Moon Salutation

Like Sun Salutations, Moon Salutations can be included as part of a longer class, or practised by themselves as a restorative sequence to cool and soothe the body. They are especially nice to do in the evening as the meditative, calming quality of the poses helps to form a stronger connection to the breath, preparing the body and the mind for a restful night’s sleep. The moon salutations include open, graceful and sweeping movements, focusing on opening the hips and encouraging a sense of almost meditative dance. Like Sun Salutations there are many variations of the Moon Salutation sequence.

The moon salutations are a way to not only welcome in the cool darkness of the night, but also offer a reminder to reflect upon our own phases and cycles. Imagine that the side stretches and circular motion of the sequence represent the waxing and waning phases of the moon. Practicing a moon salutation is a way to acknowledge and respect that just as the full moon moves through constant change, so too do our minds and bodies.

Step by step

Tadasana/ Mountain Pose:

The work in Mountain Pose is bringing your skeleton with its unique attributes into neutral alignment. Thus it becomes the starting point, or blueprint, for all other asana. We don’t spend our day in neutral alignment because it requires a lot of effort. That’s because the things we do all day, sit in chairs, walk up stairs, cook, creates imbalances that need correcting. We all have tight muscles some places and a lack of stability others, making neutrality elusive.

Tadasana is the starting place from which all other asana is born. Once you know Tadasana’s efforts in your body, all other asana becomes simply one—or many—intentional shifts in specific joints or body parts away from Tadasana, while the other areas of the body maintain its neutrality. A simple example: Urdhva Hastasana is simply Tadasana plus 180 degrees of shoulder flexion and cervical spine extension, or arms overhead and looking up. Nothing else about Tadasana and its efforts has changed. Even when Tadasana is taught well, as soon as students move to a more challenging pose, their preexisting physical challenges tend to reappear. Thus the blueprint of Tadasana is lost.

Stand with your feet apart and rooted to the ground. Press your weight evenly across the balls and arches of your feet. With your palms pressed together in Anjali mudra or prayer position while your thumbs rest on the sternum. Lift your crown to the moon, close your eyes and visualize the moon at the point between your eyebrows, where the Ajna chakra lies. Then slowly let your focus radiate to the rest of the body. Take in a few deep, purifying breaths and begin.

If you have trouble balancing, stand with your feet six inches apart (or wider). Gradually step your feet closer together as you gain balance in the pose.

Urdhva Hastasana (OORD-vah hahs-TAHS-uh-nuh)/ Upward Salute:

For many people, Upward Salute is a natural way to stretch the whole body, often done automatically after sleeping or sitting for long periods. Standing up and reaching the arms overhead awakens the body from toes to fingertips, providing a boost of energy. It’s a simple way to feel rejuvenated!

A vital part of Sun Salutations and many other warm-up sequences, Urdhva Hastasana properly aligns the spinal column. This helps to protect the spinal muscles and nerves during other movements. By creating space between the vertebrae, the pose improves posture and helps to prepare the spine for deeper stretches and twists.

Open your eyes, inhale and extend your arms outwards and upwards, interlacing your fingers, index fingers pointing skywards.

Standing Crescent Pose:

Exhale and bend to your right, extending long through the left side, all the way from the outer left foot to the tips of the index fingers. Keep your lower belly drawing in and up to protect your lower back. Inhale to center and exhale and bend to your left. Inhale back to center.

On the rewind of the steps, we bend to the left.

Goddess Pose:

Exhale, step the feet apart, toes pointing slightly out. Soften the knees and squat, keeping the knees in line with the ankles and the back straight. Arms bend at the elbows to a 90-degree angle, fingers in Anjali mudra (thumb and forefinger touching).

Trikonasana / Triangle Pose:

Inhale, turn both feet to the right, arms outstretched and parallel to the floor. Exhale, reach long over the right leg. Lower the right hand to ankle or shin and extend the left arm to the sky. Inhale and rotate the chest to the sky.

Parsvottonasana / Pyramid Pose:

Exhale, take your left arm down to frame right foot with the right hand, rotate the back foot even further and turn both hips forward to fold over your right (straight) leg. Lunge over right foot: Inhale, step the left foot back and bend the right knee so you come into a lunge position. Make sure the knee stays in line with the ankle and push the left thigh up and back.

Skandasana / Wide legged squat over right leg:

Exhale, bring both hands to the floor to the big toe side of your right foot. Turn inwards on the ball of the right foot and rotate your body to the front of the mat. Left leg is extended, toes point to the ceiling. If your balance allows it bring your hands together in Anjuli Mudra (prayer position) or keep your hands resting on the floor.

Goddess Pose:

Inhale, come back to a squat in the center of your mat - Goddess pose with hands in prayer position. Exhale - knees in line with ankles, back straight, chest open.

Rewind:

At this point we turn towards the left leg and ‘rewind’ the poses we have already done, this time bending to the left in Standing Crescent pose

Skandasana / Wide legged squat over left leg
Lunge over left foot, right leg steps further back, both hands framing the left foot.

Parsvottonasana / Pyramid Pose: exhale, right foot steps in a little, left leg straightens, level the hips and come into Parvsottonasana folding over the left leg.

Trikonasana/ Triangle Pose: Inhale, right foot readjusts and right arm extends upwards, rotate your chest to the sky. Exhale.

Goddess Pose: Inhale step the feet wide, toes pointing slightly out. Exhale, bend the knees and come into Goddess pose squat.

Urdhva Hastasana / Upward Salute: Inhale, step the feet back in, arms up towards the sky, hands clasped, index fingers extending..