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Poornima&Amavasya

Researched and written by our mindfulness and meditation experts

May 12, 2025

Poornima, the night of completion, is when the moon reflects its fullest light back to Earth. It is the symbol of clarity, expansion, and divine fullness. What it signifies: • Emotional openness: The moon governs water — and thus our emotions. On Poornima, feelings rise like tides. It’s a time for expression, reflection, and release. • Spiritual blossoming: Many sages believe that the full moon amplifies our spiritual potential. Practices like mantra japa, meditation, and rituals are especially potent. • Celebration &sacredness: Major Hindu festivals — Guru Purnima, Sharad Purnima, Kartik Purnima — fall on Poornimas, marking spiritual milestones and celestial alignments.

Inner Yatra Reflection

Inner Yatra Reflection: On Poornima, light touches all — even the parts we hide. Let this night be your mirror. Sit in stillness. Watch your thoughts rise like moonlight on water. Offer them. And let go.

Amavasya — The Moonless Night of Deep Rest Amavasya is the dark moon — when the moon disappears from the sky. But in this disappearance lies a deeper presence. What it signifies: • Rest &inwardness: It’s a time to withdraw. Just as the moon retreats, so should we. This is a powerful night for silence, shadow work, and self-inquiry. • Karmic cleansing: Amavasya is often associated with pitru tarpan — offerings to ancestors. It’s a day to honor lineage, release baggage, and realign with dharma. • Seed potential: Just as seeds are sown in darkness, intentions planted on Amavasya grow inwardly before showing themselves to the world.

Inner Yatra Reflection:

Amavasya asks nothing of you but presence. Let it be a night where doing gives way to simply being. Turn off the lights. Burn a lamp. Sit in sacred quiet. Let the darkness reveal not absence, but essence. ⸻ The Balance of the Two Where Poornima expands, Amavasya contracts. Where Poornima illuminates, Amavasya integrates. Where one expresses, the other absorbs. Together, they form a rhythm — a monthly inner pilgrimage. And if we live aligned with these cycles, we begin to notice: • That not all growth is visible. • That silence is not emptiness, but depth. • That fullness is not about having more, but being more present. ⸻ Rituals for Poornima &Amavasya - The Inner Yatra Way Poornima Rituals: • Offer water to the moon in the evening (Chandradarshan). • Chant mantras like Om Chandraya Namaha or Om Namo Narayanaya. • Reflect in your journal: “Where in my life am I ready to shine fully?” • Meditate outdoors under the moonlight. Amavasya Rituals: • Light a single diya (lamp) in a dark space. Let that be your meditation. • Practice japa or silence, facing inward. • Perform a tarpan (offering) or write a letter to your ancestors. • Fast or eat lightly, grounding yourself with roots like sweet potato or moong dal.

Final Reflection

The moon doesn’t rush. She waxes and wanes, always in rhythm, never in a hurry. She teaches us that wholeness includes emptiness. At Inner Yatra, we honour these days not as outer events — but as inner alignments. Poornima and Amavasya are not meant to be “done.” They are meant to be felt. Sit with them. Breathe with them. Let your soul follow their curve.