HALF MOON POSE OR ARDHA CHANDRASANA

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We've been having a look at half moon pose or ardha chandrasana recently. Despite appearing relatively simple there's quite a lot going on in this posture: balance to stand on one leg; hip strength to lift the top leg; core strength to keep your torso lifted; flexibility to be able to turn your top toes out and reach the floor with your bottom hand.... the list goes on. My regular students know that I'm very keen on using props if they can help you get more from a pose, and this is one of those postures that a block can often really help with.

To get into half moon pose start with your legs in a warrior 2 stance (if you're not sure what that looks like, have a look here). If that, or any of the following steps don't work for your body: back off. If not, and if your right leg is in front (which it is for me in the photos above):

• step your left foot towards your right to shorten your stride
• take your left hand on to your left hip, and your right fingertips to the floor a decent step in front of your right little toe
• shift your weight on to your front (ie right) leg, so much that your back leg can lift
• keep your standing leg bent a little as you stack your left hip on top of your right. Lift your top leg and turn it out so that your toes are pointing out to the side rather than to the floor
• turn your chest up to the ceiling and draw your top shoulder back
• straighten your bottom leg
• lift your top arm straight up, with palm facing the same way as your chest
• depending on how it feels on your neck: look down to the floor, out to the side or up towards your top hand.

In the top photo above I'm demoing a (perhaps slightly exaggerated - but not much!) version of this posture that people can find themselves in when they first give it a try. Notice how in an effort to get my bottom hand to the floor I've had to turn my chest and top shoulder down to the floor. This in turn makes it difficult to stack my top hip on top of my bottom hip, and therefore also to lift my top leg. In the bottom photo above, I'm using a block to bring the floor a little towards me. It's helped me keep my chest from turning down to the floor, and therefore also to stack my hips on top of each other and get more lift in my back leg. 

I'm not sure why some people don't like to use props. Maybe they think it means they aren't as good at yoga, or as the other people in the room who aren't using a block? I use them all the time, and am happy to use anything to hand that'll help me get more from my yoga practice. Why struggle without a prop if one can transform the effect a posture has on your body? Anyway, that's just my personal view. You can judge for yourself from the photos whether you think my half moon pose looks like it feels better with or without a little extra lift under my bottom hand!

Flying pigeon pose or eka pada galavasana

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I posted the photo at the top of this page - of flying pigeon or eka pada galavasana - on my Instagram recently. And then had a few requests for tips on how to actually get into it.... Sorry guys- that's what I should have done first time round! Anyway, here's my five steps for working towards getting that back foot off the floor in this posture. Before you begin warm up the outside of your hips with thread the needle or pigeon prep pose, and make sure your arms will be able to support your weight by checking you've got a solid chaturanga dandasana/ low plank position (see my earlier post on chaturanga if you're unsure!). And back off if anything (especially your top knee) hurts.

1. Take your weight on to your right foot, lift your left leg and flex that foot (ie draw your toes back towards your shin). Place the outside of your left ankle above your right knee. Bend your standing leg a little and start to move your hips back. Hands in prayer (photo 1) 

2.  Sit lower by bending your standing knee and moving your hips back. Keep your top foot flexed. If the stretch in your top hip starts to get too intense stop where you are. Otherwise move towards touching your forearms to your top shin. Stopping whenever you need to, work towards bringing fingertips on to the floor (photo 2) 

3. Flex your left foot around your right arm, so that your toes kind of wrap around the outside of your upper arm. Bring your hands flat on to the floor. Work your arms underneath your top leg until your shin is in your armpits (photo 3)

4. Move your hands a step forwards. Draw your shoulders down your back, keep your elbows in by your sides and grip the floor with your fingertips. Start to take more weight on your hands (photo 4)

5. Keep moving your weight forwards until your back foot gets so light it can lift. You may find you need to play with shifting your weight back and forth from hands to foot for a while to get used to it before you can lift your foot. Look forwards, not down! (photo 5) 

Then once you've mastered each of these steps, the next stage is to start straightening your top leg towards the full posture (see here if you're not sure what that looks like). Repeat on the other side ✨

The surprising way to deepen your twists

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We have been taking some progressively deeper twists in class this week, and this is the order they've been appearing (dotted throughout the class). In the top two, and bottom left, photos my upper body is turning gradually more towards the camera, and in the last one my upper body stays where it is but my lower body turns a little away from the camera (when I bring my back heel on to the floor). A key warm up for working towards taking the bound twists (bottom photos) is internal rotation of the shoulders - think bottom arm in gomukhasana. And if you're not sure what 'internal rotation' means hold your arm out to the side at shoulder height, palm facing down. Now turn it so your thumb points down to the floor and palm faces behind you. Your arm has internally rotated (palm facing forwards with thumb pointing up is the opposite- external rotation).

So, after getting slightly sidetracked, back to my original point: warming up the shoulders is great for twists. And these poses will help to stretch out your back. But if you find you're getting stuck don't forget that twists also require flexibility in your outer hips, so that you can twist towards each leg. For example, in these pictures I need flexibility in my right outer hip so I can turn my upper body towards that leg. And vice versa for the other side. A good warm up for outer hips is to lie on your back and straighten one leg (eg your right) up towards the ceiling. Hold on to your foot or use a strap to hold it. Then keep your back and pelvis level on the floor but take your leg across your body (so for your right leg, take it over your body towards the left). Move your leg until it stops, or until you feel a stretch in that outer hip. Then repeat on the other side. And remember not to force yourself into a twist (or any other yoga pose!): inhale to back off a little and lengthen your spine, exhale draw your lower belly in  and maybe turn a little deeper. Inhale, exhale, repeat 🌟