Get into Anjaneyasana or Crescent Pose to strengthen your lower body

In the world of strength training, lunges have gained popularity due to their ability to strengthen the hips, legs and back. They are also great for improving mobility as well as stability. The great thing about this exercise is that you can also do it during your yoga class. A slightly more difficult version of this exercise in yoga is called anjaneyasana. It is sometimes called the low lunge pose or the half-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 above your head. This is especially good for the lower body as it stretches tight muscles in that area.

What is Anjaneyasana?

Anjaneyasana, also known as Low Lunge Pose or Half Moon Pose, is a dynamic yoga pose that offers many health benefits. “This pose provides a deep stretch in the hips and legs while promoting balance, coordination and mental focus,” says fitness trainer Dr. Mickey Mehta. Low Lunge Pose is often used as a preparatory pose for deeper stretches or for advanced poses such as Hanumanasana or Monkey Pose.

Here are the muscles stretched in the crescent pose:

• It stretches the hip flexors, quadriceps, and hamstrings with a special focus on the biceps femoris, which is the muscle in the back of the thigh.
• The gluteal muscles, and especially the gluteus maximus, are stimulated.
• There is also a very slight stretch along the chest and shoulders (pectoralis major, deltoids) and even the upper back.

What are the benefits of Anjaneyasana?

1. Strengthens the lower body

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

2. Posture of opening the heart

“The half-moon pose is considered a heart-opening pose because it stretches the chest and shoulders, which reduces tension and forces you to sit up straight,” says the expert. This causes your chest to rise and opens your lungs to expand.

3. Improves coordination and balance

Yoga is known to improve people’s physical balance. A 2016 study published in Age And Aging found that yoga can help improve balance in people over 60. Anjaneyasana focuses on improving concentration and balance. The concentration required to hold the posture helps strengthen the mind-body connection. “This is a good pose for improving both physical and mental balance,” says Dr. Mehta.

4. Prepares for deeper stretch marks

It can be used as a preliminary pose to more difficult poses such as hanumanasana (monkey pose) or eko pada rajakapotasana (one-legged pigeon pose). This helps open up the hips and thighs, allowing you to more smoothly transition into deeper stretches.

5. Relief of sciatic nerve pain

Performing the half-moon pose can help to gently stretch the muscles around the sciatic nerve, especially at thigh level. “This helps to relieve tension or pain that may result from tension or compression of the sciatic nerve,” says Dr. Mehta.

6. May be good for digestion

Wind Relief Pose is one of the popular asanas for improving gut health. If you are looking for a yoga pose to improve digestion, you can also try the half moon pose. When performing a low lunge, the abdominal muscles are stimulated, which helps improve digestion.

How to do Anjaneyasana?

• Get into a lunge position with your right leg forward and your left leg straight back.
• Let your left knee reach the floor and your right knee over your right ankle.
• Engage your core, lengthen your spine, expand your chest and relax your shoulders.
• Stand with your arms raised above your head and palms facing each other, looking straight ahead or slightly up.
• Hold the pose for 5 to 10 breaths, then switch to the other side.

Anjaneyasana Variations

• Anjaneyasana with raised knees: Instead of lowering the knee behind you, keep it slightly raised to reduce the stress on the knees.
• Anjaneyasana with a strap: Add a strap under the front foot for a deeper hip and thigh stretch.
• Anjaneyasana with a forward bend: Move forward to touch the ground with your hands and create a more intense stretch in the back leg and hip.
• Anjaneysana twist: Twist your torso to one side and keep your hips facing forward for a deep spine and hip stretch.
• Anjaneyasana with support on the wall: Start facing a wall, leaning on the wall to stabilize your body, slowly move backwards, then try to lift your back leg for stability.

Who Should Avoid Anjaneyasana?

• Those with knee injuries should avoid deep knee bends or modify this position by keeping the back knee slightly elevated to reduce stress.
• Change to Crescent Pose, keeping your front hip at a 90-degree angle to the ground to prevent excessive hip extension.
• People with back injuries should focus on keeping the spine long and avoid deep forward bends that can put strain on the lower back.

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

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