2011 - Talk Birth

Lunging, I stretch long and feel the glorious length of my body.
As I look up, the moon shines on my path.
(lunge pose)
Turning now, I touch the earth, hands on the blessed Mother, strong and steady.
Gratefully and tenderly, I bow my head.
(turning and bending to touch the earth)
Coming into a squat, I am connected with all animal and plant life. My body open and close to the
earth, I know my body’s ability to give birth, to love, to work, to pray. I resolve to hold all of these activities
as sacred.
(full squat)
The Moon Salutation continues with the poses repeated in reverse order to form a complete
circle and cycle of the moon with the whole body. The combination of words and yoga movement
creates connections between the body and the mind, enabling the meaning of the words to come
into the body. The full meaning of the Moon Salutation can be appreciated only in the doing.
It celebrates the female body and the earth body, affirming that the female body is sacred, an
image of the body of Goddess. It names the connection between women and the moon, positively
affirming cycles of change, in contrast to classical theological traditions. In the Moon Salutation,
women’s changing bodies and the process of giving birth become images of the divine creativity
of the Goddess. The Moon Salutation celebrates strength as supple and yielding, yet ferocious in
the protection of life. These are images of strength as power with, not power over. In the Moon
Salutation, the female body is not perceived negatively as it is in traditions associating femininity
with the ”weaker” light of the moon. Still, it might be asked: Does the Moon Salutation limit
women to the body or the traditional roles associated with it? I do not find this to be so. In the
Moon Salutation the female body is an image of all the creative powers in the universe. It can
expand to include planets and galaxies. The female body is celebrated not only for its capacity
to give birth, but also for its ability to love, to work, and to pray.
From: Carol P. Christ. She Who Changes: Re-imagining the Divine in the World, Kindle Edition.
1. http://talkbirth.wordpress.com/2010/03/10/birthing-room-yoga-handout/
2. http://www.facebook.com/PortraitsAndPaws
Deena, Shining Light Prenatal Education (2011-10-25 19:09:31)
I teach these every full moon in my prenatal yoga classes! Although, there are variations to it ;-)
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