Sisters of the Moon

Ashtanga yoga teacher Sita Sunar demonstrates how she centres her breathwork on the moon in order to ground herself. By ISHA SINGH SAWHNEY

- ISHA SINGH SAWHNEY

Any mention of the impact of lunar cycles on your physical being and mental mood is likely to invite a scoff and a subtle eye-roll, even from those familiar to you. Yet sometimes, you will sit across a complete stranger who lives miles away and feel a kinship with them that is inexplicable. In such moments, be sure to express gratitude for the moon’s work in bringing you closer to those who just, you know, get it.

Amsterdam-based yoga teacher Sita Sunar is a fellow mooner—not in the conventional sense of the word, no—but someone like me, who scripts her monthly schedule by the moon cycle. We share this in common, not only with members of the yoga and healing community but also with ancient, indigenous cultures (we both have Nepali roots) for whom this has simply been a matter of common sense.

As humankind retreats further from the wisdom of eating in tune with seasons and doshas and sleeping in accordance with circadian rhythms, it has become harder to listen to the body and its needs. Sunar, who holds workshops on lunar-cycle syncing, where she demonstrates breathwork techniques to balance our