This monthly column uses the science of Vedic Astrology (which differs from Western astrology in reckoning the sign position of the planets) as it gives the best results for people on a yogic or spiritual journey. The highlights below reflect the Vedic Astrology sign positions for this month.

Planetary Highlights

NEW MOON: April 21, 2:18 am
FULL MOON: April 6, 2:19 pm
MARS ends retrograde April 14
MERCURY ends retrograde April 4
VENUS in Tauraus for April

This month: Sun in Aires April 14 to May 14

The Aries Sun Person 
If you were born between April 14 to May 14, you are an Aries Sun according to Vedic Astrology. This is the most powerful sign for the Sun to be situated. It is the sign ruled by the planet Mars. Those thus influenced are generally powerful people, both in mind and body, as well as in spirit. These are people that feel born to lead. The usually have good discretion and ideas for material, as well as spiritual, advancement. Goal setters, extremely competitive and quite intelligent, they are unforgettable personalities. They’re not afraid to get involved and sometimes they may push themselves too hard. They may earn great wealth, yet, at times, not have much more than they need to keep body and soul together. These people like to travel and may become well known.

Aries Yogi
The Aries Sun Yogi is independent, self-expressive, courageous, competitive, and can be headstrong and impulsive.  They enjoy an athletic approach to yoga. Watch for competitiveness, pushing too hard, and jumping into a practice and then not following through.  You will need to develop the ability to stick to what you start. A high-energy yogi that can accomplish much if you don’t compete with others.

Mercury Goes Direct
Hurray! Buy that plane ticket, sign your mortgage papers, make the big phone calls – Mercury goes direct on April 4 from a difficult March retrograde that made all communication tricky.

Mars Goes Direct
Now you can take action on all those projects. Mars ends its retrograde on April 14^th and makes it easier to get things moving forward.  Of course our friend Saturn is still slowly moving backward through Libra this month and will re-enter the sign of Virgo next month, bringing many changes to everyone in May.

Beautiful Venus!

When does your yoga begin? With the first posture? The first conscious breath? The centering mantra or first OM?

This monthly column uses the science of Vedic Astrology (which differs from Western astrology in reckoning the sign position of the planets) as it gives the best results for people on a yogic or spiritual journey. The highlights below reflect the Vedic Astrology sign positions for this month.

Planetary Highlights

SPRING EQUINOX: March 20, 12:15 am
FULL MOON: March 8, 3:39 am
NEW MOON: March 22, 9:37 am
VENUS in Aries
MERCURY March 12, 2:49 am begins Retrograde

This month: The PISCES Sun Person 

What does yoga sound like? Is it a mantra, the sacred sound of a gong or bell, meditative music, a whisper of the breath—or simply the sound of silence itself?

Yogis say that the essence of yoga can be understood through sound alone.  Sound, whether spoken, silent, or performed, has always been an essential part of the experience of yoga and an enhancement to its practice.

How can you use sound in your yoga practice?  Here are some ideas:

Mantra with Movement: Yoga postures, or asanas, were originally taught with an associated mantra.  Yogis chanted a scared sound as each asana was performed or meditated silently on the sound of the mantra as part of the asana practice.  The sound vibration opened the flow of energy through the body as the postures were performed.

While many of these original sounds or mantras are now “lost” or not openly taught in the West, you can still use mantra with your own asana practice.  Some sun salutation practices are performed with a primary sound for each movement.  A mantra can be silently used with each movement in or out of an asana.  In Kundalini Yoga, for example, the mantra sound of Sat Nam is often used as a silent focal point while performing a posture.

Music with Practice: Mantras set to music, or appropriate meditative instrumental music, can also be a way to incorporate sound into the background of a practice. Ideally the music creates an inner-directed yoga space. Many people find that songs with lyrics or popular music associated with non-meditative spaces tend to overly engage the mind and take them out of the present practice.

Another way to make music part of the yoga space is to use it to create a wall of relaxation after your practice or during the day to reconnect to that quiet space.  Try a yoga music CD in your car for a great transition after your class or before your work!

The Breath as Soundtrack: The primal sound of yoga is the breath itself.  Using an audible and full breath during your practice or meditation holds the mind in check, moves the energy through the body, and takes you deeper inside.  In Ashtanga Yoga, for example, the throaty breath during the practice (called Ujjayi Pranayama) produces both heat and a focus. Narrowing the throat by half-closing the epiglottis (the piece of cartilage at the top of your voice box) gives your breath a sound that completes the sensory experience of yoga.

