As we find ourselves firmly settled into Spring, perhaps you can now more readily feel the qualities of lightness, brightness, upliftment and movement this phase of the year holds. Whilst Autumn and Winter are governed by a more ‘yin’ energy, encouraging a more introverted, restful, quiet and contemplative lifestyle, Spring and Summer are the ‘yang’ seasons, related to extroversion, action, an upward movement of energy, and a hunger to ‘get things done’. We can often notice this more dynamic ‘yang’ energy on those warm and sunny Spring days that make us feel lighter, brighter, motivated, and more able to take on the world. Whilst this eagerness to get going and jump into Spring is a natural and positive way to use our energy, it sometimes means we jump in too fast and too deep, regretting how much we’ve taken on or how much we’ve scheduled into our calendars a few weeks later. This is why right now is the time to come back to balance.
The full moon on Sunday 17th April is in the sign of Libra, which is a sign governed by the planet Venus – related to love, beauty, relationships and pleasure. As you’ll know if you’ve been reading the full moon blogs so far, a full moon is a time of culmination, of completing projects, finishing and manifesting what we may have started back on the date of the new moon. Because of the strong energetic pull of a new moon, we may also feel tensions rise a few days before and after a full moon, meaning that whichever emotional state we’re in is likely to be even more exaggerated. This makes it even more important to be aware of your thoughts around this time of the month by regularly journaling; a practice that can help take whirling thoughts out of the mind and onto paper, where you can demystify them and objectively see them. Doing this can help us process and work through thoughts, rather than getting caught up in them. Try a weekly ‘brain dump’ of writing down everything that is on your mind for 5 minutes using the Moleskine Wellness Journal this usually helps relieve tension and emotional turmoil, and literally shows us where we may need help and guidance the most.
Each full moon can affect us differently depending upon which sign it relates to. Being a Libra full moon, this Sunday is all about finding balance, especially with our relationships and sense of work, play, seriousness and joy. The symbol for Libra is a pair of scales, representing balance, justice and equilibrium. Libra types typically have a greater ability to pause, reflect, and maintain balance throughout life compared to fire types like Sagittarius who are usually ‘all or nothing’, and water types like Pisces who are governed by their heart and emotions. At this powerful time of the year filled with potential, promise and lots of fertile energy to power us through, it serves us to recognize how balanced we are in life, and whether the scales have tipped too far in one direction. We’ll use the symbol of the scales to guide our journaling questions for this month’s full moon. The more we’re able to bring ourselces back into balance now, the more we’ll be able to navigate the rest of the year with a level(ish) head!
Next, choose your favorite from these three practices to help bring yourself back into balance on this full moon in Libra:
Balance Your Rest & Movement
Spring is the ideal time to get moving and try something new and invigorating. Whether it’s running, dancing, a new gym regime, challenging vinyasa flow class or simply upping your step count each day, this season supports lots of movement. With movement however, there must also be stillness in order to find balance. Especially if your lifestyle is busy and stressful, adding lots of movement without enough rest will just add to the stress, so adopting a regular meditation practice or heading to a weekly restorative yoga class can help you maintain balance in mind and body. If you do take part in activities such as running or lifting weights in the gym, consider taking a 5 minute Savasana or relaxation period afterwards, which can help reduce any excess cortisol (the ‘stress’ hormone) and encourage your nervous system to down- regulate.
Tools to find balance:
Balance your social time with your social-media time
Whilst social media is no doubt valuable for keeping us connected, it can also be a source of disconnection. Whilst it seems counter-intuitive, spending excessive amounts of time on social media is linked with higher rates of loneliness, anxiety and depression, especially in teenagers and young adults. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok can be used as wonderful ways to learn new skills and find out about life-en riching events, but when we spend more time looking into a screen than looking into the eyes of loved ones, it’s time to bring things back into balance. When you wake up in the morning, wait until after you’ve done something positive for yourself (like a meditation or movement practice) before scrolling through social media, and commit to putting your phone down at least an hour before bed so you can strengthen the relationships you have with those around you at home, as well as supporting better sleep. To use social media positively, message a friend or family member just to ask how they are, or find a local event that you can both attend together.
Tools to find balance:
Balance Your Work & Play
Whether you work at home or in an office, it seems that creating work/life boundaries is something more and more people have found challenging over the last several years. Being constantly connected to emails, being self-employed, or working at home means the boundaries between when we’re working and when we’re simply enjoying life can become easily blurred. This can lead to increased stress and anxiety, and less ability to be present and engage with the things that truly bring us joy. Setting out specific times when you’ll be ‘on’ and ‘off’ work is the first step to finding balance here, as well as making your ‘leisure’ plans as much of a priority as work commitments. To feel more productive and engaged whilst working, it’s also useful to set a specific amount of time you’ll be working for, so you can focus your energy in a productive and powerful way – we tend to work best in cycles of 90 minutes of focus, followed by a 20 minute break, which harnesses the body’s natural ‘ultradian rhythms’.
Tools to find balance:
Emma is a 500hr qualified Yoga teacher, musician, massage therapist, cook, and writer. Having grown up surrounded by Yoga and meditation, Emma began her practice at a young age and has continued to study and develop her understanding of Yoga on a daily basis. Training internationally with inspirational teachers, Emma’s passions her now lie primarily in philosophy and Yoga off the mat. Emma currently teaches regularly in Sussex, co-leading teacher trainings, retreats, workshops and kirtans, and also manages the Brighton Yoga Festival.