Bikram Yoga Posture #2: Half Moon Pose with Hands to Feet Pose – Ardha-Chandrasana with Pada-Hastasana

Posture #2
Half Moon Pose with Hands to Feet Pose
Ardha-Chandrasana with Pada-Hastasana

In Half Moon, you begin to open up the whole skeletal system, including the spine, neck, ribs and scapulae. Your entire body then opens like a beautiful, blooming flower. This will include your first backbend, which is incredibly therapeutic. Next is Hands to Feet. Since the spine is not quite warmed up yet, you must approach this posture in a slow, controlled manner. Gravity helps to pull and lengthen your spine, while creating a wonderful stretch for your hamstrings. Blood rushes to the brain and synovial fluid in your joints begins to flow. This posture wakes up the body and does wonders for the lower back and spine.

Benefits:

Half Moon Pose – Ardha-Chandrasana

• Increases vitality
• Gives quick energy
• Increases strength and flexibility of muscles in the abdomen and shoulders
• Increases spinal flexibility
• Corrects poor posture
• Promotes proper kidney function
• Helps to cure enlargement of the liver and spleen, dyspepsia, and constipation
• Firms and trims waistline, hips, abdomen, buttocks and thighs
• Increases the flexibility and strength of the rectus abdominus, latissmus dorsi, obliques, deltoids and trapezius muscles
• Stimulates proper function of the pancreas, kidneys and liver
• Stretches and stimulates the thyroid and parathyroid glands
• Regulates hormone production
• Relieves back pain
• Good for frozen shoulder
• Good for abdominal obesity
• Helps with sciatic problems

Hands to Feet Pose – Pada-Hastasana

• Increases flexibility of the spine, sciatic nerve, tendons and ligaments of legs
• Strengthens hamstrings and calves
• Increases circulation in legs and brain
• Increases strength and flexibility of muscles including the rectus abdominus, gluteus maximus, obliques, deltoids, and trapezius muscles
• Firms and trims waistline, hips, abdomen and thighs
• Lengthens the spine making it supple and elastic
• Opens shoulder joints
• Good for frozen shoulder
• Relieves lower back pain
• Good for abdominal obesity
• Greatly enhances concentration
• Helps with sciatic problems
• Stimulates pituitary and pineal glands
• Exercises colon, pancreas, kidneys, muscular, skeletal, respiratory and glandular systems

Please click here for Bikram Yoga instructor’s dialogue for Half Moon Pose with Hands to Feet Pose – Ardha-Chandrasana with Pada-Hastasana

26 Bikram Yoga Postures

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |

This is the second article in a twenty-six article series dedicated to each of the Beginning Bikram Yoga postures. Images, videos, descriptions, outline of benefits, practice tips, insights and the revised version of the instructor’s dialogue for each pose of Bikram’s Beginning Yoga Class are included in these articles. Enjoy!

Namaste!

Credit: bikramyoga.com, Bikram Yoga by Bikram Choudhury, wikipedia.org, scribd.com, video: BikramWestshore