full moon magic

while driving home the other night, i looked up and noticed the large bright orb in the surprisingly clear sky. the moon wasn't quite full, but it was awe-inspiring, nevertheless. all of a sudden i wanted to do some kind of moon dance, some kind of ritual that celebrated this magical phenomenon.

knowing that i could probably find something yoga-related, i eventually came across this event at the golden bridge website:

Full Moon Kundalini Yoga with Gurmukh

Join us for this special class that calls upon the powerful energy of the moon. Enhance the rhythmic Dance of Life and balance your mind, calm your spirit, and energize your soul with full moon magic.

energy. balance. calm. with all the crazy ups and downs i'd been going through lately, it's exactly what i needed.

so on the evening of august 9th, the night when the moon was at its fullest, i joined gurmukh and the large group of kundalini yogis as they celebrated the moon day.

we moved, we chanted, we trance danced around the large room. and just before our practice wound down for the night, we all formed a large healing circle and chanted the siri gaitri mantra, which is supposedly one of the most powerful healing meditations on the planet according to yogi bhajan.

the mantra is composed of these lyrics, which are repeated over and over again:

RA MA DA SA SA SAY SO HUNG *
or, "Sun, moon, earth, infinity, totality of infinity, I am That."

* the version that we chanted to that evening was by gurudass kaur khalsa in his album, circle of light

here's more about the mantra from the notes of another CD, The Healing Spirit of Ra Ma Da Sa:

"Ra Ma Da Sa is a concentrated form of spiritual healing used by Master yogis for thousands of years to build bodily resistance to disease and treat a myriad of ailments. In fact, they believed Ra Ma Da Sa acted as an energetic tonic, improving the circulation and flow of prana throughout the entire body. This completely beneficial mantra strengthens the energy field and improves every aspect of your life. When you listen to or chant along, disease, pain and sorrow move out of your life, granting you liberation from disease and freedom to move toward greater happiness. In a manner that is beyond words, this mantra fortifies the immune system in ways that are unmatched by both medicinal herbs and modern drugs alike. Your breath is a potent tool here. When you chant Ra Ma Da Sa, the power of your breath becomes so balanced, so purified and developed that it attracts all the healing elements you could get from herbs, flowers, fruits and other natural remedies. You can attain as much healing as you desire; its capacity to serve is infinite. Simply by being in the presence of its healing vibrations, you will receive its benefits automatically. The chant is so powerful that it will bring you health and peace even if they are not written in the stars for you. It will even heal those who cannot pronounce the words correctly."

so after all that chanting for healing, did i feel any different? more energized? more balanced? healthier? calmer?

not really. maybe i should keep chanting...