Half Moon + Hands to Feet

The temptation is to let the hips shift sideways to reach further in the side bends, which turns a spinal side bend into a hip sway instead. The reach should come from lengthening up first, out of both standing legs, before the body tips in any direction.

To move the spine progressively through side bending, backbending, and forward folding, from one stable, feet-together standing base.

1. 1Stand with feet together, weight even, and interlace the fingers overhead, index fingers pointing up.
2. 2Keeping the hips stacked over the feet, reach up and over to the right for a side bend, then return to center.
3. 3Repeat to the left, then return to center.
4. 4From center, arch back gently into a small standing backbend, hips staying forward over the feet rather than shifting back.
5. 5From the backbend, hinge forward at the hips into a fold, hands releasing to the feet, elbows bending out to the sides.
6. 6Rise back to standing with control to complete one set. Repeat for a second set.

Instead of searching for the “correct” position, notice:

• •Hips stay stacked over the feet through both side bends, not shifting sideways to fake more reach.
• •Standing legs active throughout, knees not collapsing inward.
• •The backbend stays small and controlled, weight staying forward rather than falling back into the heels.
• •The final fold hinges from the hips, not from rounding the low back alone.

Each of the four parts benefits from an inhale to lengthen before the movement and an exhale to settle into it. Rushing the breath through all four parts tends to blur them into one another rather than letting each do its own distinct work.

Pay attention to the hips during the side bends specifically. A student reaching for more range by shifting the hips sideways is working the pose incorrectly, even if the shape looks bigger. Cue "reach up before you go over" to redirect the effort back into spinal length rather than hip shift.

Reflect after practising:

• •Smaller, hip-stacked side bends are doing more for your spine than bigger, hip-shifted ones.
• •The backbend here is meant to be modest. This isn't the pose to chase depth in.

Rather than mistakes, you may notice:

• •Practice each of the four parts separately and slowly before linking them, so each direction gets full attention before the sequence speeds up.
• •Keep a hand lightly on the hip during practice of the side bends, checking that it doesn't travel sideways.

• •Hands at heart center instead of interlaced overhead, for anyone with shoulder limitations.
• •A smaller range in any of the four parts, since the sequencing matters more than the depth of any single part.

• ✓Return to standing with feet together, arms released down by the sides, before moving to the next pose in the sequence.