Finally, the use of sound in yoga has another real benefit on the nervous system: listening to sound engages the parasympathetic nervous system, the part of the body that allows us to relax and release tension.  In Kundalini Yoga for example, the gong is often played during relaxation to strengthen the parasympathetic nervous system and help repair damage to the nervous system caused by drugs and stress.

Let the Sound of Yoga become a part of your practice and discover the effects it has on your focus, energy and relaxation.

This monthly column uses the science of Vedic Astrology (which differs from Western astrology in reckoning the sign position of the planets) as it gives the best results for people on a yogic or spiritual journey. The highlights below reflect the Vedic Astrology sign positions for this month.
Planetary Highlights

MOON
February 7, 3:54 PM FULL MOON
February 21, 4:35 PM NEW MOON

SATURN
Begins retrograde February 8

VENUS
Enters PISCES February 3

This month:

The Aquarius Sun Person

This monthly column uses the science of Vedic Astrology (which differs from Western astrology in reckoning the sign position of the planets) as it gives the best results for people on a yogic or spiritual journey. The highlights below reflect the Vedic Astrology sign positions for this month.
Planetary Highlights

MOON
January 9, 3:03 AM FULL MOON
January 23, 1:39 AM NEW MOON

MARS
Goes Retrograde January 23

MERCURY
Enters Capricorn January 24This month:

The Capricorn Sun Person
If you were born between January 14 and February 14, you are a Capricorn Sun according to Vedic Astrology. People with the Sun in Capricorn are intelligent and may have great ideas but don’t like to be rushed. “Slow but sure” is an accurate description. They are capable in business and generally good with math. They are extremely independent, like to rely on their own ways of doing things and do not like to be told what to do. These are not the most optimistic people in the world and often are interested in philosophical concepts beyond the here and now. These people may get into important positions by perseverance, or may have associates that are in elevated positions. They are honest, compassionate towards others, have a sharp sense of humor and are not generally loud or boisterous– indeed, usually quite the opposite.

The Capricorn Yogi
The Capricorn Sun Yogi is practical, responsible, patient and hardworking about their yoga practice.  Sometimes they may also be a little overly cautious or rigid about their relationship to yoga. They enjoy a disciplined yoga practice that allows for steady achievement through hard work. They do need to watch for an inability to change a yoga routine or try something differently. Occasionally, they may put obstacles in front of themselves that prevent them from progressing in their practice. If they teach yoga, they do need to be extra considerate of their students’ feelings and realize that not everyone will be as hard-working as they like to be.

Mars Goes Retrograde
With a Mars retrograde on the 23rd, it becomes easier to internalize our passions and drives. Much success can be made with the practices of yoga that take us deeper inside.

Mercury Enters Capricorn
On January 24th, Mercury joins the Sun in Capricorn.  This may give us all a good dose of practicality and earthiness in our thinking.  Plan for material success, do the numbers and create a structure to move forward!

Venus in Aquarius
Venus spends January in Aquarius.  Love may be more easily expressed toward all humankind than toward a specific individual.  Unconventional relationships will prosper, and you may find that everyone is looking for a little more freedom in their affairs.

This monthly column uses the science of Vedic Astrology (which differs from Western astrology in reckoning the sign position of the planets) as it gives the best results for people on a yogic or spiritual journey. The highlights below reflect the Vedic Astrology sign positions for this month.
Planetary Highlights

MOON
December 10, FULL MOON
December 24, NEW MOON

SUN
Winter Solstice December 21, 11:30 pm

This month: The Sagittarius Sun Person
If you were born between December 15 and January 14, you are a Sagittarius Sun according to Vedic Astrology. People with the Sun in Sagittarius are generally honest, reliable and straightforward. They set themselves high goals and work toward their fruition. Other people believe and put faith in them. They are, more often than not, philosophical, religious, and optimistic; they like to live good clean lives. They are capable people that achieve success and often become rich. They have keen discretion and are generous, kind and fair, but may be lacking in patience. Their physical health is pretty reliable and they have strong minds. These are people that can be depended on and make very reliable friends who are able to offer sound advice.

The Sagittarius Yogi
The Sagittarius Sun Yogi is expansive, expressive, enthusiastic and jovial about their yoga practice.  Sometimes they may also be a little irresponsible, overindulgent, or hard to pin down about their relationship to yoga. They enjoy an active yoga practice that allows for achievement and is based on philosophical principles. They need to watch for an overly carefree attitude and the inability to see the downside of actions or choices in their lives and yoga practice.  They may also be tempted to use their natural teaching talents in the classroom even as a student!  They may find themselves drawn to reading the Yoga Sutras or delving into the philosophical aspects of yoga.  They can be great students because they are naturally good teachers.

