Chaturanga Dandasana # Stabilize yourself

How to Do Chaturanga in Yoga

"Chatur" — meaning "four"

"Anga" — meaning "limb"

"Danda" — meaning "staff"

"Asana" — meaning "pose"

ChaturangaDandasana Meaning

Chatur means four and Anga mean limbs, indicating the points of the body which support the body in this pose. Danda means staff, which refers to the body being in a straight line during Chaturanga. The Chaturanga Dandasana resembles a push-up.

Benefits of Chaturanga

Chaturanga strengthens and tones the wrists, arms, abdominal muscles, and lower back. It prepares the body for more challenging arm balances. Similar to a traditional push-up, it also strengthens the muscles surrounding the spine, which helps to improve posture.

Chaturanga requires a great deal of strength to be performed correctly and it is very easy to injure yourself if you move into it too soon. If you do not yet have the strength to do the pose in proper alignment, practice Half Chaturanga or Plank Pose until you can support your full body weight correctly.

Steps involved in Chaturanga Dandasana

1.   Begin in Plank Pose. Keeping your elbows directly over your wrists, slowly lower your body to hover a few inches above the floor. Keep your back flat.

2.   Lift through your chest, keeping your shoulders in line with your elbows. Do not let your chest drop or sag toward the floor.

3.   Fully engage your abdominal and leg muscles.

If the full pose is too challenging right now, come to your knees first. Then, lower your torso to hover an inch above the floor. This is Half Chaturanga.

4.   Do not let your elbows splay to the sides. Keep them hugged along your ribcage, pointed toward your heels.

5.   Press the base of your knuckles into the floor. 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.

6.   Hold for 10-30 seconds, and then lower your body all the way to the mat and rest. More experienced students can press back into Plank Pose. Those practicing Sun Salutations can press forward into Upward-Facing Dog.

Align with True Power

Practicing Chaturanga correctly requires an understanding of the true heart of yoga. Although the pose demands strength, you can’t simply conquer it through sheer force and muscular effort. Instead, it takes patience and a willingness to accept your current circumstances, in order to build the strength necessary for the full expression of the pose. Let go of the desire for outcomes and focus on the present moment, instead. The essence of Chaturanga is demonstrated in your ability to flow with all of life’s challenges, both on and off the mat. Once you can flow, you will find true power in the pose.