Yoga Practice (Posture):
Half Moon Pose
Half Moon Pose
Half Moon Pose is a yoga pose that engages the muscles of the standing leg to stabilize the ankle, knee and hip and maintain equilibrium, the abdominal muscles and spinal muscles to support the spine and trunk, and the standing hip as it flexes and abducts.
Builds balance and coordination
Strengthens legs, ankles, and core
Improves focus and body awareness
Encourages confidence by practicing stability
Stretches the sides of the body and hips
Instructions:
From Mountain Pose, turn to face one side of your mat. Place a block in your right hand, or on the floor about one foot away to your right side.
Rotating from the right hip, turn your foot out to right side 90°.
Spread the arms wide to either side, and lengthen from the heels pressing down to the top of the head reaching up.
Slowly shift body weight to the right until the left leg is free to lift. Maintaining the length and stability of the torso and the long left leg, slowly tilt to the right from your right hip.
As the left leg floats free from the floor, and the pelvis continues to tilt, keep the top hip and the torso rolling open toward the ceiling. Tilt the pelvis only as far as you choose without compressing the right hip. If appropriate, bring the right hand to the block.
To release, rise back up slowly and return the left leg to the floor, the turn the right foot back to parallel in Mountain Pose. Rest and integrate, then switch sides.
Stand tall and turn your body to the side. Reach your arms out like airplane wings.
Shift your weight onto one leg and slowly lift the other leg off the floor.
Tip your body sideways, keeping your chest open and your body long like a moon.
Come back up gently, put your foot down, stand tall, and switch sides. Notice how you feel.
Teaching Cues for Students
Implementation & Development
See our Child Development Page for more information to help tailor your instruction to best meet the needs of your students.
All children learn best given clear, concise, instructions, trying to reduce directional cues down to 4 steps.
Enjoys learning through games, songs, and stories. Cues for Balloon Breath can be incorporated into a song or a rhyme to make it more playful.
Focus: balance play, imagination, simplicity
Teach as a “moon balance” or “star balance.”
Skip the foot-turn details; start facing forward.
Use a wall, chair, or teacher’s hand for support.
Lift the back foot just a little; toes may stay low.
Arms open wide like wings.
Hold for 1–2 breaths, then switch sides.
Celebrate wobbling and stepping down.
End with both feet on the floor to “feel strong.”
Still enjoy routine, learning through games, group activity. Appreciates praise and being noticed. Slightly longer attention spans, may be able to take in more instructions and longer practices.
Focus: coordination, body awareness, confidence
Offer a block, chair, or wall as standard support.
Cue length first before tilting (“Grow tall, then tip.”).
Emphasize small tilt over big lift.
Encourage a soft bend in the standing knee if needed.
Invite noticing how balance changes side to side.
Hold briefly, then return slowly to standing.
Pause to integrate before switching sides.
As adolescence begins and continues, students will start to feel preoccupied with body image. It is important to cultivate a safe space for students to practice where they don’t feel singled out and they have the option to close their eyes or to soften their gaze.
Focus: autonomy, joint safety, self-regulation
Frame as a balance + hip-strength pose, not a shape to perfect.
Emphasize stability and length over how high the leg lifts.
Encourage use of blocks/wall without stigma.
Cue slow transitions in and out of the pose.
Normalize choosing a partial tilt or staying upright.
Invite awareness of breath, effort, and steadiness.
Rest between sides to avoid rushing.
Essential Principles
For many students, Half Moon is one of the most challenging balance poses in this practice. It aligns the entire body on a very narrow axis and a very small base of support, then asks the standing hip to stabilize and support most of the body weight in a place of very deep articulation. Taking the gaze away from the ground increases the balance challenge dramatically. The challenge can be engaging, even enjoyable, but also very frustrating. Encourage students to approach the spectrum of sensation gradually, and remind them that wobbling is inevitable—even helpful, as it is a sign that the body is adjusting intuitively to changes in equilibrium. The ground is not the goal; making conscious choices that respect your experience and reflect your values is the goal.
Options
To alleviate discomfort in the neck and simplify the challenge of balancing, turn the head to the side or down toward the floor.
To simplify the pose and alleviate discomfort in the shoulder, place the top hand on the hip.
To reduce the challenge of balancing and the articulation of the standing hip, place a hand on the back of a chair or the edge of a desk and don’t tilt as far into the posture.
To reduce the challenge of balancing and increase support, place your back against a wall before coming into the posture.
Helpful Hints
For knee or ankle sensitivity, support with a blanket.
If you are experiencing digestive issues, refrain from extended holds and practice with care.
Never overdo or force any yoga movement. If you begin to experience discomfort or pain, release the posture. Find a variation of the posture that serves your body and practice best.
Practice with self-compassion and non-judgement.
Universal Best Practices
Balance poses are always optional.
Support tools = smart practice, not a modification failure.
Avoid compressing the standing hip; smaller range is safer.
Encourage stepping down at any time without explanation.
End in Mountain Pose to reset and ground.
Content from NYCDOE YMTP² curricular materials