Blog 8 / The Posture Series

Half Moon/Ardha-Chandrasana & Hands To Feet/Pada Hastasana
Co-Written By: Carla Schils & the little YogaGal

                                            Dear Yogis,

Half Moon Rt. Side

To continue the posture series we will be discussing the second posture, Half Moon or Ardha-Chandrasana. This pose is actually two poses in one. It is done in combination with the next pose, Hands to Feet or Pada Hastasana. Together, these poses help to warm-up your spine in every direction for the rest of the series. In Half Moon, the body stretches to one side while contracting and strengthening the other side, then reaching side to side and then to the back. The Hands to Feet pose that follows is a forward backbend. The idea is to elongate the spine outward through the crown of your head as you fold into the pose.

Tips for Half Moon & Head to Feet:

Half Moon L. Side

        ·  Keep the weight in the heels of the feet. This will help to give that full body stretch on each side, in the back of the legs all the way up to the top of the spine.

       ·         Don’t be shy to adjust to get into the posture. The first set is a test run to see where the body is at for the day.

       ·         When bending the body in Half Moon on each side, try to imagine that the body is in between two panels of glass. This is so that the spine does not become unintentionally realigned, which could lead to a potential injury. You are stretching up and over creating a crescent shape.



Backward Bending

        ·         In backward bending of the spine, begin by relaxing your neck to look behind you.  Then lift your chest, broaden your shoulders and move your arms back to your ears.  Keep your body weight in the heels, contract your glutes and push your stomach, legs, and hips forward.  Try to keep your arms with your ears and progress backwards.  Breathe.

        ·         When in Head to Feet, to make it feel less like torture, relax the neck and shoulders, and then look at the back wall or your thighs. Always remember the upper body compression.  Torso on the thighs continuously protecting the lumbar spine from over stretching.  Use your bicep strength to elongate your spine and legs from coccyx to 



Hands To Feet

the toes, coccyx to your forehead. Pulling is the object of stretching in this pose.

        ·         And of course remember to breathe into each posture. When stretching, breathe into the tightness and exhale when your maximum has been reached to relax into the posture further.  

        ·    Remember to smile at yourself once in awhile, it will help to keep the mind and body light in the posture and throughout the whole series.

   Benefits Broken Down:

• Increases vitality and energy; relieves stress
• Increases strength and flexibility of the muscles in the abdomen, buttocks, biceps, and shoulders
• Increases spinal flexibility and helps relieve lower back and sciatic nerve pain
• Helps to correct poor posture
• Firms and trims abdomen, waistline and hips
• Improves coordination and sense of balance
• Helps restore elasticity to the spine and promotes the flow of synovial fluid in joints
• Though it may not feel like it directly after class, this posture aids in circulation to the legs and the brain, which will help the brain to work more efficiently and clearly.

Flow-ga On & Till Next Time,

                                                                                                    the little YogaGal