Full Moon Inner Alchemy Immersion: An Invitation to Turn Inward
If you hear the words “Full Moon Inner Alchemy Immersion” and think, That sounds intriguing…but I’m not exactly sure what it means, you’re probably not alone.
And according to Prana teacher Charisse Crisci, that’s perfectly okay.
You don’t need to understand astrology. You don’t need to follow moon cycles. You don’t need experience with elemental practices—or even know what happens during a Full Moon gathering.
You simply need to be curious.
Taking place on the eve of September’s Full Moon, Charisse’s Full Moon Inner Alchemy Immersion at Prana Yoga Center in Geneva, Illinois, is an opportunity to step outside the rhythm of a typical yoga class and experience something more inward and reflective.
Through gentle movement, breath, somatic practices, ritual, and community, Charisse will guide participants through an experience inspired by the reflective energy traditionally associated with the Moon.
Think less about understanding the Full Moon and more about giving yourself the space to slow down, feel, notice, and experience.
From the Energy of the Sun to the Energy of the Moon
If you practice yoga regularly, you’re probably already more familiar with solar practices than you realize.
Think Sun Salutations.
Charisse describes the Sun as having an outward-moving quality. It provides light, warmth, and energy, and in yoga, it is associated with consciousness. Many of the practices we commonly experience in yoga classes reflect that solar quality through movement, strength, effort, and action.
A lunar practice shifts the attention in the opposite direction: inward.
The Moon illuminates the night and reflects the light of the Sun. In this practice, that reflective quality becomes an invitation to turn our attention toward ourselves.
Instead of asking, What can my body do? We might begin noticing, What am I feeling? What am I experiencing? What’s happening beneath the surface?
That doesn’t mean you need to arrive prepared to answer those questions. The practice itself creates space for whatever arises.
What Is “Inner Alchemy”?
The word alchemy traditionally describes transformation—turning one thing into another.
In the context of Charisse’s workshop, think of inner alchemy as creating conditions for something within you to shift, surface, soften, or simply be noticed.
And there isn’t a predetermined outcome.
Charisse is intentional about this. She doesn’t want participants coming in expecting, If I do this practice, I’m guaranteed to feel that.
One person may experience a heartfelt emotional connection. Someone else may have an unexpected insight. Another may simply feel more present in their body. And someone else may appreciate spending meaningful time in community.
“The benefit is to have an embodied experience that gives potential for a deeper inner connection with oneself,” Charisse explains.
That’s part of what makes an immersion different from a traditional 60-minute yoga class: there is more time and space to explore.
Fire, Water and the Physical Body
This particular Full Moon brings Charisse’s attention to two elements: Fire and Water.
But rather than thinking of the elements as abstract astrological concepts, Charisse encourages us to recognize how intimately connected we already are to them.
Our bodies contain water. We breathe air. Our physical bodies connect us to the earth. And the body’s ability to generate heat and transform food into energy reflects qualities traditionally associated with fire.
During the immersion, Charisse will weave these elemental themes into movement, breathwork, somatic practices, and a Solar/Lunar water ritual.
The workshop will also include movement focused on fascia and soft tissue. Fascia is the connective tissue network that surrounds and supports muscles, organs, bones, nerves, and other structures throughout the body. Because fascia contains a significant amount of water, Charisse refers to it as our “water body.”
Working with the physical body allows participants to experience the themes of the practice rather than simply discussing them intellectually.
You don’t need to memorize any of the astrology behind it. Charisse may share that the Full Moon is in Aries or explain why Fire and Water are significant during this particular Full Moon—but consider that interesting context rather than required knowledge.
As Charisse emphasizes, there is nothing you need to study or prepare beforehand.
Gathering in a Sacred Circle
Another element of the Full Moon Inner Alchemy Immersion will be what Charisse calls a Sacred Circle.
The circle honors the natural elements, seven directions, ancestors, and the land. For Charisse, acknowledging these connections is an important part of creating a gathering that recognizes something larger than our individual experience.
If this is completely new territory for you, you don’t need to know what to do.
Charisse will guide you.
One of the most beautiful aspects of the workshop may simply be the opportunity to gather with other people from the Prana community in a way that goes beyond what we normally have time to experience before and after class.
“But I Don’t Know Anything About Astrology…”
Then you may be exactly the person Charisse hopes will feel welcome.
When asked what she would tell someone who was intrigued but unsure whether the workshop was really “for them,” Charisse’s answer was wonderfully simple:
“If you feel drawn to attend, then join us. Come with a beginner’s mind and childlike wonder and open to experience something new.”
No astrology knowledge required. No Full Moon expertise necessary.
In fact, approaching the experience without expectations may be one of the best ways to participate.
Yoga itself means union—connection between breath, mind, heart, body, and ultimately our relationship with the world around us.
Full Moon Inner Alchemy Immersion simply gives us another way to explore that connection.
So if you’re curious, come be curious.
You don’t have to fully understand it.
You just have to experience it.
Full Moon Inner Alchemy Immersion FAQs
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No. You don’t need to understand astrology, follow moon cycles, or have experience with elemental practices. As Charisse emphasizes, there is nothing you need to study or prepare beforehand.
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Charisse will guide participants through gentle movement, breathwork, somatic practices, fascia and soft-tissue exploration, a Solar/Lunar water ritual, and a Sacred Circle. The experience is designed to offer more time and space to explore than a traditional 60-minute yoga class.
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The immersion will take place at Prana Yoga Center in Geneva, Illinois, on Friday, September 25, from 6:00–8:30 p.m.
Experience Full Moon Inner Alchemy
Join Charisse on Friday, September 25, from 6:00–8:30 p.m. at Prana Yoga Center in Geneva.
Come with curiosity, a beginner’s mind, and an openness to experiencing something new.
We’d Love to Hear From You
The movement, ritual, reflection, and sense of community may speak to each of us differently.
Tell us in the comments below: What part of the Full Moon Inner Alchemy Immersion are you most curious about?