Anjaneyasana or crescent moon pose: Benefits and steps

In the world of strength training, lunges have gained popularity for their ability to make the hips, legs, and back strong. They are also great for improving mobility as well as stability. The interesting thing about this exercise is that you can also do them during your yoga class. A slightly challenging version of this exercise goes by the name anjaneyasana in Yoga. It is sometimes referred to as the low lunge pose or crescent moon pose. In this pose, your front knee will be bent at a 90-degree angle while your back leg will be extended behind you, and your arms will be raised overhead. It is particularly good for your lower body, as it stretches the tight muscles in that portion.

What is anjaneyasana?

Anjaneyasana, also known as the low lunge pose or crescent moon pose, is a dynamic yoga posture that offers numerous health benefits. “This pose involves a deep stretch of the hips and legs while simultaneously promoting balance, coordination, and mental focus,” says fitness coach Dr Mickey Mehta. The Low Lunge Pose is often used as a preparatory posture for deeper stretches or an advanced pose like hanumanasana or the monkey pose.

Here are the muscles stretched in the crescent moon pose:

• It stretches the hip flexors, quadriceps, and hamstrings, with extra attention to biceps femoris, which is the muscle in the back of the thigh.
• The glutes, and especially the gluteus maximus, are stimulated.
• There is also a very mild stretch along the chest and shoulders (pectoralis major, deltoids) and even upper back.

What are the benefits of anjaneyasana?

1. Strengthens lower body

Anjaneyasana helps to stretch many muscles such as the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes, which in turn strengthens the legs. Lunges, including low lunge, can tone the hips, glutes, and thighs, according to research published in the Journal Of Human Kinetics in 2018.

2. Heart-opening pose

“Crescent moon pose is considered a heart-opening pose because it stretches the chest and shoulders, which reduces tension and makes you sit up straight,” says the expert. This makes you raise your chest and opens up your lungs for expansion.

3. Improves coordination and balance

Yoga, in general, is known to improve physical balance in people. A 2016 study, published in Age And Ageing, showed that yoga can help in improvement in balance in people aged more than 60. Anjaneyasana focuses on improving concentration and balance. The concentration needed to hold the posture helps to strengthen the body-mind connection. “This is a good pose to enhance both physical as well as mental balance,” says Dr Mehta.

4. Prepares for deeper stretches

It can be used as a preceding pose to more complex positions like hanumanasana (monkey pose) or eka pada rajakapotasana (one-legged king pigeon pose). This helps to open up the hips and thighs, allowing for a smoother transition into deeper stretches.

5. Relief from sciatic nerve pain

Performing the crescent moon pose can help to stretch the muscles around the sciatic nerve gently, particularly at the hip level. “This helps to release any tension or pain that could result from the tightening or compression of the sciatic nerve,” says Dr Mehta.

6. May be good for digestion

Wind-Relieving Pose is one of the popular asanas to improve your gut health. If you are looking for a yoga pose to improve digestion, you can also try the crescent moon pose. While doing the low lunge pose, your abdominal muscles get stimulates which helps to improve digestion.

How to do anjaneyasana?

• Assume the high lunge position by having your right foot forward and the left leg straight backward.
• Let your left knee reach close to the floor, with your right knee staying over your right ankle.
• Engage your core, elongate the spine, expand your chest and keep your shoulders relaxed.
• Stand with your arms raised overhead and your palms facing each other while looking forward or slightly up.
• Hold the pose for 5 to 10 breaths then switch to the other side.

Variations of anjaneyasana

• Anjaneyasana with knee lift: Instead of lowering your back knee, keep it slightly lifted to reduce knee strain.
• Anjaneyasana with strap: Add a strap under your front foot for a deeper stretch in the hip and thigh.
• Anjaneyasana with forward bend: Move forward to touch your hands to the ground and create a more intense stretch in the back leg and hip.
• Twisting anjaneyasana: Twist your torso to one side and keep your hips facing front for deep stretching in the spine and hips.
• Anjaneyasana with wall support: Begin facing a wall by leaning against the wall for stabilising your body, move backward slowly and then try to bring your back leg up for stability.

Who should avoid anjaneyasana?

• Those with knee injuries should avoid deep knee bends or modify this pose by keeping your back knee slightly lifted to reduce strain.
• Modify the crescent moon pose by keeping your front thigh at a 90-degree angle to the ground to prevent overextending your hip.
• People with back injuries should concentrate on keeping their spine long and avoid deep forward bends that may strain their lower back.

Anjaneyasana is more of a foundational yoga pose that helps with physical strength, flexibility, and balance. This yoga pose is also good for improving concentration.