2100-Asanas_-The-Complete-Yoga-Poses-Daniel-Lacerda

ONE LEG STANDING BALANCE: ONE LEG STRAIGHT TO THE BACK—FACING THE SIDE & BINDING
Half Moon Pose
with Hands in Prayer
Ardha Chandrasana Namaskar
(UHR-duh chuhn-DRAHS-uh-nuh nuh-muhs-KAHR)
Pose Type: standing one-legged balance, forward bend
Drishti Point: 1. Nasagrai or Nasagre (nose), Bhrumadhye or Ajna Chakra (third eye, between the eyebrows) 2. Urdhva or Antara
Drishti (up to the sky)
How to Perform the Pose:
1. Begin by doing Extended Triangle Pose (Utthita Trikonasana) with the left foot in front and your
left hand to the floor outside the left foot (either on the fingertips or with the palm flat on the
floor). Engage your mula bandha, uddhiyana bandha, and ujjayi breathing.
2. Exhale as you slide your left palm out to the front while bending your left knee. Experiment with
the distance to find your balance.
3. Inhale and lift your right foot off the floor until your right leg is parallel to the floor. Keep it
straight and reaching away from your head. Straighten your standing left leg.
4. Exhale and rotate your chest to the side so that your shoulders stack one on top of the other.
5. On your next exhale, lift your left arm up off the floor and bring your hands into prayer at the center
of your chest.
6. You can either find a gazing point on the floor that is not moving to help keep your balance (Pose
#1) or challenge yourself by looking up to the sky (Pose #2).
7. Hold the pose for at least 30, and up to 90, seconds in order to receive the full benefits of the
stretch. Exhale, lower your right foot to the floor, coming back into Extended Triangle Pose
(Utthita Trikonasana), and repeat on the other side.
Modification:
1. looking down
2. looking up to the sky
ardha = half
chandra = moon
namaskar = greeting with hands in Anjali Mudra (hands in prayer)