Its a fun tradition at Rexburg yoga to take a class and celebrate the Chinese New Year. This year brings in the energy of the Red Fire Monkey. Without knowing anything about the symbolic meaning of this year, one can guess that with a combination of red fire and monkeys, its something wild, passionate, unpredictable and lively.
And its true. According to the Chinese astrological tradition, the energy of this year is erratic, irrepressible, ingenious, clever, unpredictable, resourceful, adventurous, selfish, and magical. In other words, keep your wits about you because anything, absolutely anything, can happen. All manner of apple carts could be turned over in the most surprising ways. This will be a test of your ability to stay calm and unruffled in the face of relentless and unexpected challenges. But remember—on the other side of chaos is magic and transformation. And that’s where a moving meditation practice comes in handy, keeping calm and centered in the midst of changing circumstances.
In any good story, there’s always a jester, a fool, a trickster, or shapeshifter and the monkey follows that archetype. The actions of the monkey might be irrational, rude and even criminal at times, but the intention is to bring about some special message that can’t get through to the noisy crowd in any other way. A forbidden surprise is a sure fire way to get attention. Many world mythologies have a monkey king, a devil monkey, monkey god or monkey man with wild, fantastic tales of great adventure.
Back to the Chinese astrology, for those born in the years 2004, 1992, 1980, 1968, or 1956, this is your year, the year of the monkey. People born in the Year of the Monkey are characterized as quick-witted, curious, innovative and mischievous, but it is also believed to be one of the most unlucky years in the Chinese calendar.
The general image of people in this zodiac sign is of always being smart, clever and intelligent, especially in their career and wealth.
They are lively, flexible, quick-witted and versatile. In addition, their gentleness and honesty bring them an everlasting love life. Although they were born with enviable skills, they still have several shortcomings, such as an impetuous temper and a tendency to look down upon others.
The yoga tradition has a posture celebrating the Hindu monkey king, Hanuman. An easy version would be a low lunge, and the traditional version is the splits. It takes a whole class time to build into the splits gently and if you’d like to experience this at home, watch this half hour instruction: Hanumanasana video from Yoga Journal
Some of this info comes from Journeys blog and also Chinese New Year
