Intro to Moon Salutations

As you go through this flow, you may choose to picture the stages of the moon’s cycle with Tadasana representing the New Moon and Yogi’s Squat embodying the Full Moon.

Begin in  Tadasana / Mountain Pose. Inhale to extend your arms long overhead into  Urdhva Hastasana / Upward Mountain. Exhale and side stretch to the right, leaning into  Standing Crescent Pose. Inhale to center and exhale, repeating on the left side. Exhale to step your feet apart wide, facing the long edge of your mat. Soften your knees as you squat down into  Goddess Pose  as you find  Sukhasana / Cactus Arms  and  Anjuli Mudra. Inhale to release the squat to  Star Pose. Exhale, bring your right hand to your shin or calf, reach your left arm up and rotate your chest towards the ceiling to find  Trikonasana / Triangle Pose. Exhale, lower your left arm to frame your front foot. Square both hips towards the front and fold over your right leg to find  Parsvottanasana / Pyramid Pose. Inhale, step your left foot back, bend your right knee and lower into  Anjaneyasana / Low Lunge. Exhale, lower both hands and turn inwards on the ball of your right foot to find  Skandasana / Side Lunge  towards the long edge of your mat. Exhale, adjust both legs to find  Yogi’s Squat / Malasana.

From here the sequence is reversed, turning towards the left and repeating the entire loop on the opposite side.

You’ll notice that this sequence focuses primarily on the lower body, unlike sun salutations which awakens the upper body and core. The asanas in Chandra Namaskar are more grounding to encourage a state of relaxation. Practice 3-5 rounds before bed to flow into a peaceful night's sleep.

Begin in  Tadasana / Mountain Pose. Inhale to extend your arms long overhead into  Urdhva Hastasana / Upward Mountain. Exhale and side stretch to the right, leaning into  Standing Crescent Pose. Inhale to center and exhale, repeating on the left side. Exhale to step your feet apart wide, facing the long edge of your mat. Soften your knees as you squat down into  Goddess Pose  as you find  Sukhasana / Cactus Arms  and  Anjuli Mudra. Inhale to release the squat to  Star Pose. Exhale, bring your right hand to your shin or calf, reach your left arm up and rotate your chest towards the ceiling to find  Trikonasana / Triangle Pose. Exhale, lower your left arm to frame your front foot. Square both hips towards the front and fold over your right leg to find  Parsvottanasana / Pyramid Pose. Inhale, step your left foot back, bend your right knee and lower into  Anjaneyasana / Low Lunge. Exhale, lower both hands and turn inwards on the ball of your right foot to find  Skandasana / Side Lunge  towards the long edge of your mat. Exhale, adjust both legs to find  Yogi’s Squat / Malasana.