Half Moon Pose Defined

What Is Half Moon Pose?

Ardha Chandrasana combines ardha (half) and chandra (moon). The body creates a half-moon shape—standing leg rooted, lifted leg extended back, torso rotating open, and arms reaching in opposition. It's a pose of expansion and luminosity, asking you to shine in all directions at once.

Half Moon often enters practice from Triangle Pose, transitioning when the front hand reaches to the floor and the back leg lifts. This progression teaches how standing poses build upon each other—each one preparing the body for what comes next.

The pose challenges balance in a particularly dynamic way. Unlike standing balances where the body remains vertical, Half Moon opens horizontally, making equilibrium harder to find and more rewarding to discover.

How to Practice

1. Start in Triangle — From Trikonasana with your right leg forward, bend your right knee slightly.
2. Shift your weight — Bring your right hand about 12 inches in front of your right foot (use a block if needed).
3. Lift the back leg — Straighten your standing leg as you lift your left leg parallel to the floor. Flex the lifted foot.
4. Stack your hips — Rotate your left hip open so it stacks above the right. The front of your pelvis faces the side wall.
5. Extend your top arm — Reach your left arm toward the ceiling, stacking shoulders.
6. Find your gaze — Look at the floor, straight ahead, or up at your top hand—whichever supports balance.
7. Radiate outward — Extend energy in all directions: down through standing leg, back through lifted leg, out through both arms, up through crown.
8. Hold and breathe — Stay for 5-10 breaths, then bend your standing knee and step back to Triangle. Repeat on the second side.

Key Alignment Points

Standing Leg

Root down through all four corners of your foot. Keep a micro-bend in the knee if you tend to hyperextend. Engage the quadriceps to support the pose, but don't lock or grip.

Lifted Leg

Reach actively through your lifted heel. The tendency is to let this leg drop—keep it parallel to the floor or higher. Flex the foot to engage the whole leg.

Hip Stacking

The top hip tends to roll forward. Externally rotate the lifted leg to stack the hips one above the other. This is where the "opening" of the pose lives.

Torso Rotation

Spin your chest toward the ceiling. Draw the bottom ribs in slightly to prevent overarching, but let the heart turn skyward.

Benefits

• Balance and coordination — Challenges stability in an open, extended position
• Leg strength — Builds standing leg strength and endurance
• Hip opening — Opens the groins, hamstrings, and hip flexors
• Core engagement — Requires subtle but continuous core activation
• Spinal rotation — Opens the chest and thoracic spine
• Focus — Demands present-moment awareness to maintain balance

Common Challenges

Wobbling

Everyone wobbles. The practice is finding steadiness within the wobble—making micro-adjustments rather than fighting for rigid stillness. Soften your gaze, breathe steadily, and let the small movements happen.

Collapsing the Chest

The temptation is to focus so much on balance that you forget the opening. Keep rotating your chest toward the ceiling. If you can't maintain the rotation, you may need a higher block or to bend the standing knee more.

Bottom Hand Taking Too Much Weight

Your hand should touch the floor (or block) lightly. If you're leaning heavily into it, you're missing the core and leg engagement that should support the pose. Try lifting the hand briefly to test where your weight actually is.