Meet Chaturanga: the Hows and Whys of Our Yoga Pose of the Month

Meet Chaturanga: the Hows and Whys of Our Yoga Pose of the Month

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CHATURANGA DANDASANA
 FOUR LIMBED STAFF POSE

Meet Chaturanga Dandasana — or, you can call it chaturanga for short.

The “staff” of the pose refers to the spine — the main support system of the body. When performed correctly, the body resembles a rod or staff, with the spine in one straight line. Chaturanga is a powerful strength-builder and arm balance.

How to Build Stability

With our annual 108 Sun Salutation Celebration of International Day of Yoga coming on up on June 21, 2019 at the Lakefront, we want to make sure that we break down one of the most intense poses that is a crucial part of the Sun Salutation.  Check out this helpful diagram to check your alignment.

  1. Begin in plank pose. Keeping your elbows directly over your wrists, slowly lower your body to hover a few inches above the floor.
  2. Lift through your chest, keeping your shoulders in line with your elbows.
  3. Fully engage your abdominal and leg muscles. If the full pose is too challenging, come to your knees. Then, lower your torso to hover an inch above the floor. This is Half Chaturanga.
  4. Keep your elbows hugged in along your ribcage and pointed toward your heels.
  5. Your upper and lower arms should be perpendicular, bent 90 degrees at the elbows. Do not let your shoulders drop lower than the height of your elbows.

Why do we chaturanga?

The four-limbed staff pose deserves all the respect and attention of our yogis as it teaches alignment and preparesus for a multitude of postures.  It’s benefits include:

  • development of core stability
  • strengthens arms and wrists
  • conditions the majority of the muscles in our body
  • prepares us for advanced postures such as arm balances, inversions, and backbends; and
  • lengthens the muscles along the spine.

 

If you want to get a closer look at chaturanga and pick up some practice tips before our 108 Sun Salutation Celebration, Nichol is leading a Back to Basics Workshop on June 15 at 10:30AM.  To see more details about this workshop and our International Yoga Day collaboration with all of the Northshore studios, click here.