HALF MOON POSE (ardha candrāsana)
ardha = half
candra = glittering, shining; the Moon
Look up at the full Moon and what do you see? The Person (formerly Man) in the Moon, right? But if you’re a Hindu swooning over the Moon, what you’ll likely see is a Hare (śaśa). The story behind this goes...
Once upon a time, Indra, disguised as a beggar, descended from Heaven to test the Hare’s charity. He asked the Hare for food, but the poor creature had nothing to give except some grass, totally unsuitable for a human. So he built a fire and jumped in, intending to cook himself for his guest’s lunch. Fortunately for the Hare, the fire god Agni froze the fire and saved her life.
Needless to say, Indra was mightily impressed with his host’s rather extreme show of hospitality, so he resumed his godly form, picked up a mountain, squeezed out some juice as we might squeeze juice out of an orange, and painted a picture of the Hare on the moon in her honor.
Another name for the Moon is Soma (juice, extract), which interestingly enough gives us the Sanskrit somavāra, the day of the moon, or as we say in English, Monday. The Indians believe it’s particularly auspicious to be born under the full Moon, which assures that the child will grow to be rich and powerful and have many friends.
PRACTICE
1. Half Moon is typically entered from Triangle Pose (trikonasana). Start with your right foot turned out, left foot turned in, about a yard apart, and a block sitting on one end outside your right foot. Rest your left hand on its hip.
2. From Triangle, inhale, bend your right knee, and stretch the block as far away from the foot as you can reach. Then slide the left foot forward slightly, and reach the block out even farther. Once you’re in the pose, the block should be well away from the right foot on the little toe side. This gives you a wide base of support.
3. Inhale and slowly straighten the right leg, being sure not to push back on the knee cap to do this. Resist the calf to the shin to avoid locking the knee, and press firmly back on the femur head. Also be sure not to “flatten” the hips. The top hip should roll slightly down toward the floor, as the upper torso turns left.
4. I was taught to bring the raised leg parallel to the floor, but some students like to bring the leg parallel to the spine, which generally moves it above parallel. In either case, reach actively out from the tailbone and press through the raised heel. Soften the standing toes, and press firmly on the base of the big toe and inner heel.
5. If you care to, raise the top arm parallel to the line of the shoulders. Be sure not to reach that arm back to open your chest. Keep the upper back and upper chest equally broad. Imagine there’s a wall in front of the top hand, and press into the imaginary resistance. Ideally, this will help bring the scapula more firmly against your back. Roll the bottom shoulder down and away from the ear.
6. Hold for 30 seconds to a minute. Then exhale, bend the right knee, and slowly lower the left foot back to where it started on the floor, returning to Triangle. Finally, come up with an inhale and repeat to the left for the same length of time.
BEGINNER’S TIPS
There are two simple ways to stabilize Half Moon at a wall. The first of course is to perform the pose with your back against the wall. Alternatively, start standing with your back to the wall, one of your leg’s lengths away from the wall. Exhale into a standing forward bend, and raise your left foot and firm the sole to the wall, toes pointing down. As in the free-standing pose, have your block a good ways ahead of the foot on the little toe side.
Check that the standing knee is aligned with the ankle, center of the knee directly over the center line between the inner and outer ankles. You may need to rotate the right thigh out a bit to get this. When ready, pivot on the left heel and turn the toes out to the left, inner foot parallel to the floor. With an exhale, spin the upper torso to the left, initiating the movement from the right sit bone, so the twist is rooted in the groins. Keep the left hip releasing slightly toward the floor.
If you still feel unstable, you can look at the floor, or instead of a block under your bottom hand, rest your forearm on a chair seat. You can rest the top hand on your hip, or raise it parallel to the line of your shoulders. Gradually lighten the heel’s pressure on the wall, until you take it half-a-moon-inch away and balance. To exit, de-rotate the body first, bend the right knee and lower the left leg to standing forward bend (uttanasana). Repeat on the left side for the same length of time.
Where’s the half moon? Look at the picture of Mr. Iyengar in Light on Yoga (plate 19 in my edition). Start with the top hand and draw a half circle across the raised foot to the standing foot. See it? Half Moon is one of the balancing standing poses we’ll be working on in my next Nest Flight, Stand on Your Own One Foot, Wednesday, 24 February, from 9 to 11 AM PST.