I received a question this week from a woman who is currently taking Pranakriya’s 200-hour yoga teacher training with me:
What do we call the pose in the second photo? It is considered ardha chandrasana/half moon in many yoga classes. They are so different (in my opinion) that I find it confusing why they are called the exact same name but look so different from each other. And I am wondering the difference between crescent moon, half moon, quarter moon poses?Â
In the world of yoga, both poses can be called Ardhachandrasana. Sometimes the second is called Balancing Half-moon. As you progress with this teaching journey, you will repeatedly encounter traditions calling the same shape different names, as well as using the same name for different poses. I believe we can become a more effective teacher when we can absorb all discrepancies and inconsistencies and just let it exist. When we as teachers start to get hung up on names and make one right and another wrong, then we aggravate the lack of unity in the yoga world. Be consistent with what you call the poses, and be supportive of students and teachers that use other names.
