Chaturanga Dandasana, or Four-Limbed Staff Pose, is a foundational yoga pose often used as a transition between Plank Pose and Upward-Facing Dog Pose. It is one of the most challenging and common postures that build strength in the arms, shoulders, and core while engaging the whole body.
Chaturanga Dandasana, or Four-Limbed Staff Pose, is a variation of Plank Pose with elbows bent. It resembles the bottom part of a push-up but with the body suspended above the ground on hands and feet.
In yoga practice, Chaturanga Dandasana appears ubiquitously in Ashtanga Yoga, Power Yoga, and Sun Salutations. It is also common during vinyasa between seated postures, followed by Upward Facing Dog and Downward Facing Dog.
Chaturanga Dandasana, also known as the Four-Limbed Staff Pose, is a challenging yoga pose that offers a variety of health benefits. Some of the benefits of practicing Chaturanga Dandasana include:
Chaturanga Dandasana associates with the Manipura (solar plexus) chakra, the seat of personal power, will, and self-confidence. The pose is said to help stimulate and balance this chakra, promoting greater self-awareness and self-esteem.
Chaturanga Dandasana can be contraindicated or challenging for individuals with certain conditions or injuries, such as:
As always, yoga practitioners should consult with a qualified yoga teacher or healthcare professional if they have any concerns or conditions that may affect one's ability to practice Chaturanga Dandasana safely.
1. Begin in a plank position with your shoulders over your wrists and your body in a straight line.
2. Lower your body down as you bend your elbows, keeping your elbows close to your ribcage.
3. Stop when your elbows are at a 90-degree angle, and the shoulders align with the elbows.
4. Hold the pose for a few breaths, engaging your core and leg muscles to keep your body in a straight line.
5. Lower the body to the ground and come into a cobra or upward-facing dog pose to release the pose.
While this is a very challenging pose, Chaturanga is a highly challenging pose that requires preparation. Please continue reading to learn more about how practitioners can prepare their bodies for the complexities of Chaturanga.
This chaturanga variation helps to support the weight of the shoulders so that you can find the positioning of the shoulder joints in this pose. Place two blocks vertically at the top of the mat, slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart. Come into Plank Pose with the hands just behind the blocks. Shift the weight slightly forward, then bend the elbows straight behind you to slowly lower the shoulders onto the ground.
Chaturanga Dandasana requires strong arms and shoulders and the ability to use both muscles to support the wrists, elbows, and shoulders. Activating the torso, hips, knees, and feet also contributes to maintaining the body weight in a straight line.
The idea behind yoga poses is to use the entire body - with Chaturanga Dandasana, this means using muscular effort to feel and control all parts in a way that they work together. This will make it easier to hold the pose while feeling effortful yet effortless at the same time.
The Low Lunge pose allows practitioners to refine their bent arm position for Chaturanga Dandasana. Instead of relying on forearms for support as they deepen into the pose, they can activate their arms like Four-Limbed Staff Pose to bring their torso closer to the ground. As the posture draws strength from the front leg, practitioners can also focus on each arm individually, preparing the body for arm balances.
Resisted pushing is a low-tech method to strengthen the required muscles while lying on the belly. Pushing down into the floor and resisting the urge to lift the body help the muscles integrate effectively. This technique can benefit individuals seeking to strengthen their muscles without using any equipment.
When lying on the belly, individuals can engage their abdominal muscles and other muscles to connect the ribcage and pelvis by pressing down firmly with both hands beside the ribcage keeping the elbows close to the body. By putting maximum effort into the pressing without allowing the body to lift and gradually releasing the pressure, the ribcage gains enough weight to resist pushing up. Increasing the pushing force further can activate leg muscles, resulting in greater resistance.
One can attempt to lift their body off the floor by pressing their forefeet firmly into the ground, with their toes tucked under and knees straight. By resisting the urge for the pelvis to lift and pressing down on the feet with maximum pressure before using the hands, individuals can feel their legs and arms and have a sturdy torso activation. As they press down with their feet, they can try to lift their body off the floor.
