 5 breaths here before you release to the center. Repeat on the other side.
Sukhasana (Easy Seat) with shoulder stretch
Remain seated and release both hands to your lap. Interlace your fingers, flip your palms away from you, and stretch your arms toward the ceiling. Lift and lengthen through the sides of your body while you simultaneously root down through your sit bones. Inhale and feel yourself drawing strength and power into your solar plexus (navel area). As you exhale, lower your arms parallel to the ground and press your palms forward as you round your back and drop your chin toward your chest. Allow the humility and surrender of this shape to bring you into balance.
Inhale and extend the arms toward the ceiling again and lift your chest. Exhale and round your spine and lower your arms again. Repeat this at least 5 more times, allowing your breath to be long, slow, and deep.
Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge)
From Sukhasana, transition to Tabletop pose, maybe taking a few rounds of Cat and Cow if you like. From Tabletop, step your right foot forward and lift your chest to find Low Lunge. Allow your hips to sink toward the floor. As you inhale, sweep your hands up to the ceiling and look up. Hook your thumbs and let your fingers spread wide. Exhale and bring a soft bend into your elbows and feel your heart lifting toward the ceiling. Try to relax your shoulders and hug your thighs together for stability. Take 5 deep breaths here.
When you’re ready, make your way back to Tabletop and repeat on the other side. From Tabletop on the second side, tuck your toes and lift your hips to find Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog). If you like, you can take one or more rounds of Surya Namaskar A (Sun Salutation A).
Virabhadrasana I (Warrior 1 Pose)
From Down Dog, inhale as you look forward and step your right leg high, and exhale as you step forward and place your foot inside your right hand. Find the mat with your back heel and square your hips toward the front of the mat. Lift your torso and bring your arms alongside your ears. Bend your front knee and see if you can lift your back thigh farther away from the mat. Take your gaze forward with strength and determination. Root down to rise up. Stay here for 5 powerful, intentional breaths.
Humble Warrior
Inhale and release your hands behind your back and interlace your fingers. Press back into your palms and lift your heart. Exhale and lower your chest inside your right thigh and let your fists fall forward toward the front of the mat as you come into Humble Warrior. Keep pressing into both feet. Full breath in. Full breath out. Notice how even fiery movement can help you find calm and peace within.
Virabhadrasana II (Warrior 2 Pose)
From Humble Warrior, press into both feet and inhale, lift up, and release your hands and lift them alongside your ears. Exhale and widen your stance to find Warrior 2 Pose. Turn your back foot parallel to the short side of the mat and stretch both of your arms out long, straight out from your shoulders and parallel to the mat, and try to center your shoulders over your hips. Bend your right knee and gaze forward over your right fingertips with strength and determination. Strengthen your heart, strengthen your legs. Stay here for 5 long, slow breaths.
Shanti or Viparita Virabhadrasana (Peaceful or Reverse Warrior Pose)
From Warrior 2, turn your right palm up to face the ceiling and lean back, lengthening through your right hip. Reach your left hand down your back thigh and reach your right fingertips toward the back of your mat, coming into Peaceful or Reverse Warrior. Focus your energy on your side body here. You should feel most of the extension coming from your right hip.
From here, straighten your front leg. Keep yourself rooted through your feet and lengthen along your right side body. When you’re ready, windmill your arms down to frame your front foot and come onto the ball of your back foot in a lunge. You can step back to take a vinyasa or step straight back to Down Dog. Allow yourself a few moments to rest in Downward-Facing Dog.
Repeat the above sequence on the opposite side, beginning with Warrior 1 on your left side.
Virabhadrasana III (Warrior 3 Pose)
From Downward-Facing Dog, make your way to stand at the top of your mat. Take your gaze forward and root yourself down through both feet. Lift your right knee toward your chest as you reach both hands overhead. Slowly release your hands to prayer position at your heart as you extend your right leg back behind you. See if you can bring your torso parallel with the floor in Warrior 3. Keep reaching through your lifted heel while reaching forward through the crown of your head. If you feel able, you can reach both arms in front of you alongside your ears. Remember that it’s okay to fall. Give yourself permission to try again.
Eka Pada Utkatasana (One-Legged Chair Pose)
From Warrior 3, slowly come back to standing upright on your left leg and draw your right knee in toward your chest again. Moving slowly and focusing your gaze forward, place your right ankle on your left knee. You can stay here if the stretch in your outer right hip feels adequate, or to intensify it, begin to lower your hips as if you’re sitting in a chair. Keep rooting down through your left foot and lifting your chest to lengthen through your back. Stay here for 5 breaths. If you happen to fall, slowly come back into the pose. Slowly come back to standing before releasing your right foot to the mat beneath you.
Repeat the above sequence on the opposite side, beginning with Warrior 3 on the left side.
Uttana Shishosana (Extended Puppy Pose)
From standing at the top of the mat, make your way back to Tabletop. If you’d like to close out with one final vinyasa, do so now. From Tabletop, stretch your arms out long in front of you, dropping your forehead to the floor while keeping your hips above your knees in Puppy Pose. You can stay here and breathe or bring your hands together in a prayer position and bend your elbows to bring your thumbs to the back of your neck. Stay here for 5-10 breaths.
Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend)
From Puppy, slowly lift back up and make your way to a seated position with your legs straight in front of you. Inhale as you sit up tall, lifting your chest away from your hips. As you exhale, slowly begin to fold forward from your hips as if you were bringing your chest toward your toes in Seated Forward Fold. Stay here for an additional 5-10 breaths.
Savasana
From Seated Forward Fold, bring yourself to lie all the way back on the floor in Savasana. Bring your ankles toward the corners of the mat and release your arms by your sides. Let all your limbs be heavy and release any hold you had on your breath. Stay still and rest for 4-10 minutes.
Then, when you’re ready, slowly find some movement. Eventually make your way to sitting and pause here before you ease back into your day. Perhaps, for the rest of the day, you can notice a subtle sense of calm confidence in yourself.
About Our Contributor
Sierra is a writer and modern witchy woman living in Oregon. She’s been practicing yoga for nearly a decade and completed her teacher training in 2018. She writes and teaches about connection—connection to the body, to nature, and to the powerful energies of the universe. In 2017, she founded her media brand, The Local Mystic, an educational hub devoted to mindful, mystical living for women. Sierra loves to guide people to their witchy side by helping them deepen their spiritual studies and ritualize their lives. Through The Local Mystic, she’s written books, plus hosted women’s circles and wellness retreats worldwide. For free yoga and witchy wisdom, find Sierra on Instagram @thelocalmystic and on YouTube. And check out her book, Your Year of Magic.