Ardha Chandrasana ( sa, अर्धचन्द्रासन; IAST: ''ardha candrāsana'') or Half Moon Pose is a standing asana in modern

yoga as exercise Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of postures, often connected by flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by breathing exercises, and frequently ending with relaxation lying down or meditation. Yoga in this form has ...

Etymology and origins

The name comes from the Sanskrit words अर्ध ''ardha'' meaning "half", चन्द्र ''candra'' meaning "moon", and आसन ''āsana'' meaning "posture" or "seat". The 19th century ''

Sritattvanidhi The ''Sritattvanidhi'' (, "The Illustrious Treasure of Realities") is a treatise written in the 19th century in Karnataka on the iconography and iconometry of divine figures in South India. One of its sections includes instructions for, and ill ...

'' uses the name Ardha Chandrasana for a different pose,

Vrikshasana Tree pose or Vrikshasana ( sa, वृक्षासन, translit=vṛkṣāsana) is a balancing asana. It is one of the very few standing poses in medieval hatha yoga, and remains popular in modern yoga as exercise. The pose has been called ico ...

. Swami Yogesvarananda used the name in his 1970 ''First Steps to Higher Yoga'' for a pose similar to Kapotasana, Pigeon. The modern usage of the name is found in B. K. S. Iyengar's 1966 '' Light on Yoga''.

Practice and benefits

The pose is entered from

Trikonasana Trikonasana or Utthita Trikonasana ( sa, उत्थित त्रिकोणासन; IAST: ''utthita trikoṇāsana''), xtendedTriangle Pose is a standing asana in modern yoga as exercise. Variations include Baddha Trikonasana (bound tri ...

(triangle pose), where one foot is kept forward. The arm opposite to the foot that is forward would come onto the hip. While stretching up with the rear leg and out with the front hand so that only the fingertips remain on the ground, the hand on the hip can gradually reach up towards the ceiling. The gaze is directed at the upper hand. However, Iyengar describes the pose with the upper hand resting on the hip. The pose helps to strengthen the ankles and improve balance.

Variations

* Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana (Revolved Half Moon Pose) has the body revolved towards the standing leg. * Baddha Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana (Bound Revolved Half Moon Pose) has the body revolved towards the standing leg with arms bound around the standing leg.

Other 'half moon' poses

In Sivananda Yoga and its derivative styles such as the Bihar School of Yoga, half moon pose is

Anjaneyasana Añjaneyāsana (Sanskrit: अञ्जनेयासन, "Son of Anjani pose"), Crescent Moon Pose, or Ashwa Sanchalanasana (Equestrian Pose) is a lunging back bending asana in modern yoga as exercise. It is sometimes included as one of the a ...

, an asana used in the moon salutation series ( Chandra Namaskar). In

Bikram Yoga Bikram Yoga is a system of hot yoga, a type of yoga as exercise, devised by Bikram Choudhury and based on the teachings of B. C. Ghosh, that became popular in the early 1970s. Classes consist of a fixed sequence of 26 postures, practised in a ro ...

, the name "half moon pose" is given to a two-legged standing side bend, elsewhere called Indudalasana.

Etymology and origins

Practice and benefits

Variations

Other 'half moon' poses

References

Further reading