Chaturanga Dandasana Alignment Tips

In this video I’ll be demonstrating a few tips to help you improve your alignment and build strength in Chaturanga Dandasana, Four Limbed Staff Pose.

This is a really important posture for building strength, but it’s also important that you understand the proper alignment to protect yourself while you build that strength.

I often see wrist and shoulder problems when people do this posture incorrectly. In Ashtanga we do a lot of Chaturanga Dandasana, and if we are doing it with poor alignment, this will cause problems over a period of time.

So let’s look at some important guidelines to help you stay safe.

When setting up, here’s a few things to keep in mind:

1. Your elbows should be directly over your wrists.
2. Your hands should be your shoulder width apart.
3. The creases of your wrists should be facing forward.

Now, once you’ve set up properly, here are my two rules for Chaturanga Dandasana:

1. The index knuckles of the hands have to stay flat on the floor
2. The elbows have to stay over the wrists

I want you to make sure those two rules are always in play!

Ok, let’s try it out!

Tip: You can start out with your knees on the floor to make it a bit easier. Once you feel more comfortable, straighten the legs and keep the knees off the floor.

1. Start in a plank position. Arms straight. Keep your core engaged by pulling the lower belly in and tucking your tailbone. Come forward with your elbows over the wrists, nice strong arms. Focus on pushing down through the index knuckles.
2. Keep your chest and chin coming forward, push out through your heels, and slowly lower down.

Once your in the pose, check your arms and wrists to make sure your lines are correct. The HANDS should be FLAT, and the ELBOWS OVER THE WRISTS.

These tips are meant to make this pose safer, and to help you build strength but… they won’t make it any easier. Sorry!

Try it out and let me know how it goes!

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