Apply pressure to the feet and hands, and resist until the body becomes light on the floor so that the ribcage, belly, and thighs lightly touch the ground. From there, allow the body to lift by supporting its weight while changing the bend in elbows and shoulders. Minimal extra effort should be needed if one can feel when the body only lightly touches the floor.
The transition from plank to Chaturanga can be challenging due to the change in upper arm rotation. To become familiar with this action, try slightly bending the elbows while on all fours and gradually rotating the arms. To add resistance, push down and protract while maintaining tension in the arms. When transitioning to plank, push down and protract before stepping back and bending the elbows. To lower from Plank to Chaturanga, push the hands forward while resisting with the feet, and ensure that the shoulders don't go lower than the elbows to protect the rotator cuff.
A resisted push technique can caterpillar the body backward or move it forward. By pushing their hands downwards and resisting their body from moving upwards, individuals can press their hands against the floor to help their bodies move back. Practicing this movement a few times while activating and relaxing can help individuals understand the technique. Similarly, individuals can move their bodies forward by pushing their feet down and back against the floor. Using a resisted push can make it easier to lift the body by pushing the hands down and pressing the floor forward while resisting movement with the feet.
Scapula is the anatomical name for the shoulder blade. The scapulae attach to the clavicles (collar bones), which connect to the top of the sternum (breast bone), forming the shoulder girdle. The shoulder socket is on the outer edge of the shoulder blade, just below where it connects to the collarbone.
When standing upright, moving one's shoulders forward results in protraction, causing the scapulae to move away from the spine. Individuals may feel spreading or light stretching between their shoulders by performing this movement slowly while standing or sitting upright, with arms by the sides and relaxed shoulders and upper chest.
Moving the shoulders back is called retraction and can activate the muscles between the shoulder blades. Protraction lifts the upper body away from the floor, while retraction brings it closer to the floor. To move from all fours to a high plank, start in a protracted position with the chest lifted, then push the hands forward while resisting the body moving back.
A good idea is to practice both retraction and protraction while in a high or low plank, or even moving between the two while holding the plank position.
To achieve greater comfort or better support while performing protraction or retraction movements, one may adjust their shoulder blades forward towards their head or rearwards away from their head.
These exercises aim to improve scapular and upper arm control. Rotating the upper arms slowly while sitting or standing can increase awareness and familiarity with the shoulder joints and scapulae. Similarly, individuals can practice while keeping their shoulder blades retracted or protracted. To improve alignment, individuals can adjust the rotation of their upper arms so that the elbows point back instead of outward when bending during protraction.
It is essential to consider the forearms and elbows in Chaturanga. Rather than solely focusing on stabilizing the shoulders, it is also necessary to work on thoracic control to provide a stable anchor for the scapular stabilizing and controlling muscles. Stabilizing from the hands up is also possible by activating the arms. To activate the forearms, press down with the fingertips. Another option is to press the fingertips into the floor with the fingers spread.
It is essential to position the arms parallel to each other and vertically align the forearms so that the elbows are bent ninety degrees. This can strain the wrists, so practitioners can move their hands slightly forward to reduce the wrist bend.
Focus on the stability and control of the ribcage, shoulder girdle, shoulder joints, elbow joints, and wrists to avoid injury. Practitioners can gradually become more aware of their bodies and adjust how they use their arms during Chaturanga by practicing different forearm positioning options and getting stronger in all of them. Exercises like pointing the elbows back can also help maintain proper alignment.
To use friction while starting from a Plank position, individuals can begin by getting a feel for the movement. Plank is similar to the top position of a traditional push-up, with the elbows straight. Individuals can start on all fours to practice pushing the hands forward while preventing the body from moving back.
By pressing the hands forwards and resisting the body from moving back with their knees or feet, individuals can get accustomed to the movement. They can then maintain tension in their hands and feet while stepping back into the plank pose. Before lowering, practicing some scapular control may be helpful.
Chaturanga Dandasana - Wikipedia
What is Utthita Chaturanga Dandasana? - Definition from Yogapedia
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