Thrive Posture Focus - Half Moon Pose

Half Moon Pose

Half Moon Pose

Half Moon Pose begins to open up your whole skeletal system; spine, neck, ribs, and scapulae. The bending motions and stretching of this Traditional Hot Yoga posture can eliminate imbalances and rigidity in the body.

Sanskrit: Ardha-Chandrasana

Benefits: Half Moon strengthens the core muscles, especially the abdomen. It also flexes and strengthens back and arm muscles while increasing flexibility in the spine. Half Moon can also help promote proper kidney function and help an enlarged liver or spleen. It firms and trims the waistline, hips, abdomen, buttocks, and thighs.

Technical Points:

• Feet together, heels and toes touching each other

• Arms over your head sideways palms together

• Interlock the fingers, release the index fingers, thumbs crossed

• Hands-palms touching each other like glue, up to the wrist

• Elbow locked

• Arms always touching the ears

• Push your hips forward

• Upper body leaning back a couple of inches

• Maximum body weight on the heels

• Arms and head back, chin up

• Continuously push your hips to the side, beyond your flexibility

• Inner shoulder forward

Important Things to Remember:

• Keep a nice tight grip with your hands and fingers, don’t lose the grip

• No gaps between biceps/arms and ears

• Remember to not bend your elbows or your knees

• You are trying to create a tremendous stretching feeling in the outer side of your body

• Keep both hips in one line