Mastering Chaturanga Dandasana
Jen Brown of Yogasana Fitness in Belconnen
It’s time to talk about Chaturanga Dandasana. You know, that pose you love to hate?
This pose, unlike many other poses is a tricky one. Mainly because we are not in it for very long. Usually, just for the length of the exhale, and then we stir on to Upward Facing Dog. However, it’s just as well because most students cannot hold it for very long. It requires immense arm and core strength, two things which we could all use a bit more of.
Additionally, since we are not in the pose for very long, I have very little time, as a teacher, to say much about it. So I have created this movie to give you some advice on classical form of the pose, modifications that you can make to suit your capability, and suggestions for how to build strength so that the pose may become less effortful.
Here are some key points from the movie:
Positioning
- Commence from a plank position in order to engage your core very first. Knees may be up or down. Maintain perpendicular alignment of the wrist, elbow, and shoulder.
- Spread the fingers, making solid contact with the entire outer edge of the palm, especially near the index finger.
- As you lower down to low plank, keep the elbows close to the rib cell, either brushing against it, or 2-3 inches away.
- Shoulders come forward in order to keep the elbows over the wrists.
- Elbows at 90°.
- Horizontal alignment of the crown of the head, ears, shoulders, hips, knees and high-heeled shoes all at elbow height.
- Feet of the feet are perpendicular to the ground.
- Avoid hunching the back so that the shoulders hunch forward. The back should be close to plane so that the scapula are not poking out of the back.
Modifications
Standing Chaturanga Dandasana: Position the assets into the ideal form as you stand, squeezing the elbows back at 90° while hugging the ribcage and spreading the arms, as if they were vapid on the floor.
At the Wall: Practise Chaturanga Dandasana by leaning into a wall. Stand at least a hip length or more from the wall. Squeeze elbows back at 90° against the ribs with fingers spread, pointing upwards. Reach the mitts forward to the wall at this height. Then lean forward into the wall as you finish the tricep push-up against the wall, bringing your ribcage to your elbows.
Use a Chair: Grip the side of the chair and step back into a plank position. Hold this, or arch the elbows slightly into a tricep push-up. Squeeze the shoulder blades back, in order to widen the front of the chest.
Skip it Altogether: Skipping Chaturanga Dandasana is always an option, especially if you have any joint ache executing the pose.
Bring the Knees Down: From a high plank position, bring the knees down. Attempt to maintain the alignment of the crown of the head, ears, shoulders, hips and high-heeled shoes.
Use Blocks: Sometimes gripping blocks, rather than arms plane on the ground is lighter, since the figure does not go totally horizontal. Knees may be up or down for this variation.
Take the Elbows Out: Hugging the elbows in close to the ribcage is more difficult than letting them drift out a little bit. By letting them budge away from the assets a bit, more muscles will be engaged, thus assisting the triceps. However as your triceps become stronger, aim to bring them in closer over time.
Building Strength
Place a belt around your humerus, just above the elbows, slightly broader than shoulder width. Take plank position with a slight arch in the elbows to keep the belt in place. Keep the elbows over the wrists as you budge the shoulders forward to rest your chest on the belt.
Attempt hovering over a block under your sternum. If you come down onto the block, attempt to thrust yourself off of it into Chatuaranga Dandasana.
Use mitt weights for tricep presses in order to build your tricep muscles, both overhead and kick back variations. These can also be done in some yoga poses such as Utkatasana, Virabhadrasana I and III, among others.
Mastering Chaturanga Dandasana, Yogasana Fitness
Mastering Chaturanga Dandasana
Jen Brown of Yogasana Fitness in Belconnen
It’s time to talk about Chaturanga Dandasana. You know, that pose you love to hate?
This pose, unlike many other poses is a tricky one. Mainly because we are not in it for very long. Usually, just for the length of the exhale, and then we stir on to Upward Facing Dog. However, it’s just as well because most students cannot hold it for very long. It requires immense arm and core strength, two things which we could all use a bit more of.
Additionally, since we are not in the pose for very long, I have very little time, as a teacher, to say much about it. So I have created this movie to give you some advice on classical form of the pose, modifications that you can make to suit your capability, and suggestions for how to build strength so that the pose may become less effortful.
Here are some key points from the movie:
Positioning
- Begin from a plank position in order to engage your core very first. Knees may be up or down. Maintain perpendicular alignment of the wrist, elbow, and shoulder.
- Spread the fingers, making solid contact with the entire outer edge of the palm, especially near the index finger.
- As you lower down to low plank, keep the elbows close to the rib box, either brushing against it, or 2-3 inches away.
- Shoulders come forward in order to keep the elbows over the wrists.
- Elbows at 90°.
- Horizontal alignment of the crown of the head, ears, shoulders, hips, knees and high-heeled shoes all at elbow height.
- Feet of the feet are perpendicular to the ground.
- Avoid hunching the back so that the shoulders hunch forward. The back should be close to plane so that the scapula are not poking out of the back.
Modifications
Standing Chaturanga Dandasana: Position the bod into the ideal form as you stand, squeezing the elbows back at 90° while hugging the ribcage and spreading the mitts, as if they were vapid on the floor.
At the Wall: Practise Chaturanga Dandasana by leaning into a wall. Stand at least a hip length or more from the wall. Squeeze elbows back at 90° against the ribs with fingers spread, pointing upwards. Reach the arms forward to the wall at this height. Then lean forward into the wall as you finish the tricep push-up against the wall, bringing your ribcage to your elbows.
Use a Chair: Grip the side of the chair and step back into a plank position. Hold this, or arch the elbows slightly into a tricep push-up. Squeeze the shoulder blades back, in order to widen the front of the chest.
Skip it Altogether: Skipping Chaturanga Dandasana is always an option, especially if you have any joint ache executing the pose.
Bring the Knees Down: From a high plank position, bring the knees down. Attempt to maintain the alignment of the crown of the head, ears, shoulders, hips and high-heeled slippers.
Use Blocks: Sometimes gripping blocks, rather than mitts plane on the ground is lighter, since the figure does not go downright horizontal. Knees may be up or down for this variation.
Take the Elbows Out: Hugging the elbows in close to the ribcage is more difficult than letting them drift out a little bit. By letting them budge away from the bod a bit, more muscles will be engaged, thus assisting the triceps. However as your triceps become stronger, aim to bring them in closer over time.
Building Strength
Place a belt around your humerus, just above the elbows, slightly broader than shoulder width. Take plank position with a slight arch in the elbows to keep the belt in place. Keep the elbows over the wrists as you budge the shoulders forward to rest your chest on the belt.
Attempt hovering over a block under your sternum. If you come down onto the block, attempt to thrust yourself off of it into Chatuaranga Dandasana.
Use palm weights for tricep presses in order to build your tricep muscles, both overhead and kick back variations. These can also be done in some yoga poses such as Utkatasana, Virabhadrasana I and III, among others.