Ardha Chandrāsana is a wonderfully uplifting āsana that really opens the heart space and gives a feeling of lightness and freedom. With repeated practice (abhyāsa) we can find a place where the pose becomes steady and comfortable (sthira sukham āsanam).
- From Tāḍāsana (Mountain Pose), jump or step your feet 3 – 3 ½ feet apart. Turn your left foot in slightly, turn your right foot out 90 degrees: rotate the whole of your right leg out from the top of the thigh bone down to your foot. Lengthen out to the right with your right arm, exhale and go to Utthita Trikoṇāsana (Extended Triangle Pose). Rotate your rib cage and chest upwards, extend your spine towards your head and stay for a few breaths.
- To move into Ardha Chandrāsana, exhale, bend your right leg and step your left foot towards your right foot, keep your left leg straight and maintain the rotation of your rib cage upwards. Reach your right hand out and place it about 1 ft away from, and in line with, your right foot. Direct your right inner knee to the small toe side of your foot and keep your sitting bone moving towards your groin.
- With the whole of your left leg firm and the heel extended, begin to lift your leg parallel to the floor. Start to straighten your right leg keeping the head of your femur (thigh bone) gripping into your hip socket (N.B. if you can’t fully straighten your standing leg with your hand on the floor, place your hand on a brick or a stack of blocks). This is where balance comes into play. The standing leg must be vertical – if the weight of the body goes too much towards the head and into the downward hand, the standing heel becomes light and the foot starts to turn inwards; if that happens the whole body will swivel and the balance will be lost. To prevent this, as you lift your left leg up, slowly draw your left foot to the left and firmly ground the right heel into the floor, straightening your right leg as you keep lifting the inner left leg up.
- Once you are steady in the pose, with the knee of your standing leg firm, stretch your breastbone towards your head and lengthen your spine. The back of your left leg, your sacrum bone and the back of your head should be in one line.
- Roll your right front shoulder bone back, stretch your left arm skywards in line with your right arm and tuck your shoulder blades in. Keep your front waist back to avoid overarching your lumbar spine. Lift your left front hip bone upwards to open the pelvis. If you are able to, look up. Breathe!
- To come out of the pose, keep stretching your top arm up, exhale, bend your right leg and step your left leg back. Return to Utthita Trikoṇāsana then inhale, come up, join the feet and repeat to the left side.
If balance is a problem, this pose may be practised with your back against a flat wall. Place your feet close to the wall, your standing leg should not lean into the wall but the head of your thigh bone should move into your hip socket. Using the wall is a beneficial way for anyone to practise as it not only provides support but also brings awareness to the back body. Take your head, shoulders and top leg back to the wall and draw your waist from front to back to “find” the wall. Being supported allows you to stay longer and explore the pose to really feel the lift and the opening.
When the pose becomes more familiar and the balance less challenging, try to co-ordinate the movements of the arms and legs and straighten the standing leg as you simultaneously lift the other, so that the pose develops a sense of rhythm and flow.
Cath teaches Iyengar yoga open level on Mondays at triyoga Ealing. To view her schedule and book a class, please click here.
