Published July 15, 2026 11:17AM
Yoga Journal’s archives series is a curated collection of articles originally published in past issues beginning in 1975. This article about Half Moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana) first appeared in the May-June 1986 issue of Yoga Journal.
The balancing pose (Half Moon Pose) is both a continuation of Trikonasana (Triangle Pose) and an independent asana in the standing series. Ardha Chandrasana should be practiced by students who are already familiar with Trikonasana and have attained a basic level of balance and flexibility.
Asanas tend to have either a quieting, a neutralizing, or an activating effect. With this in mind, one can choose poses according to one’s disposition each day so that the body and mind are brought into balance.
When one is too active, Ardha Chandrasana can be used, for it is one of the most cooling or quieting of the standing poses.
The concept of balance is an important one in the practice of yoga. Balance teaches the student poise and the difficult art of being at the edge without falling. In Buddhism, action is considered “right action” when it is in balance or harmony with its effect. Health can also be understood as a state of balance, and asana can be seen as a tool for recreating that balance by stimulating or quieting, depending on the practitioner’s needs on a given day. As part of a series of more active asanas, Ardha Chandrasana can be practiced to bring the student back to the harmony of a quieter state.
According to B. K. S. Iyengar, Ardha Chandrasana strengthens the legs and benefits the gastrointestinal system. Many students have found it helpful in health problems involving the liver. In addition to a sense of balance, Ardha Chandrasana requires flexibility in the hip joints, the adductor muscles of the inner thighs, and the hamstrings of the posterior thigh.
Balance in the pose comes in part from paying particular attention to the supporting foot, ankle, and knee joints. A common mistake is to allow the supporting foot to turn forward as one goes up into the pose.
Another common mistake is to allow the supporting ankle to collapse and to keep the supporting knee too bent, the opposite of overextending or hyperextending the knee. Any of these changes the vertical relationship of the supporting leg, thus making balance more difficult.
If the supporting leg is held still, with the foot turned out to 90 degrees, and if the knee is held straight without being too straight, and the ankle lifted to maintain the natural arch, balance will be easier, and one will feel a lightness and ease in the pose. Then one can concentrate on opening the pelvis away from the supporting leg; on turning the spinal column upward, thereby opening the chest; and on stretching the arms in opposite directions to create the vertical dynamic that balances with the horizontal dynamic of the uplifted leg.
The pose should feel light, the pressure on the supporting hand should not be too great, and balance should be maintained in large part by the tremendous integrity of the uplifted leg. If one pays attention to the backward stretch, one will feel as if the uplifted leg were holding up the entire body.
In other words, the emphasis of the pose should not be on a downward movement of the arm and trunk, but rather on lightness, life, and ease. When these qualities shine forth in Ardha Chandrasana, or in any asana, the practitioner is expressing, with his or her body, breath, and mind, the dynamic stillness that is the art of yoga.
How to Practice Half Moon Pose
Begin the practice of Ardha Chandrasana by first practicing Trikonasana. Then, with an exhalation, bend the forward knee, resting the fingertips on the floor. In the beginning, one can place the fingers behind an imaginary line that extends straight out from the foot. As one’s balance improves over time, one can place the fingers directly on the line.
Figure 2 shows this position with the additional aid of a firmly folded blanket under the fingers. The student with tight hamstring muscles in the back of the thighs will find this extra support particularly helpful. Take a breath at this point and, with an exhalation, come up into the pose as shown in Figure 3. Note the use of books here instead of a blanket.
As you come up, do not move the supporting foot. Be sure to keep the bent knee over the foot, and do not let the trunk turn toward the floor. Keeping the chest open as you come up not only enhances balance but also helps maintain stillness of mind by making additional adjustments unnecessary once you are in the pose.
Students who have a great deal of difficulty with balance may place their back against the wall—or, with a little more practice, the back foot only. Make sure that the alignment of the supporting leg remains vertical.
Hold the pose for 20 to 30 seconds, then come down on an exhalation by bending the supporting knee. Place the back foot again into the position shown in Figure 2, straighten the legs into Trikonasana, and slowly come up. Movements should be made on the exhalation, and the breath should remain easy and free throughout. Repeat the pose on the opposite side.
