Pose library · Ardha Chandrasana · reviewed by a teacher
Half Moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana)
Half Moon Pose is a standing balance in which you stand on one leg with one hand on the floor or a block, the other leg lifted level with the hip and the chest turned to the side. Ardha means half and chandra means moon. It asks for steady legs, open hips and a calm gaze.
Pronunciation and meaning
Ardha Chandrasana: AR-duh chun-DRAHS-uh-nuh. The ch is as in chair, and chandra rhymes loosely with Sandra.
Half Moon Pose is a standing balance in which you stand on one leg with one hand on the floor or a block, the other leg lifted level with the hip and the chest turned to the side. Ardha means half and chandra means moon. It asks for steady legs, open hips and a calm gaze.
How to do Half Moon Pose
- Start in Triangle Pose with the right foot forward and a block ready beside the right foot.
- Bend the right knee and place the block, or your right fingertips, about a foot ahead of the right foot and a little to the outside.
- Shift your weight into the right foot and hand, and lift the left leg until it is level with the hip, foot flexed.
- Straighten the right leg without locking it, and stack the left hip over the right.
- Turn the chest toward the long edge of the mat and reach the left arm up, or keep the left hand on the hip.
- Stay for three to five breaths, then bend the standing knee, lower the left foot back to Triangle and repeat on the other side.
Teacher's note from Joahnna Lee
“Press out through the heel of the lifted leg as if pushing it into a wall behind you. It steadies the whole pose.”
“Let the block take real weight. A hand that hovers makes the standing leg do everything.”
“Look at the floor first. Turn the gaze sideways or up only when the balance is easy.”
Make it easier
- Practise with your back against a wall, so the lifted hip and shoulder can rest on it.
- Use a block at its tallest height, or a chair seat, under the lower hand.
- Keep the top hand on the hip and the gaze down.
Pregnancy and after birth
Pregnancy. Adapt. Practise only with your back against a wall and a tall block or chair under the hand, and leave it out later in pregnancy if balance feels uncertain. Check with your OB or midwife before you start.
After birth. Adapt. After your doctor or midwife clears you, begin at the wall with a tall block. Balance and core strength take time to feel familiar, and the wall makes that time easier.
Prenatal and postpartum guides live on joahnnalee.com.
Common mistakes
- Letting the lifted leg drift forward of the body, so the hips fold toward the floor.
- Locking the standing knee.
- Reaching for the floor with the fingertips and dropping the chest instead of using a block.
Half Moon Pose is where a standing pose turns into a balance. It grows straight out of Triangle, Trikonasana, and most of the work is in letting the hand and the standing leg share the weight.
In Vinyasa yoga it helps to learn it with your back to a wall first, so the shape is clear before the balance is asked of you. A yoga block under the lower hand brings the floor closer. A dry, clean mat also helps the standing foot stay put, and how to clean a yoga mat covers the care for each material.
It sits with Tree, Eagle and Dancer among the standing balances on one page. Turning the hips to face the floor and folding over the standing leg gives you Standing Split Pose.
A good fold to practise before this balance is Pyramid Pose, the intense side stretch. The wide legged forward bend, Prasarita Padottanasana is a calm fold to rest in afterwards.
Half Moon Pose questions
Why do I keep falling out of Half Moon Pose?
Usually the hand is too close to the foot, or it hovers instead of pressing down. Place it a foot ahead of the standing foot on a block and let it carry some weight. A wall behind you helps a great deal.
Is Half Moon Pose a beginner pose?
It suits beginners with a wall and a block. Learn Triangle first, since Half Moon grows out of it, then add the lift once the stance feels steady.