Moon salutations are not one fixed sequence: different schools teach different versions, and there is no single standard gentle one. The gentle moon salutation on this page is our educational flow based on the gentle version that Megha Nancy Buttenheim, one of the co-creators of the classical Kripalu moon salute, published with Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. We keep her order of poses and her breath cues; the grouping into steps, the safety notes and the adaptations are ours. Her version leaves out the deep extended-leg squats and the runner’s lunges of the classical moon salute. In their place come Warrior I and Warrior II, which keep the legs working without asking the knees to bend so far. Everything is done standing, slowly, with the breath.
We chose to build on Kripalu’s published gentle version rather than invent a new flow, because a named, sourced starting point is more useful to you. We have found it documented only by Kripalu, so treat this page as one school’s approach, not the only correct one. The general picture of moon salutations, including other schools’ versions, is on the moon salutation overview.
The shape of the flow
From mountain pose with the hands in prayer, the arms sweep overhead into a steeple, and you take a standing side bend (Kripalu’s “half moon”) to the right and to the left. Then you step out wide into five-pointed star, bend the knees into goddess, and straighten again. Turning the right foot out, the arms “pinwheel” into triangle; then you pivot to face the right leg, lowering the torso towards the knee, bend the right knee and rise into Warrior I, turn the torso and lower the arms into Warrior II, and straighten the legs back to goddess and star. The same happens on the left. Finally you step back to centre, repeat the side bends, and sweep the arms down to prayer.
Breath, sides and rounds
Unlike the classical page, Kripalu’s gentle version gives breath cues, and we follow them: exhale into each side bend and inhale back to centre, exhale as you step out or sink into goddess, inhale back up to star. The right side comes first, then the left, inside one round. Kripalu suggests repeating at whatever pace suits you and finishing with the eyes closed and a few long, deep breaths. Three slow rounds take about ten minutes.
When to practice it, and why “moon”
Kripalu’s own article on the moon salute explains the idea behind the name. Buttenheim and her colleagues created the classical sequence in the late 1980s, and she describes wanting it to recognize “the downward flow of energy,” as a counterpart to the sun salutation. Kripalu says a moon salute can be done at any time of day, at the end of a yoga practice, or whenever you want to quiet the mind, and calls it especially comforting in the evening as a way to wind down. Buttenheim calls the salutation “a meditation in motion,” and says the sequence keeps changing and evolving.
Two details in her gentle cues are worth noticing. When you pivot from triangle to face the front leg, she asks you to lower the torso toward the knee only as far as feels comfortable. And in Warrior II the gaze stays over the front shoulder. Neither needs to be deep; the flow works best when each shape is easy enough that the breath stays smooth.
How to practise it safely
- Keep goddess shallow and the knees in line with the toes.
- In Warrior I, shorten the stance if the back heel will not stay down or the lower back pinches; let the back heel lift if needed.
- In triangle, rest the lower hand on the shin or a block rather than reaching for the floor.
- If shoulders are sore, keep the arms lower, at shoulder height or with the hands on the hips.
- Stand near a wall or chair if wide stances feel unsteady.
Check with a health professional first if you are recovering from surgery or injury, or are pregnant. Our step notes and adaptations are our own and have not yet been reviewed by a qualified teacher.
Easier and harder
Easier still: the seated moon salutation, our chair flow based on Kripalu’s seated version. More challenging: the classical Kripalu moon salute, with runner’s lunges and extended-leg squats. The poses are explained on their own pages: Warrior I, Warrior II, goddess and triangle. In the evening, it pairs well with our bedtime yoga plan.
