Ardha Candrāsana
Encyclopedia
Ardha Candrāsana or Half Moon Pose is an asana
.
. Hatha, as in hatha yoga
, is sometimes taken to mean sun
and moon from the syllables "ha" and "tha" representing solar and lunar energies. Yoga means "yoke", so hatha yoga is a binding or yoking together of solar and lunar energies. Chandra is also the golden moon god known as Soma
. Soma is the elixir of immortality
drunk by the gods. So in doing the posture Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose), one tunes into the unconscious energy of the moon which changes by waxing and waning.
Asana
Asana is a body position, typically associated with the practice of Yoga, originally identified as a mastery of sitting still, with the spine as a conduit of biodynamic union...
.
Etymology
The name comes from the Sanskrit words Ardha meaning "half", Candra or Chandra (चन्द्र) meaning "moon" or "luminous, as in the light from the moon", and Asana (आसन, Āsana) meaning "posture" or "seat".Benefits
The moon is symbolic in yoga mythologyMythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
. Hatha, as in hatha yoga
Hatha yoga
Hatha yoga , also called hatha vidya , is a system of yoga introduced by Yogi Swatmarama, a Hindu sage of 15th century India, and compiler of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika....
, is sometimes taken to mean sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
and moon from the syllables "ha" and "tha" representing solar and lunar energies. Yoga means "yoke", so hatha yoga is a binding or yoking together of solar and lunar energies. Chandra is also the golden moon god known as Soma
Soma
Soma , or Haoma , from Proto-Indo-Iranian *sauma-, was a ritual drink of importance among the early Indo-Iranians, and the subsequent Vedic and greater Persian cultures. It is frequently mentioned in the Rigveda, whose Soma Mandala contains 114 hymns, many praising its energizing qualities...
. Soma is the elixir of immortality
Immortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
drunk by the gods. So in doing the posture Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose), one tunes into the unconscious energy of the moon which changes by waxing and waning.