Beginner

Chair Moon Pose

Chair Moon takes the arms overhead into a clasp and then arcs the torso sideways, creating a long crescent that stretches the lats, side body, and shoulders together. Compared with a plain side bend, the overhead reach draws more length through the arms and armpits, which feels wonderful after slumping. It is a graceful, uplifting shape to place near the end of a gentle flow.

Equipment
Body Weight
Body part
Abs, Lats
Type
Stretching, Yoga
Browse by muscle
Latissimus Dorsi
Muscles worked
Target
Latissimus Dorsi
Secondary
Abdominal External Oblique
Tertiary
Deltoid Anterior

How to do it

  1. 1

    Sit tall with feet flat and both sitting bones grounded evenly.

  2. 2

    Interlace the fingers and, on an inhale, reach the clasped hands up overhead, turning the palms toward the ceiling.

  3. 3

    Lengthen tall through both sides of the waist.

  4. 4

    On an exhale, arc the arms and upper body gently to the right, keeping the left hip anchored.

  5. 5

    Breathe into the stretched left side for three to five breaths.

  6. 6

    Return through center on an inhale and arc to the left.

Tips

  • Keep both sitting bones down so the bend stays in the side body.
  • Reach the arms up and over rather than simply leaning.
  • Soften the shoulders down away from the ears even while reaching high.

Variations

Common mistakes

  • The clasped hands drift back behind the head as you arc over, and the reach comes out of the lats and into the shoulders; keep the arms beside your ears, in your peripheral vision.
  • Fingers interlace and the arms go up whether or not they can straighten, so the chest caves and the head pokes forward; hold a strap or a belt between the hands instead.
  • What starts as a reach to the side becomes a lean backward, because the front of the body opens more easily than the side does; arc out over the hip, not behind it.
  • The arc is taken in one quick lean and then held at the far end, where it soon feels like work; travel over on a slow exhale and settle where the side body still feels long.
  • On a chair with arms, the elbows meet the armrests halfway through the arc and the bend stops there; use a stool, or turn sideways on the seat so nothing blocks the reach.

Frequently asked

How many rounds of Chair Moon Pose should a beginner do?
Three to five slow breaths on each side, two rounds each way. Place it near the end of a gentle session, when the shoulders have already moved a little, rather than cold first thing. Progress by straightening the arms more fully before you arc and by holding a breath longer, not by leaning further. If the shoulders are what limits you, a week or two of holding a strap between the hands changes more than any amount of extra depth.
What can I use instead of a chair for Chair Moon Pose?
A stool, a bench, or the edge of a bed suits it better than an armchair, because nothing blocks the elbows. Standing works equally well: feet hip-width, fingers interlaced overhead, and an arc to each side with the knees soft. On the floor, kneeling or sitting cross-legged with the same overhead clasp reaches the same line through the lats, and a strap or belt between the hands replaces the clasp when the shoulders will not allow it.
What is Chair Moon Pose good for compared with a plain side bend?
Taking the arms overhead puts the lats on stretch before you bend, so the crescent reaches the armpit, the side of the ribs, and the shoulders together rather than the waist alone, which suits anyone hunched over a desk who wants the overhead reach back. It is a poor choice if lifting the arms overhead pinches the shoulder, where a seated side bend gives most of the side-body length with the arms low, and it is not the pick if you only want to free the low back.

Related exercises

Other movements among FitRay's 2,000+ exercises that load the same target muscle — same equipment and level first.

All Abs exercises