By Swami Nirmalananda
Not everything that is fun is also beneficial, surely you’ve learned that by now. Just because something is unusual or interesting doesn’t mean you should get involved. This is also true of eclipses. The footprint of an eclipse is that of darkness overtaking light. Don’t expose yourself to it!
This means stay indoors. This is a time to do Consciousness practices, especially mantra, chanting and meditation. Don’t eat. Don’t sleep. Some say you shouldn’t even drink water during an eclipse. Just as if a police helicopter were circling your neighborhood, it’s time to protect yourself.
The ancient sages warned that the sun emits abnormal radiations during an eclipse. Even if you look at it merely metaphorically, if you are in the path of the eclipse, you are plunged into darkness during the usual time of light. Darkness propagates fear and unconsciousness, the loss of Self and being entwined in Maayaa. While an eclipse doesn’t last long, the imprint that it makes in your mind lingers, leading to harmful or painful results later.
In addition to the event in the sky, www.dictionary.com defines “eclipse” as “a reduction or loss of splendor, status, reputation.” Examples include, “Scandal caused the eclipse of his career,” and “a soprano whose singing eclipsed that of her rivals.” You don’t want to be eclipsed. We are closing Downingtown Yoga & Meditation Center during the eclipse and sending our staff home early enough that they can avoid even the earliest edge of the sun’s darkening.
At the Ashram, we will be doing Consciousness practices throughout the whole time period. Chanting, mantra, meditation – a lovely immersion at a critical time. We will be doing the mantra of our lineage, as well as the Gayatri mantra and the MahaMrtyunjaya Mantra (easily available online). I invite you to join in. After the eclipse, you should bathe and change your clothes. Emerge back into the world slowly, as everyone else has been affected by the dark.
The traditional guidelines are:
- Do not eat or drink, not even water;
- Do not sleep;
- Do not work;
- Stay inside and protect yourself from the darkening of the sun’s rays;
- Chant mantras and meditate;
- When it is over, bathe and change clothes.
These are wonderful yogic ways to take care of yourself!
OM svaroopa svasvabhavah namo namah
SVA Blog 
Can you give some references to the ancients that said to avoid the eclipse?
You don’t need reference… it’s common sense😊
Could you cite the scriptural source of the standardized guidelines you listed please? thank you!
My Guru taught me this, Swami Muktananda. He was a living scripture.
My Guru taught me this, Swami Muktananda. He was a living scripture.
Thank you. Your article saved me a lot of headache and made me share to save others. I followed your instructions to the best of my ability and said prayers here and there
The spiritual source is the person kind enough to create and share this information to help others. People always want to over complicate things even when they are being helped and guided. If you don’t wish to learn or take heed to simple advice then don’t… There are no sources to back up the many facets of history. We believe what we choose to.
I’m going to quote Katie Silcox, a yoga instructor, from an email I received from her this morning: Did you know that the solar eclipse was actually seen as a malevolent force according the Vedas? May not wanna be out in it today! 🙂
But the bright side is this – spiritual practice done during the eclipse is multiplied 1000-fold, according to those same teachings.
I stayed inside to chanted and meditate. I also smudged my house. It was beautiful, when the eclipse was happening I felt a jolt and was overcome with gratitude and emotion and was brought to tears!
We also chanted and meditated here at the Ashram. It was very powerful!
I rode my bicycle yesterday diring the darkening. I felt great distress during the darkening but made it to a friend’s house and his wjfe brought me inside and we chanted until it passed.