The ninth in a series of columns offering yoga postures for men, women, and children to practice at home, school, on the road or in the office. With special thanks to Ross Pottinger of Wink Photo Design in Brisbane, Australia for the photos and the support in this project. And many thanks to Louisa Dick for taking part in the project. Do check with your health care practitioner before beginning a yoga practice. Many postures are not suitable for pregnant women, people with joint replacements, those with hypertension or other medical conditions. If you have a posture that you would like to see in this column, I welcome your suggestions. Namaste, H!

Ardha Chandrasana – Standing Crescent Moon

To Begin: Stand with feet together and parallel. Place your hands on your lower back for support. The Pose: Inhale and lengthen through the back of neck and lift through chest and ribcage, exhale and open hips, belly, rib-cage, chest and throat until there is a soft curve through the front of the body. Breathe deeply as you maintain the posture.

To Intensify: For advanced students, clasp hands overhead with shoulders broad.

Breathing: Breath deeply and naturally throughout the pose. It can be challenging to take full yogic breaths, but with practice you will be able to breath deeply into the belly, ribcage and back during the pose.

To Modify: Maintain hands on hips, minimize backward bend and focus more on lifting through the front of the body and establishing a lengthening of the lower back.

Focus: Keep weight balanced between heels and toes. As you become more proficient at the pose, try to move your weight into the point just in front of the heel. Be sure you don’t ‘collapse’ by maintaining length through the back of the body. Imagine you are lengthening both the front and the back of the spine.

Cautions: Those who suffer from lower back pain should ensure that they keep hands on hips, and focus on lifting and gently engaging abdominal muscles to support the back as it stretches. Always follow this pose with a forward fold.

Benefits: Develops suppleness of spine. Opens the front of the body. Re-energizes after long periods of sitting.

Philosophy: Openness, Salutation. Opening the front of the body can make us feel exposed and vulnerable, but through that vulnerability we become strengthen and we grow taller.