Chandra Namaskar: Salute to the Moon
A Special Yoga Class with Live Sanskrit Chanting
As we prepare for the darkest night of the year, our minds turn inward and activity slows, embodying the soft, gentle energy of the moon. Led by Emily Crotty and Bhavani Siegel, this special class features chandra namaskar (salute to the moon), a sequence of 16 postures, each flowing with the breath, as taught by Baba Hari Dass. Postures will be accompanied by live mantras (sacred chanting) of the names of the moon. After a gentle warm up, students will be guided through 8 – 12 rounds of chandra namaskar, followed by a restful cool-down and savasana (corpse pose).
The day’s program will also include:
- A guided campus tour to Sunset Ridge (weather permitting)
- Brunch & dinner in the shared community dining hall
- Personal time
- Option to stay for arati (ritual of light) after dinner at the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple
- Option to book a wellness treatment at Kaya Kalpa Wellness Center (fees additional, advance reservations recommended)
To participate in this special class, please register for a Mountain Experience day visit or an overnight Personal Retreat.
Sample Schedule
| Saturday, December 19 | |
| 10:00am | Arrival & Check-in | 10:00 - 11:00am | Brunch in the shared community dining hall | 11:30am - 12:30pm | Guided campus tour to Sunset Ridge | 12:30 - 3:30pm | Personal time | 3:30 - 5:00pm | Chandra Namaskar with Live Sanskrit Chanting | 5:15 - 6:15pm | Dinner | 6:00pm | Arati | 7:00pm | Program Concludes |
Schedule subject to change. Registrants will be notified.
Presenters
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Bhavani SiegelECEBhavani was introduced to yoga in childhood, practicing asana and yogic breathing with her family. She met Baba Hari Dass in 1974; after becoming his disciple, she began formal study and sadhana practice. She then went on to begin teaching yoga in 1975.
A senior Yoga faculty member and a founding member of Mount Madonna, where she lives, Bhavani teaches many aspects of Yoga, including meditation, pranayama and yoga philosophy.
Among these, her specialties are:
– Foundational values in Yoga philosophy: Yama & Niyama
– Mantra Yoga: Sanskrit as Sacred Sound
– Ritual and Symbolism in the Path of YogaBhavani also leads Yogic rituals (Puja & Yajna) at Mount Madonna’s Sankaṭ Mochan Hanuman Temple. She also incorporated yoga for children as a school teacher for 20 years.
Considering the teachings of conscious communication an important aspect of the Yogic principle of non-harming, Bhavani integrated this study as facilitator/coordinator of Mount Madonna’s Yoga, Service and Community residential programs for over 20 years.
In Yoga teacher trainings, Yoga retreats, community programs, and seminars, Bhavani has continued her journey, guided by her revered teacher’s injunction to “teach to learn,” at Mount Madonna and at our sister community, Salt Spring Centre of Yoga.
Bhavani loves chanting and ritual, mystic poetry, and the solace of nature.
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Emily CrottyAP, BAYoga teacher of 10 years and Board Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner, Emily is passionate about wellness across all the layers of human experience, from physical body to subtle body to spirit. Her training started in 2014 at the White Lotus Foundation in Santa Barbara, CA. Since completing her 500-hour YTT at Mount Madonna Institute in 2021, her yoga classes combine the traditional teachings of Baba Hari Dass with her experience in many styles of yoga including vinyasa, restorative, and yin.
In addition to her Yoga and Ayurveda experience, Emily received her B.A. in Music and Psychology (2013) from UC Davis, and is currently in a Master’s program for Counseling Psychology at CIIS.
