Moon Salutation

How to do it

Stand in Mountain. Inhale, Upward Salute. Clasp the hands overhead, lean to the right then the left — Crescent. Fold forward, wide stance — Wide-Leg Forward Fold. Bend the right knee deeply over the right ankle into a right-side Side Lunge. Sweep back through the middle into Goddess — wide squat, knees over toes, arms in cactus. Continue across into a left-side Side Lunge. Sweep back to Wide-Leg Forward Fold, rise to Crescent, then Upward Salute, then Mountain. Second round mirrors the first.

Why it's good for runners

Sun salutations live in the sagittal plane — forward motion only. Moon Sal moves you sideways: adductors, inner thighs, deep hip squat position, side waist. These are the exact tissues running shortens by neglect. One short Moon Sal a week pays back in hip range you can feel in your stride.

Common mistakes

Don't go shallow in the Side Lunges to make them more comfortable — the point is the deep adductor stretch. Keep the straight leg's foot fully grounded. In Goddess, the knees should track over the toes; don't let them collapse inward. And the side bend in Crescent comes from the side waist, not from leaning back.