Ardha Chandrasana
A Journey Through Balancing Half Moon Pose
By Meg Novich
The elephant headed god, Ganesh, was stuffed to the tusk with sacred desserts. When a snake crossed his path, both he and the mouse he was sitting atop were startled and the sweets from his belly were scattered. Ganesh couldn’t bear the loss and began stuffing them back into his belly, still split apart. Chandra, the moon, gazed down upon Ganesh and laughed at the scene before her. Ganesh then fell victim to a second vice: his anger.
Ardha Chandrasana, or Balancing Half Moon Pose, often finds us when we are feeling weakest. As a pinnacle pose, a practice builds to this powerful shape. The standing leg wobbles, the hand seeks something while we hear the familiar anthem of “grab a block or a water bottle,” and the outstretched leg sways to find the angle required to stay upright through it all. Particularly as we practice in our own spaces, this fleeting moment might be missed by relocating the cat, taking a drink, changing the music, or any number of things. The effort is avoided, and maybe the moon is laughing at us, too.
In response to ridicule, Ganesh took the tusk from his right side and hurled it at the moon, piercing her and casting a curse that she would never shine again. The world found itself burning in the brightness of the sun, with no reprieve. There was no calm in the evening to reflect and draw those we love around us. There was no reawakening of the dawn, to reveal the new blooms of the earth and bring the rejuvenation of a fresh morning. The sun became oppressive to both gods and humankind. All hope was lost in the unwavering scorching of the sun. The gods gathered, begging Ganesh to return the light of the moon and restore the balance of the sky and earth.
Balance is tested during Ardha Chandrasana. In order to extend the limbs out, the center is an anchor. The erector spinae, our deep back muscles, work to bend the upper body parallel to the floor while maintaining the length of the trunk, while the abdominal muscles work to keep it suspended. The standing leg roots firmly in the earth through the calf muscles, the quadriceps straightens and stabilizes the knee, and the union of various hip and thigh muscles draw the hips forward, keeping them safely on top of the tested standing leg, the stake that grounds us to the earth. This is enough! Allow yourself some compromise. Move the cat.
Ganesh heard the appeal of the gods and declared his own compromise. He would allow the moon to reclaim some of her light. She would be allowed to shine again, but she was limited to waxing and waning. Her full glow would only be permitted once every four weeks. Though Chandra’s continuous changing was a reminder of the punishment handed down by Ganesh, the waxing and waning of our own energy sources remind us not of her curse but of the balance of our human condition.
As physical strength develops in Ardha Chandrasana, we find the bottom hand feeling lighter. We are leaning less and relying instead on the power within. The upper hand floats to the sky, reaching an open hand toward the moon, regardless of which phase we find her in. The extended leg is still, aligned with the spine, resisting any wavering in our resolve. With a flexed foot, energy extends from the sole and the crown of the head in equal degrees, claiming our space in the world. We are making the shape of the moon, harnessing what the sun and moon both offer in unison to bring us the strength and balance to achieve the asana so we can reap the rewards it offers.
As the effort of the pose is explored, it is clear that all muscle groups are working. But even as the front of the leg works to stay active, the back of the leg is reminded to relax. The grounding hip is flexing, while the raised hip externally rotates, thanks largely to the gluteus muscles and the much smaller psoas. Arms and shoulders find effort as they reach to any degree, counterbalancing around the center.
As we journey through half moon, the body is strengthened and our personal equilibrium is restored.
Both our inner and outer universes rely on this balance of forces. Within ourselves, they are represented by complementary lines of energy, one mirroring the sun with its warmth and work, and one the moon with its cool and calm. We know inherently, and learn again through each day, that rest is not an antagonist of accomplishment, but a prerequisite. That our effort and energy is not static, and that as the moon waxes and wanes so also do our emotions and the ways we engage with the events and people around us.
Even as we may be confronted with hardship, or fear, or grief, may the light of the moon lead us back into the sun. As the shadows come back into the light, our understanding of both are illuminated and we grow stronger and wiser, more balanced under our own Half Moon.