Runner’s Lunge/Anjaneyasana “Crescent Moon”

Ground yourself and open the hips and to release low back tension and lingering stresses as you enjoy this low lunge. For more intensity lift the knee into a high runners lunge. To open the heart include any arm variation the body calls for.

This pose should not be done if you have a hip injury, recent hip surgery. Keep very low to the ground if you have high or low blood pressure and move slower than usual. Extra caution should be observed if there is an Achilles tendon injury or injury to the toe or foot – the practitioner can decide if they need to drop the knee or skip the pose all together.

Runner’s lunge is great for just that – runners! But is also an amazing stretch for cyclists and those of us stuck in an office chair all day. Since this pose opens the hips and low back it can also bring relief in instances of low back pain. The pose also strengthens while stretching. Targeting the quads and hamstrings, as well as the low back, and with arms lifted, the shoulders as well. Targeting the quads and hamstrings can help reduce low back pain by reducing pulling and tension in the hips. Think about your strong body and strong mind as you step into the pose – it should make you feel powerful and lifted, or grounded and sturdy.

Getting there

1. Start in Downward Facing Dog or table.

2. Step forward with your right leg, dropping your left leg onto the earth. Line your knee with your ankle on the right leg, and make sure the alignment is clean before walking your hands up the leg and resting them on the thigh.

3. Without pushing gently guide your right knee forward feeling the stretch in  your outer hip. If you would like to go deeper, place your hands on the mat, lift your left knee off the mat and step it back any amount bringing it into a slight angle, opposed to 90 degrees. Press your right thigh outward towards the pinky toe and avoid a “caving inward” of the front leg.

4. Once stable, possibly lifting the left leg off the mat, lift the arms towards the sky. Draw the shoulders back into their sockets and feel the arms supported by the upper back. Tuck the tailbone under and engage the belly by pulling the belly button up and in. Tucking the ribs in slightly feel solid and compact in your upper body. Fingers are engaged. Without moving the legs squeeze them towards one another and sink down any amount into the hips that feels comfortable. Hold for five to seven breaths before lowering the hands back down onto the mat and stepping back into downward dog.

5. Repeat on Left side. This pose can be done as part of a flow or individually. With the right supports the pose can also be held for longer periods in a yin setting. 

Runner’s lunge is sometimes also called crescent lunge and is a fairly young posture in the yoga tradition. It is beneficial because it opens the hips and chest, as well as stretches the arms, hip flexors and calves. Because we scissor at the hips it can also be a challenging balancing pose and develops concentration, balance and groundedness. This pose improves circulation and therefore revitalizes the entire body. It can also relieve joint stiffness particularly in the hips and shoulders and can be beneficial for sciatica. An added benefit of strengthening the core and toning the abdominal wall comes from holding the pose for five breathes. Various modifications of the pose are used to prepare the lower body for hanumanasana or the splits or half-splits. The legend of Hanumanasana is that of a God, an incarnation of Lord Shiva, who wears a crescent moon in his hair. His story involves the greatest leap ever taken, a feat he did not know he had the strength for until he tried to take the jump. A good metaphor for the pose (and for life!) – jump in and see what happens.