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The Half Moon Pose, also known as Ardha Chandrasana, is a difficult pose that puts your balance to the test.
You root down with your standing leg and stabilise your arm while elevating and extending your elevated leg and opposing arm. That allows you to draw in energy from both the sun and the moon.
The term 'Ardha Chandrasana' is derived from the Sanskrit words 'Ardha' for half, 'Chandra' for moon and 'Asana' for pose. Thus, it's often referred to as the 'Half Moon Pose'.
It might be rather difficult to try the stance for this pose because of how your body balances while you're standing. The Trikonasana or Triangle Pose, is a prerequisite for performing the Ardha Chandrasana yoga.
How to do Half Moon pose correctly?
To address postural abnormalities, try the Half Moon Pose on both sides. Before entering this position, perform some hip-opening stretches if your chest or hips are tight. That'll help you more easily rotate your torso and lengthen your rib cage.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do the Half Moon pose correctly:
- With the right leg in front of you, start in Triangle Pose (trikonasana). Gently bend your right knee, and bring your left hand to your hip.
- With your right foot forward, place your right hand on the ground. Position your hand correctly so that it will be under your shoulder when you are in the full pose.
- Place it about a foot in front of and five or six inches to the right of your right foot. Only your fingertips should be touching the floor when you bend your hand.
- Start extending your right leg, and lift your left foot off the ground at the same time. As much as possible, keep your left leg straight.
- Stack the left hip tip on top of the right hip tip as you open your hips.
- Straighten out your left leg so that it's parallel to the ground. Strongly flex your left foot so that the toes are facing the left side of the room.
- When your weight is evenly distributed between your right and left legs, extend your left arm upwards toward the ceiling while opening your chest and forming a straight line with your right and left arms that are parallel to the floor.
- Last but not least, tilt your head so that your eyes are raised towards your raised left fingertips.
- Before letting go of the left leg and switching to the other side, stay in this position for about five breaths.
Benefits of Half Moon pose
Here are some of the most sought-after Half Moon Pose advantages you should be aware of:
1) Enhanced Body Posture
The Half Moon Pose requires you to extend your entire body, which helps realign your body and enhance your posture. That's especially important for those who spend a lot of time sitting and have poor posture.
They can get rid of that and keep their bodies in a healthy posture by incorporating the Ardha Chandrasana into their daily exercise regimen.
2) Better Body Balance
This is likely one of the most well-known advantages of the Ardha Chandrasana. You are required to concentrate on your body and maintain its stillness while performing this yoga stance.
A greater body balance also enhances the body’s mental connection and guards against potential injuries.
3) Strengthens core muscles
The Ardha Chandrasana requires you to use your core muscles to balance your body, which greatly enhances core strength. Make sure you breathe normally, and maintain your core stability while taking each step.
4) Full-body stretch
Almost every yoga pose aims to loosen and relax tight muscles. The Ardha Chandrasana pose does the same. It opens up the chest, heart, hips and arms in addition to stretching the hamstrings. To put it briefly, it's a terrific full-body stretch to do at home.
Tips to remember while doing Half Moon pose
Understanding the Ardha Chakrasana's benefits and steps alone is insufficient. To ensure that you execute the position correctly and avoid any problems, keep the following tips in mind when you do it:
- Use a chair for support if you are doing yoga for novices and want to perform this pose.
- You can also support your hand as you drop it down by using a block.
- Avoid the Ardha Chandrasana if you have any injuries to your legs, hips, shoulders or back.
- This yoga pose should also be avoided by expectant and new mothers.
- Eat light for at least 40 minutes before practicing this pose.
- A warm-up exercise should always be done before doing the Ardha Chandrasana.
- It's not recommended to do the Half Moon pose if your blood pressure is low.
The Half Moon Pose is a cooling posture, meaning it allows the body to expel extra heat while drawing in soothing, calming energy. It's a fabulous pose to ease stress and anxiety while enhancing balance and digestion.
