If You’ve Ever Led a Yoga Class During a Full Moon, You Know
The energy is off the charts.
- Your Vata students are extra airy, extra chatty, and extra late.
- Your Kapha students didn’t show up.
- Your Pitta students are impatiently wondering why no one can focus
- And you? You’re just trying to keep everyone grounded before someone actually floats away mid-class.
This isn’t just full moon magic—this is Ayurveda at play. Once you understand how Ayurvedic wisdom influences your students, you’ll never teach the same way again.
The Vata Full Moon Effect: Why Your Students Are Acting Like This
What Happens During a Full Moon?
According to Ayurveda, the moon governs the mind, and during a full moon, emotions and energy are amplified.
Because Vata is already ruled by air and ether, full moons send Vata energy into overdrive. The result?
- Unfocused students who keep switching mats and giggling at their latest spiritual insights.
- Forgetfulness—water bottles, props, even showing up on time.
- Restlessness—constantly shifting, fidgeting, and not settling into the pose.
- Excess chattiness—sharing every thought the moment it enters their mind.
The energy feels erratic, ungrounded, and difficult to contain.
Why Ayurveda is Essential for Yoga Teachers
Most yoga teachers have felt this shift in their students but, without understanding Ayurveda, it can feel frustrating or beyond your control.
Instead of struggling to hold the class together, what if you knew exactly how to meet your students where they are?
- What if you could shift the energy of the room with intentional sequencing?
- What if you could help students feel truly balanced—not just flexible?
- What if your yoga classes were designed to actually counteract what’s happening energetically, seasonally, and cosmically?
That’s exactly what Ayurveda teaches. When you integrate Ayurveda into your teaching, everything changes.
How to Teach a Yoga Class That Grounds Vata Energy
If you’re noticing restless, unfocused energy in your students, here’s how to bring them back to center:
Focus on Slow, Grounding Asana
Instead of fast, flow-based sequences, opt for slow, stabilizing postures like:
- Tadasana (Mountain Pose) – Stand still, plant the feet, and breathe deeply.
- Malasana (Yogi Squat) – Bring awareness down into the hips and lower body.
- Janu Sirsasana (Seated Forward Fold) – Lengthen, slow down, and breathe into the belly.
- Viparita Karani (Legs Up the Wall) – Calms the nervous system and anchors scattered Vata energy.
Encourage Longer Holds & Fewer Transitions
Vata energy thrives on movement and change, so balance this with the opposite.
Hold postures longer than usual, guiding students to breathe deeper.
Encourage presence, rather than rushing through transitions.
Use Deep, Rhythmic Breathwork
Vata students often have shallow, erratic breathing. Counteract this with:
- Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing) – Instantly calming, balances the nervous system.
- Bhramari (Humming Bee Breath) – The sound vibrations quiet mental chatter and calm anxiety.
Add Weighted or Grounding Touch
If appropriate, use gentle, grounding hands-on assists to help students feel into their bodies:
- Press down on the shoulders in seated poses.
- Encourage students to press their hands and feet into the mat.
- Use a sandbag on their hips during Savasana (if allowed).
Offer Warming, Nourishing Herbal Tea Post-Class
Because Vata is cold and dry, warming, slightly sweet or spiced teas help bring them back into balance. Try:
☕ Ginger (warming)
☕ Cinnamon (circulatory support)
☕ Licorice (nourishing and grounding)
Why Every Yoga Teacher Needs Ayurveda
When you understand Ayurveda, you stop fighting the energy in the room and instead, work with it.
Your classes feel more intentional, aligned, and transformational.
Your students experience deeper healing beyond just movement.
You set yourself apart as a teacher who truly understands the whole person.
Yoga isn’t just about asana. And your teaching shouldn’t be either.
That’s why we put together something just for yoga teachers—a way to help you bring Ayurveda into your classes, retreats, and offerings.
Learn how to integrate Ayurveda into your teaching and guide your students on a deeper level.
Because after leading a full moon class full of ungrounded Vata energy, you deserve more than just patience—you deserve real tools that work.
Dive Deeper into Ayurvedic Wellness
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