Sequence

Chandra Namaskar

A lateral salutation sequence that moves side to side, recorded here as a symmetrical fourteen-position version.

Chandra14 positionsLateral

The step names are not published yet. This sequence is taught in several traditions, and the position names for this particular version have not been confirmed against a canonical source. Publishing a plausible list would be worse than publishing an honest gap.

Candra Namaskāra

Chandra Namaskar

A lateral salutation sequence that moves side to side, recorded here as a symmetrical fourteen-position version.

Chandra Namaskar is a salutation performed along a lateral axis — the practitioner works side to side rather than moving forward and back through standing and floor positions. The name means salutation to the moon, and the moon's waxing and waning is the usual metaphor offered for its alternating quality.

The version recorded for Manomithra is a symmetrical lateral sequence of fourteen positions. This page sets out that version as a structure.

Before the steps

Multiple traditions exist

14 positions · recorded step by step

Chandra Namaskar is not standardised. The length of the sequence, the positions included, and the names given to each position all vary between lineages and teachers, and the version most often called the classic fourteen-step form is one among several.

What is recorded here is one symmetrical lateral fourteen-position version. It is not presented as the accepted form, and it should not be compared position-for-position against a different tradition. The names for each position are being confirmed against the source text before the instruction is published; the fourteen-position structure is published now so the shape of the sequence is available in the meantime.

The sequence

Positions, in order

Each position is listed with the part it plays in the sequence, and with the breath and movement recorded for that position.

Position 1
Opening position, facing the start of the lateral axis.
Step-by-step cues for this position are being prepared against the source text. The position name and its role in the sequence are recorded; the instruction is not published until it has been reviewed.
Position 2
Part of the alternating lateral sequence. The Sanskrit and English names for this position are pending source review.
Step-by-step cues for this position are being prepared against the source text. The position name and its role in the sequence are recorded; the instruction is not published until it has been reviewed.
Position 3
Part of the alternating lateral sequence. The Sanskrit and English names for this position are pending source review.
Step-by-step cues for this position are being prepared against the source text. The position name and its role in the sequence are recorded; the instruction is not published until it has been reviewed.
Position 4
Part of the alternating lateral sequence. The Sanskrit and English names for this position are pending source review.
Step-by-step cues for this position are being prepared against the source text. The position name and its role in the sequence are recorded; the instruction is not published until it has been reviewed.
Position 5
Part of the alternating lateral sequence. The Sanskrit and English names for this position are pending source review.
Step-by-step cues for this position are being prepared against the source text. The position name and its role in the sequence are recorded; the instruction is not published until it has been reviewed.
Position 6
Part of the alternating lateral sequence. The Sanskrit and English names for this position are pending source review.
Step-by-step cues for this position are being prepared against the source text. The position name and its role in the sequence are recorded; the instruction is not published until it has been reviewed.
Position 7
Part of the alternating lateral sequence. The Sanskrit and English names for this position are pending source review.
Step-by-step cues for this position are being prepared against the source text. The position name and its role in the sequence are recorded; the instruction is not published until it has been reviewed.
Position 8
Part of the alternating lateral sequence. The Sanskrit and English names for this position are pending source review.
Step-by-step cues for this position are being prepared against the source text. The position name and its role in the sequence are recorded; the instruction is not published until it has been reviewed.
Position 9
Part of the alternating lateral sequence. The Sanskrit and English names for this position are pending source review.
Step-by-step cues for this position are being prepared against the source text. The position name and its role in the sequence are recorded; the instruction is not published until it has been reviewed.
Position 10
Part of the alternating lateral sequence. The Sanskrit and English names for this position are pending source review.
Step-by-step cues for this position are being prepared against the source text. The position name and its role in the sequence are recorded; the instruction is not published until it has been reviewed.
Position 11
Part of the alternating lateral sequence. The Sanskrit and English names for this position are pending source review.
Step-by-step cues for this position are being prepared against the source text. The position name and its role in the sequence are recorded; the instruction is not published until it has been reviewed.
Position 12
Part of the alternating lateral sequence. The Sanskrit and English names for this position are pending source review.
Step-by-step cues for this position are being prepared against the source text. The position name and its role in the sequence are recorded; the instruction is not published until it has been reviewed.
Position 13
Part of the alternating lateral sequence. The Sanskrit and English names for this position are pending source review.
Step-by-step cues for this position are being prepared against the source text. The position name and its role in the sequence are recorded; the instruction is not published until it has been reviewed.
Position 14
Closing position, mirroring the opening.
Step-by-step cues for this position are being prepared against the source text. The position name and its role in the sequence are recorded; the instruction is not published until it has been reviewed.

Guidance

Working through the sequence

The sequence alternates sides. One complete pass to one side and back to the other is one round; count it that way so the effort stays even.
The lateral sequence asks the side waist more than a forward-facing salutation does. Progress by shortening the stance before lengthening it.
Keep the breath steady across the alternation rather than restarting it at each position.
Because the sequence is symmetrical by design, work both sides even when one feels easier.

Safety

Safety and modification

Take a wider stance and keep the supporting knee tracking over the foot rather than collapsing inward.
Use a hand on a wall, a chair back or a block for balance while the sequence is unfamiliar.
If the side waist cannot reach the position comfortably, bend the supporting knee and keep the torso upright rather than reaching further.
Do not push through sharp pain. Stop, and take guidance from a qualified teacher for your own body.
These practices support relaxation, mobility and general wellbeing. They are not a replacement for medical treatment.

The statement, in full

These practices support relaxation, mobility and general wellbeing. They are not a replacement for medical treatment.

Keep reading

The better-documented of the two sequences

Surya Namaskar's common twelve-position pattern is set out with position names, alongside the traditions that count it differently.

Surya Namaskar Read the safety approach

Chandra Namaskar

Chandra Namaskar

Multiple traditions exist

Positions, in order

Position 1

Position 2

Position 3

Position 4

Position 5

Position 6

Position 7

Position 8

Position 9

Position 10

Position 11

Position 12

Position 13

Position 14

Working through the sequence

Safety and modification

The better-documented of the two sequences

Chandra Namaskar

Chandra Namaskar

Multiple traditions exist

Positions, in order

Position 1

Position 2

Position 3

Position 4

Position 5

Position 6

Position 7

Position 8

Position 9

Position 10

Position 11

Position 12

Position 13

Position 14

Working through the sequence

Safety and modification

The better-documented of the two sequences