How to do Moon Salutations
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It's likely you've heard of Sun Salutations if you've been in a yoga studio. They're a series of poses stringed together. They encourages movement with the breath. They're meant to energize and bring heat. Hello! You're saluting the SUN.
I like Sun Salutations, they are active and I work up a sweat doing them. But today, I come to you with their counterpart, which I LOVE. Introducing, Moon Salutations! Yes, you are saluting the MOON -- which means yin energy and an emphasis on cooling rather than heating.
This is the Moon Salutations sequence I like to do, I got it from a Yoga International article and have since been teaching it on a weekly basis to my middle school students. I enjoy it because it's refreshing and there's a lot of grounded-ness in the poses. It's not as easy to strain yourself doing as it is when you do Sun Salutations. Plus, there's no chatarangas!
The Sequence
The sequence has a predictable pattern. It starts with inhaling up and exhaling down, it goes into downward dog and lunge, then you drop down onto your knees for some child's pose/kneeling action + a quick backbend, then back to downward dog and lunge, and you close it with the inhaling up and exhaling down bit.
- Start in standing
- Inhale hands up
- Exhale fold
- Inhale step back into a low lunge
- Exhale downward dog
- Inhale table top
- Exhale child's pose
- Inhale kneeling
- Exhale child's pose with prayer hands
- Inhale upward dog
- Exhale downward dog
- Inhale lunge
- Exhale fold
- Inhale stand
- Exhale hands at heart
Practice Moon Salutations with Me
Maybe you're a pro at following written sequences, if not, watch my video and practice it with me. I do it several times.