Introduction
Chandra Namaskar's theory identifies 14 asanas that represent 14 lunar phases. However, actually greeting the moon is a more spontaneous practice than Surya Namaskar. During the training of Chandra Namaskar, you have to take a few more positions than the stated 14, because some of the asanas you will perform in several variations. When you perform Greetings to the moon you will have to rearrange the rhythm of the lesson, which is different from others. In Chandra Namaskar, all movements are very slow and smooth, soothing, flowing into each other. Yoga gurus say that when you greet the moon, you must imagine that you are moving in the water where a sudden movement is impossible to make.
So, let's move on to the practice
Let's start in a standing position, feet shoulder-width apart. Perform the Anjali mudra by bending your arms at the elbows, turning your palms to the night sky and connecting your little fingers. Next, open your heart-perform Anuvittasana. To do this, after performing the Anjali mudra, spread your hands to the sides and place your palms on the sacrum or raise them above your head. Perform a bend back, abdomen and chest pull up.
To compensate for the deflection in the back, perform the lunar variation of the forward Tilt from a standing position-Uttanasana. Its peculiarity is that you can leave your knees bent, and place your palms on the floor in front of the toes, turning them to the lunar sky and your chest down on the hips.
Next, take a step back with your left foot and drop into a deep lunge on your right leg. Place your palms on the floor around the foot of the front leg. Next, we will perform the so-called smooth Lunar Vinyasa. To do this, turn the foot 90 degrees clockwise, and then expand the body. The palm of the left-hand leaves on the floor behind the right foot and right straight arm rises up. Further deepen the turn of the body, taking the right straight arm to the side and opening the chest. Alternate the position with the hand raised up and go with 2 more times. Once done, then slowly roll counter-clockwise until deep lunge on the right leg, both palms again place on the floor. Now, let us fulfil spontaneous pose of than half Garlands-Sahaja Ardha malasanu: transfer weight bodies the on left, then on right pace, serially bending the knee and respectively straightening opposite its feet. Repeat the movement three times on each leg. At the end of the Vinyasa, descend into a deep lunge on the left leg and perform the Lunar Vinyasa-Samachandrasana - on the other side.
Returning to the deep lunge, take your left leg back, straighten at the knee and go to the straight bar. After it will perform Anatacau – lower the knees, chest and straight arms on the floor. Having a fixed position, completely stretch out on a floor, lying on a stomach. Next, place each palm on the floor at the chest of the same name, lift the body up, open the chest-go to the Cobra pose-Sahaja Bhujangasana – and alternately rotate the shoulders three times in it. Then raise your buttocks up and come into the pose downward-facing Dog – Adho Mukha of svanasana and three times alternately raise your heel off the floor then the right, then the left foot. Lift under the floor first the right straight leg, then do the same with the left leg. At the end of the ligament, drop into a deep lunge on the left leg and swing the pelvis in it right-left three times.
Now, it’s a time to put the right bent leg to the left bent leg, place the palms on the floor, directing them to the lunar sky, lift the buttocks up – go back to the lunar Uttanasana, with which we started training. Then straighten and bend back into Anuvittasana. Finally, straighten the body and fold the palms in the Anjali mudra and you can take great benefits of the Chandra Namaskar.
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Kushagra Bhatnagar is a Yoga Lover, Writer, Traveler and blogger having deep knowledge about yoga asanas. and meditation techniques. You can find him practising Yoga at Rishikesh YTTC or hiking somewhere in the Himalayas.