I had earlier written a post about ways to make your Adiyogi visit really memorable. I love that place. So, you can imagine how excited I would be to spend the entire night out at the Adiyogi!

Last year, I was staying at the adjoining Isha Yoga Center during a full moon night, the Sharad poornima. Full moons (and new moons) are a gala affair at the yoga center with an ethereal Linga Bhairavi aarti procession, fire dance by the monks, candlelight dinner and often a music program at the Adiyogi. This full moon, an extra treat was waiting for us women.

A note was tacked on the dining hall notice board – we could spend the entire night at the Adiyogi! Full moon nights for women and new moon nights for men. Only possible if we are staying inside the Isha Yoga Center and they would provide bedding, if needed.

The idea was to get people out of their cocooned homes and experience the vulnerability of being exposed to nature with only a few bare belongings. And to understand that we are mortal – a key step for any spiritual seeker.

About 25 women slept outside that night. Some had sleeping bags, but most of us came only with our yoga mats and a few sheets. Most of the others slept away, they probably had volunteer duty and other tasks lined up the next day. I being a guest was more relaxed with my schedule. I stayed up quite late into the night to watch the Adiyogi in the moonlight. Two small artificial beams of light illuminated his earrings. And the Moon bathed the rest of him as it made its arc across the dark sky.

A soft wind blew through the night. It made it colder for us in our meagre coverings, but thankfully, it didn’t rain.

While I have seen the moon and been part of midnight meditations on the other full moon nights, this experience was something else. Partly because I wasn’t formally meditating. I was out in the open and I would be here the whole night. So I could ‘settle in’ and watch the moon for a long time. Even without watching, the moon’s presence felt palpable above me.

It made me think about so much of lore that is associated with the moon in our culture. Each full moon has a specific name. There are specific deity stories associated with each of them. There are specific sadhana and cultural traditions around the specific moons. I had never really thought about it in detail. It had all been part of the vibrant cultural tapestry of India but this night, sitting by the full moon made me wonder whether there was actually something unique about each full moon in the year.

Through our education and common knowledge we only understand the science of a full moon, new moon and its phases. There are some terms like the blue moon but these identify specific phenomena like a second full moon in a month. These terms have nothing to do with any qualitative or innate properties of the moon (or of the astronomical/ecological situation).

In the Indic culture we give each of the full moons of the year a distinct personality with the elaborate traditions around it. Some of these traditions could be related to geographical situations like the association of Lakshmi (wealth) with the Sharad poornima which comes around harvest, a time of prosperity. But there are others like the Guru Poornima which has so many stories associated with it. Why is the Guru – Shishya bond being acknowledged and celebrated on this particular full moon? Some say it was the birthday of Ved Vyasa but then did we not celebrate the full moon before he was born?

A plethora of questions. And since that night, I looked up a bit of Indic lore. There is something about the Nithya devis for each moon phase – a specific devi, mantra and sadhana for each moon phase. Only the people who strictly follow it for a while can say what their experience with the moon has been. And recently I read Robert Svoboda’s book on Aghora, and it mentioned how each lunar phase activates certain specific regions of the woman’s body. For people wanting to experience true sexual satisfaction (which would then lead to a lower need for sex) they should have the knowledge of this lunar influence.

I also looked at some scientific research articles and realised (as usual) scientists have noticed some signs of a subtler lunar impact on life forms but a lot more tests have to be done before anything conclusive comes from their end specific to us humans. It seems there are violin makers who choose their wood based on lunar cycles. “A wide variety of plants grow better if planted just before a full moon, says tree biologist and anatomist Ernst Zürcher of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich” (Source)

Clearly the Moon impacts life on the planet at a subtler level than meets the eye.

There is a lot out there to delve into and understand further if one is so inclined. How much to believe of it and finding environmental patterns to correlate is another matter.

What I am most curious about is whether the next full moon I stay up at the Adiyogi, will my experience with the moon be innately different? And would this be a difference in my inner situation at the time or will there be an actual difference of the environment and the moon itself?

However, having pondered on all this, the reason Sadhguru started this activity of us sleeping outside at the Adiyogi on bare mats is different,

“You should do this – on Purnima nights, ladies should sleep outside. On Amavasya nights, men should sleep outside – no matter if it is cold, it rains, or whatever else happens. If you sleep outside, you will feel vulnerable. You will understand, your very body will understand clearly that it is not forever.

In a closed, four-walled structure, there is no such reminder. People assume they are immortal.“ (Read his full discourse on the matter)

Though, I personally was not too concerned with this aspect of things because I am a solo cycle tourer. I am well aware of the fundamental vulnerability of the body having been accosted by huge gales of wind and rain on my long distance rides. In fact, this is one of the reasons that I cycle tour. It brings me very close to the elements.

I was mainly excited about this occasion as a way to experience the Adiyogi better. Though I didn’t expect to be so drawn to the presence of the moon. This night was made all the more memorable because I was sleeping off and then waking up to the dark statue of the Adiyogi towering above. And it made any discomfort well worth it.

Volunteers came to wake everyone up by 4.30 AM, well in time before the days visitors started pouring in. A few of us stayed back to do yoga. And while my eyes were closed in my kriya practice, I almost sensed the setting of the moon, and true enough when I opened my eyes to check, half the moon had disappeared behind the hill. My first moon set! I have never really thought of observing an actual moon set in the open this way. Surreal.

The sole volunteer in the nearby Yogeshwar Linga shrine had a few small lights on and was readying it up for the day. Dew covered everything and I felt chilled but I waited. At 5.30 AM the volunteer started chanting the Guru Pooja at the shrine. The few of us sat there in silence and participation.

The sky soon began to light up. And I waited until I saw the warm red sun rise up above the far-off coconut groves. I was a little sore and cold but happy about the entire experience. It was truly a special one. The different elements – the Adiyogi, surrounding fields, encircling Velliangiri mountains, the full moon, silence, spiritual vibe and rustic belongings came together to create something unique.

Note: Spending the night at the Adiyogi during full moon or new moons is only possible if you are staying inside Isha Yoga Center. Accommodations are available for visitors but please book well in advance of your visit and do confirm that this activity is happening on the days you visit. Contact ishastay@ishafoundation.org for details. Typically, for two people, an AC room costs about 1500 INR/night and a non-AC room 850 INR/night.