What is your favorite day of the week to do yoga? The majority of yoga students in the United States practice on Monday or Tuesday, with a sliding decline toward the end of the week and then a jump on the weekends.

That makes sense since many people use yoga as a way to deal with stress of work. Taking a class at the beginning of the week or right before you have to go back to work on Monday is like preventive healthcare. And of course some people just take a class when their favorite teacher is teaching or whenever they get off work early.

Yet there is actually a yogic reason behind practicing yoga on certain days of the week. Should you be taking a yoga class on Fridays instead of hitting the bars early?

Here is the real skinny on practicing yoga on the different days of the week:

The original yogis and yoginis designed their yoga practices according to the time of the year, the time of the day, and even the day of the week. There was a different way to do yoga on a Saturday than on a Wednesday.

The yogis understood that each day has a particular cosmological and astrological energy that can be employed to give greater success. Using the sciences of Yoga, Ayurveda (healing), and Jyotish (astrology), the original yoga practitioners practiced in daily harmony with the inner and outer worlds.

Across all cultures in the world, there is an association of the days of the week with particular energies. In modern times, this has degenerated into church day (Sunday), party day (Saturday), hump day (Wednesday), sick day (Monday), and TGIF.

Originally, however, the energies of the day were associated with deities and the planets. The Greeks, the Norse, the Asians all had a 7-day week with the same days of the week associated with the same 7 planetary energies.

Monday was Moon day, Tuesday was Mars day, Wednesday was Mercury day, Thursday was Jupiter day, Friday was Venus day, Saturday was Saturn day, and of course Sunday was the Sun day.

Each of these planets, again across many cultures, is associated with a particular type of energy and activity.

The science of this is known as Vara in the Panchanga system of Vedic Astrology in India. Vara (which literally means "day of the week") is employed by Vedic astrologers for all types of human activities, from arranging a marriage to starting a business and to engaging in spiritual practices.

The day of the week and its energy could contribute or hinder the success of any outcome. For example, the best day to get married according to the Vara system is Thursday or Friday and the most challenging days are Tuesday and Saturday. The high divorce rate in the West, according to some of these astrologers, is our propensity for Saturday marriage dates (although others say that Saturday marriages can be the longest lasting if the participants are willing to learn their hard lessons).

So what does this all have to do with yoga? Here are some general guidelines for yoga practices according to the energies of the days of the week. Just have some fun with these and see if you notice anything in your own practice:

Monday (Moon Day) - Good day to work with the emotions and the mind during your practice. A little gentleness and more feminine practice.

Tuesday (Mars Day) - High energy, strong work out. Masculine and fiery practice; be careful of pushing, however, and avoid accidents.

Wednesday (Mercury Day) - Good time to work with mantra and sound. A quick paced practice that keeps the mind engaged is also enjoyed.

Thursday (Jupiter Day) - An expansive practice, going deeper into the teachings behind yoga. Opening into meditation, seeking inner wisdom.

Friday (Venus Day) - Enjoy the senses and pleasure of a yoga practice. Opening to heart and compassion. Beautiful movement and flow, like a dance.

Saturday (Saturn Day) - Discipline, discipline, discipline. Challenge yourself, show up, work hard but don't suffer. Learn the lessons you need to learn in your yoga practice.

Sunday (Sun Day) - Enjoy the energy of your self. Shine your soul. Deep inner spiritual connection through your practice. High vitality and a chance to purify.

So what is the best day to practice yoga? Every day of course. Each day has something to teach you about yourself. Yoga - it's not just for Mondays anymore.

Want to learn more about the Astrology of Yoga? There is still space in my Astrology Weekend this July 26th and 27th!
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