Full Moon Yoga Sequence for Beginners Video & Photo Tutorial (Moon Salutations or Chandra Namaskar)
Hey y’all!
My name is Miranda and I’m a 500RYT yoga teacher based in Asheville, NC. I’m also the owner & founder of Namaste in Nature, which combines yoga, hiking and meditation with the most beautiful mountains and waterfalls in Western North Carolina. We even do Full Moon Yoga Hikes April - October.
In this post, I will share with you how and when to do moon salutations (Chandra Namaskar) yoga step by step.
This sequence is long and can be a bit confusing at first so return to this page and re-watch this video as many times as you need to nail this sequence.
If you’ve been frustrated or confused by trying to learn or teach this sequence before, I encourage you to give it another try since I’m breaking it down as much as I can using video, pictures and even emojis! 🌝
After years of trial and error teaching this sequence, I’ve found it tends to be a lil’ easier to learn if I teach it with my back facing towards you so that you can follow along and move in the same direction as me. In other words, this is so you don’t have to “mirror” my movements.
[Skip to 5:30 in the video if you want to skip the intro and just practice the sequence.]
Moving sideways on our mat throughout this sequence represents the phases of the moon.
🌑 New Moon: No light; the first of the eight phases of the moon.
🌒 Waxing Crescent Moon: Gaining light; the second of the eight phases of the moon.
🌓 First Quarter Moon: Gaining light; the third of the eight phases of the moon.
🌔 Waxing Gibbous Moon: Gaining light, the fourth of the eight phases of the moon.
🌕 Full Moon: A Full Moon: Fully lit; the fifth phase of the eight phases of the moon.
🌖 Waning Gibbous Moon: Losing light; the sixth of the eight phases of the moon.
🌗 Last Quarter Moon: Losing light; the seventh of the eight phases of the moon.
🌘 Waning Crescent Moon: Losing light; the last of the eight phases of the moon.
The Moon has phases because it orbits Earth, which causes the portion we see illuminated to change. The Moon takes 27.3 days to orbit Earth, but the lunar phase cycle (from new Moon to new Moon) is 29.5 days. The Moon spends the extra 2.2 days "catching up" because Earth travels about 45 million miles around the Sun during the time the Moon completes one orbit around Earth. (Source: stardate.org)
Full moons and new moons are the best time to practice Moon Salutations.
🌑🌕
The full moon reminds us to let go of something that no longer serves us whether that’s a relationship, a physical object, a habit, thoughts or ideas. The new moon reminds us to finish or start something new; perhaps beginning or repairing a relationship, trying something new or out of your comfort zone, finally checking something off that’s been on your to-do list for a while.
Set your intention for this physical practice by journaling about:
• WHAT you want to do
• WHY you want to do it
• HOW (1-5 steps) you plan to accomplish it
• WHEN or the deadline by which you will accomplish it
Here’s the step by step sequence for Moon Salutation:
1. ⬅️ Start on the left side of your yoga mat. Gently grab the right wrist with the left hand and lean over towards your left. You should feel a good stretch in your right side body.
2. ➡️ Gently grab the left wrist with your right hand and lean over to your right. You should feel a stretch in the left side body.
3. ➡️ Open the body towards the right by stepping your right foot towards the right (short) edge of your mat. Knees bend gently over the legs and your hips sink down towards the Earth. Bend the elbows and let your palms face up towards the sky or forward. This is Goddess (Utkata Konasana) Pose.
4. ➡️ Keep the left toes facing the long edge of your mat but turn the right toes (and hip) towards the right side of the mat. Tip over towards your right and let the right hand come down to your right shin, ankle, foot, block or to the Earth and raise he left arm up towards the sky. This is Triangle (Trikonasana) Pose.
5. ➡️ Pivot the back (left) toes to face the same direction as the front (right) toes. Let the left arm come down towards the Earth and fold over your front (right) leg so your hands are on either side of your front (right) foot. You can shorten your stance and step the back (left) foot in a bit if needed. Imagine your feet are on railroad tracks with space in between them (NOT a tightrope where your feet are directly in front of each other). This is Pyramid (Parvotanasana) Pose.