Saturn Doing Its Good Thing
Saturn is enjoying its exalted stay in the sign of Libra that began in mid-November.  Folks with rising signs of Capricorn, Aquarius, Libra and Taurus get a good boast.  If your moon is in Scorpio, your seven-year period of Saturn (Sade Sati) begins and brings the opportunity for transformational change over the next 7-8 years!

This month Saturn is also in the moon sign (nakshatra) of Chitra.  The keywords for this placement are compassion, service, harmony and balance.  This can be a great time for service-oriented partnerships.

Mercury Goes Direct December 13^th
Mercury goes direct December 13th – just in time for holiday travel and gift buying!  If you bought that large screen TV or computer notebook between Black Friday (November 25) and December 13^th, save the receipts and check that all is working.  A better time for electronic purchases and communication devices is after mid-month.  The good news is that all communication improves after mid December.

Merry Christmas, Jupiter!
Jupiter also goes direct December 25^th and gives us a Christmas present, as spiritual affairs can now move more powerfully forward – and legal matters can also be more easily straightened out.

New Moon Christmas Eve
A time to retreat and nurture; post-shopping energy is wrung out, and new beginnings are coming.  Remove as many demands as possible and be relaxed before making journeys.

Winter Solstice Arrives December 21^st
The longest night of the year and the shortest day—Winter Solstice is December 21 near midnight.  The Solstices were long considered to be the premium times for meditation and spiritual practices. They were the original “holy days” when we celebrated the return of the Sun at Winter Solstice as the days started to lengthen; then, again, at its height on the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year.

In many respects, the Solstice days are the premier yogic holidays when meditation efforts are rewarded.  And in the days leading up to Winter Solstice, it is a good time to relax, clear out the past and prepare for the new season as the days begin to lengthen and the Sun regains its strength.

Yoga Yoga is offering its tradition Winter Solstice Celebration weekend on December 16 -18 with a candlelight gong concert, prosperity and peace meditations as well as live music!  Find out more here and come join us in a spiritual celebration to welcome the coming of Solstice.

ABOUT MEHTAB:

Mehtab is a certified Vedic Astrologer and the founder of Yoga Yoga. He offers astrological readings and consultations in yoga. You can obtain a complete Life Reading with a focus on three major areas in your life, a Yearly Reading for the year ahead, or help with timing events and making major life changes.

HAVE A PERSONAL ASTROLOGICAL READING WITH MEHTAB!

For more information, click here or contact Lori at loris@yogayoga.com to schedule a reading.

The greatest secret in yoga is right at the tip of your figures. Literally. When you touch your fingers together in a specific way, you can take your yoga practice and even your health to a completely new level.

These finger positions are called “mudras” or energy seals, and when you discover their secret, you will always make them a part of your yoga practice.

Mudras allow you to develop an awareness of the vital energy (prana) within your body and to direct it. By using mudras in your yoga and meditation practice, you can facilitate healing, balance your energy levels, focus your mind, and deepen your meditation.

Holding a mudra, or hand position, during an asana practice brings a steadiness and focus to your practice that is powerful and profound. Mudras also take your breath deeper and slow it down.

In fact, mudras are said to be more powerful than yoga postures (asanas) and breathing exercises (pranayama) since they can generate a strong psychic effect upon the inner being and facilitate spiritual advancement.

The hand and finger positions of mudras make important connections in the nervous system and stimulate specific energy pathways (nadis). It is also said that mudras increase energy and blood circulation to different parts of the brain, to important nerve junctures and the glands. They are part of the Ayurvedic healing system practiced in India, available to people of all ages and backgrounds.

Early yogis mapped out the hand areas and their associated reflexes which relate to the different areas of the body and brain. Theses areas of the hands and fingers also affect emotions and behaviors. By curling, stretching, crossing and touching fingers to other fingers and areas of the hand we can effectively talk to the body and mind.

Certain mudras in yoga control the involuntary physiological processes and the physical functions of the breathing. Mudras accomplish this by uniting various nerve terminals in the fingers that in turn activate different areas of the brain as well as the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.

For example, when your hands are placed together palm-to-palm, as in Namaste position or Anjali mudra, the cranial nerve circuits in the head and the upper part of the body in the vagus nerve system are united together.  This produces a physiological response that induces calmness and a deeper breath. No wonder we start and end so many yoga classes with this mudra!

