Revolved Half Moon Pose Guide
Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana (PAHR-ee-VREE-tah ARD-uh chan-DRAHS-uh-nuh)
Revolved Half Moon Pose
Heart of the Pose
Think of this pose as your yoga cocktail: a delicate balance of standing on one leg while defying gravity with a twist—achieving a harmonious blend of stability and flexibility. Not too shabby for standing on one leg, eh?
Effects / Benefits
Practicing Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana is like gifting yourself mental endurance wrapped in courage, with a bow of confidence on top. This balancing-twisting combo promises to sprinkle your mood with extra zest and tackle emotions with gusto. On the bodily side, it’s a multitasker: it tightens your core, boosts digestion, and strengthens ankles, thighs, abdomen, and the lower back, while providing a nice stretch to the shoulders, chest, spine, groins, hamstrings, and calves. But, proceed with caution if your sacroiliac joint likes to rebel; twists might not be its cup of chai. Check out resources on SI joint issues to navigate safely through this pose.
Basic Form Setup
Start your adventure in poses like Parivrtta Trikonasana (Revolved Triangle), Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle), or Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon). If kicking off from Parivrtta Trikonasana, rest your top hand on your hip or sacrum, bend the front knee like you mean it, and step the back foot forward to bring the ground closer. Place your hand on a block or go straight for the floor, aiming for hip points facing down. Align your hand with a foot—take your pick! Balance is boss here; bring those hip flexors into play as you gently press your torso against the front thigh.
Moving Into the Pose
Take a deep breath; ensure that misbehaving back leg points its toes downward. Transfer weight to the front leg, straightening it while keeping the back leg levitating at hip height. Keep that knee and toes aligned downward with a level sacrum. Exhale, entering the twist, as your torso and head revolve like a boss. Inhale some more, and when your torso says it’s ready, shoot that top arm skyward. Choose your gaze direction wisely—down, forward, or skybound—but dodge any strain. Hold onto this balancing act for about 5 breaths, or 20 seconds to a minute, if you dare.
Coming Out of the Pose
To land back on the real mat-world, inhale to guide your top arm back down and gently reconnect your back leg with the floor. Remember, enforcing that knee and toe alignment is crucial for lifting leg engagement. Keep those shoulder blades cozied in, and aim to twist your lower torso parallel with the standing leg. As wisely spoken by Ray Long, MD, in achieving pelvic stability, psoas and gluteus maximus must dance to the same rhythm.
Verbal Cues for Alignment
For the standing leg, imagine your toes having a team huddle with the floor, particularly that big toe calibrating the arch. Stand firm, aligning toes and knee forward with the femur seated over the tibia and ankle. Engage quadriceps, lock straight but add a micro-bend lest hyperextension swoops in.
In a game plan for the lifted leg, aim toes downward while hoisting to hip glory. Squeeze the butt, push through the heel, and imagine the outer edge of the lifted foot pressing a phantom wall. The lower arm takes a proud stance with the wrist under the shoulder, fully at home pressing floor or block beneath supportive fingertips.
Balancing a level sacrum becomes a mantra, with the torso’s twist excluding the hips. Picture the spine lengthening from tailbone to head crown, inviting a full chest and abdomen rotation.
For a detailed roadmap through this pose, venture on over to Ashtanga Tech. Enjoy the ride!