6. ➡️ Your hands are still framing the front (right) foot. Bend the front (right) knee so the front (right) leg is at a right angle with the right knee aligned over the right ankle. Let the back (left) leg gently come down to the mat.
7. ➡️ Raise the arms up towards the sky. You’ll feel a stretch in the legs and hips (but don’t let the hips sink down too low). This is Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana) Pose.
Front view of side lunge/skandasana for visual reference
8. ➡️ Pivot towards the long edge of your mat so that your right knee is facing forward. Bring both hands on the inside of your right leg. (Your right toes are on the Earth but your right heel is likely off of the Earth.) Keep the left leg extended with the left toes pointing up towards the sky. You have the option to also raise the left arm up towards the sky. This is Side Lunge (Skandasana) Pose.
9. ⬅️ Walk the hands and the body over to the left, short edge of your mat. Take a breath in side lunge (skandasana) on this side with the left knee pointing forward, right leg extended, right toes pointing up towards the sky and (optional) right arm up.
10. ⬅️ Pivot to face the left, short edge of your mat. Bring your hands on either side of the front (left) foot and square the hips. Left knee is aligned over the left ankle and right knee can rest on the Earth. Lift both arms up on the inhale and let the arms return to the Earth on the exhale which will complete another Low Lunge (Anjaneyasana).
11. ⬅️ Keep the left foot planted but straighten both legs and let the back (right) leg kind of pop up. You can shorten your stance if needed. Keep both hands down and fold over the left leg for Pyramid Pose (Parvotanasana) on this side. (You can also use two blocks to extend the arms if your hands don’t touch the Earth).
12. ⬅️ Keep the front (left) foot as is, but pivot the back (right) leg so that the toes face the long edge of your mat. Keep the left hand down on the Earth, on a block or on your foot/ankle/shin and let the right arm rise up towards the sky for Triangle (Trikonasana) Pose on this side.
13. ➡️ Lead with the right arm, pivot the left foot and let the body rise up so everything is facing the long edge of your mat. Sink the hips down as much as you can into Goddess (Utkata Konasana) Pose.
14. ⬅️ Bring both feet together by stepping the left foot over to meet the right foot at the right, short edge of the mat. We are half way through this sequence.
Gently grab the right wrist with the left hand and stretch to your left.
15. ➡️ Gently grab your left wrist with your right hand and stretch over to the right.
16. ⬅️ Step the left foot out towards the left, short edge of the mat and take a breath in Goddess Pose.
17. ⬅️ Transition and take a breath in Triangle Pose towards the left side of your mat.
18. ⬅️ Transition and take a breath in Pyramid Pose facing the left side of your mat.
19. ⬅️ Transition and take a breath in Low Lunge facing the left side of your mat.
20. ⬅️ Transition into Side Lunge towards the left side of your mat and take a breath in this pose.
21. ➡️ Transition to Side Lunge on the right side of your mat.
22. ➡️ Pivot and face the right side of the mat for another Low Lunge.
23. ➡️ Straighten the legs (adjust/shorten stance as needed) and fold over the right leg for Pyramid Pose.
24. ➡️ Pivot the back toes and open the body with the right arm up towards the sky for Triangle Pose on the right side of your mat.
25. ⬅️ Step the left foot out towards the left side of your mat and transition into & take a breath in one final Goddess Pose.
26. ⬅️ Step the feet together at the left side of your mat. (You can face the long edge of your mat if you are going to start another Moon Salutation sequence OR pivot and face the front of your mat if this is the end of your sequence).
Gently grab the right wrist and stretch over to your left.
27. ➡️ Gently grab the left wrist and stretch over to your right.
Thanks so much for practicing Moon Salutations with me today! My goal is for you to memorize this sequence and incorporate it into your own yoga practice, especially during new and full moons.
And if you ever want to practice yoga underneath a full moon in the midst of the ancient Appalachian mountains, you can join me or one of my other amazing yoga/hiking guides for a Full Moon Yoga Hike (weather-permitting) April - October near Asheville, North Carolina.
Namaste & Have A Great Day!
💖 Miranda