The secret is that your hands are essentially an energy map of consciousness. Each finger has a quality that it represents and stimulates. In traditional yoga, the little finger represents tamas (inertia) the fourth or ring finger represents rajas (activity, action, passion); the middle finger represents satva (purity, peace). The index finger represents the atma or individual soul; and the thumb represents the Parmatama or Supreme soul. The fingers are also connected to the elements of the body, the chakras, the major organs, and even planetary energies.

Perhaps the most basic mudra in yoga is accomplished by touching the thumb and the index finger together to form Gyan Mudra, or the seal of wisdom. You can also say that this mudra symbolizes the union of the individual soul (index finger) with the Supreme soul (thumb).

There are hundreds of mudras in yoga, more than the number of postures or asanas, and provide a rich ground for discovery and use by yoga students and teachers. Yet mudras are rarely taught extensively in yoga classes and remain the least appreciated of all the physical yoga practices.

Imagine if you could facilitate healing, expand your consciousness, relax your mind, and improve psychological conditions by simply touching your fingers and hands together. It would seem like magic – but it’s just yoga.

To learn more about how to use mudras in your yoga practice and daily life, come to my special Thursday evening class series that starts next February at Yoga Yoga South. For more information on Mehtab’s mudra class, click here.

In the meantime, you can practice this simple mudra that can help the liver and relieve constipation: Bend the two middle fingers down with you thumb and extend the index and little finger out. If you live in Austin, you may have seen this one before!

This monthly column uses the science of Vedic Astrology (which differs from Western astrology in reckoning the sign position of the planets) as it gives the best results for people on a yogic or spiritual journey. The highlights below reflect the Vedic Astrology sign positions for this month.
Planetary Highlights

MOON
November 12, 2:16 pm FULL MOON
November 25, 12:10 am NEW MOON

Mercury
November 24, 1:21 am – goes retrograde!

Saturn
November – Enters Libra

This month:

The Scorpio Sun Person

If you were born between November 15 and December 15, you are a Scorpio Sun according to Vedic Astrology. People with the Sun in Scorpio are determined and work toward their goals. They have aspirations to help humanity and may be involved with groups that they believe can work for the ultimate good of the country or the world.  Sun in Scorpio people are often attractive people with “action-packed” lives. They may hide their thoughts and actions and may sometimes do things without considering the implications. They are capable and can be successful in their careers, which often include becoming teachers, musicians, or doing work in medical professions or real estate.

The Scorpio Yogi

The Scorpio Sun Yogi is energetic, persevering, intense and passionate about their yoga practice. They enjoy an athletic yoga practice that allows for movement, self-discovery and intensity; they will at least dabble in Ashtanga or Vinyasa flow yoga at some point. They need to watch for hidden agendas being brought into a yoga practice as well as emotional indulgence.  They may find themselves drawn into yoga romances and flirtations in the classroom if they are still working on finding a balance in their relationships.  Equally, they also may be the ones who are drawn to the deeply transformational practices of kundalini, tantra and the hidden side of yoga.  One thing for sure about the Scorpio yogi: they are not bland!

Mercury Retrograde

Hang on! Mercury goes retrograde this month on the 24^th and makes its mischief until December 13^th when it goes direct again. For your astrological virgins, the approximate three-week period when Mercury is retrograde typically brings communication and travel challenges and it seems like we are doing everything twice.  It is not a good time to buy that new IPhone or change your cell phone contract. It is a good time to finish old projects that may have gone astray or re-visit places and friends.

Exalted Saturn

Saturn enters Libra, its exalted sign, by November 15^th and stays there for a few months before retrograding back into Virgo.  If your birth Moon is in Scorpio, you will be entering a 7 ½ year period of change. If your birth Moon is Leo, you will get some relief from the heavy influence of Saturn. For Capricorn and Aquarius rising signs, this will be a great time for you.  Since this is such a major planetary change, we will be discussing the Libra Saturn over the next few months.  In short, Saturn in Libra will make it easier to exercise discipline, patience and service.  Enjoy!

Next Month:  Winter Solstice!

ABOUT MEHTAB:
Mehtab is a certified Vedic Astrologer and the founder of Yoga Yoga. He offers astrological readings and consultations in yoga. You can obtain a complete Life Reading with a focus on three major areas in your life, a Yearly Reading for the year ahead, or help with timing events and making major life changes.

HAVE A PERSONAL ASTROLOGICAL READING WITH MEHTAB!
For more information, click here or contact Lori at loris@yogayoga.com to schedule a reading.