Ever get the feeling you’re not quite the same when the full moon comes around? Trouble sleeping, or strange moods? Ahead of the Full Moon Yoga practice hosted by Sian Pascale on Sunday October 13th, we sat down with her to find out more about balancing lunar energy, manifesting intentions, and her favourite yoga practices.

1. How and why are we affected by the full moon?

Both the sun and the moon emanate frequencies and these energy waves influence the tide and all life forms on earth, from animals, the growth of plants and also human behaviour and consciousness. The midpoint of our 29 day lunar cycle is marked by the full moon, at this moment the sun and moon sit on opposite sides of the zodiac, which can create an intense or challenging energy!

2. Why is full moon yoga practice different to a regular yoga class?

In the Full Moon Practice we work to balance out the intense Cosmic energy that we may be experiencing. We do this firstly by understanding this energy and then use a variety of yogic practices such pranayama, mantra, movement and meditation to balance it within ourselves.

3. What can we expect in the Full Moon Yoga practice on Oct 13th?

This Full Moon is in Aries, which is a strong fire sign, so there will be powerful pranayama and kundalini kriya to ignite the fire within us. The fire in Tantra is alchemy, it's used to sublimate energy to create transcendant states, these elevated states of consciousness will then be encouraged through mantra and meditations.

4. What are your 3 tips for setting and manifesting intentions?

1. Self reflection - work through your limitations and blocks first.
2. Be clear with what you want - write it out, read over it and revise it.
3. Let it all go - anything you hold on to too tightly will allude you. Let go of the process and watch how it manifests in ways you couldn't have imagined!

5. Why do you personally practice yoga? Have your reasons changed over time?

I began practicing yoga long ago as a stressed out architecture student! I was very focussed on the physical aspect and meditation. Now I find that my self practice includes a lot more mantra, kriya and pranayama. It has been a 20 year process which is much more focused on the energetic practices now.

Quick-fire questions

Favourite mantra: Maha Gayatri- the great manifester and ultimate uplifter!
Favourite yoga pose: Pascimotanasana - the Tantric variation of this pose
Favourite pranayama: It's like asking me to choose a favourite child! Uddhiyana Bandha and Agni Saura Dhauti are definitely 2 of my favourites.
Favourite yoga/meditation book: One of the first I read was Deepak Choprah's the Spiritual Laws of Success and it changed my life as a 21 year old.
Your ayurvedic dosha: Pitta Vata
Your yoga/spiritual teacher: I have had so many in my life from not just India but all over the world. We are living in an age where our teachers pass us wisdom through podcasts, books and live stream, we don't need to have one guru but can absorb information from so many sources. We are truly the luckiest yogis to have lived!

To join Sian’s Full Moon Yoga practice on Sunday October 13th, book here.

Interview by Stephanie Cusack - marketing manager and yoga teacher at BECYCLE.

Why Are We Affected By The Full Moon?

Quick-fire questions