Chaturanga – Love it or hate it?

Chaturanga Dandasana, a transitional pose that causes so much havoc. There is so much that can go ‘wrong’, so many injuries and all too often it can feel like you’re never improving. Whether you’re an experienced yogi or totally new to the scene there are tips and pointers that can get you chaturanga-ing even better.

First of all is hand placement, I have a short video on this available on the YogiBear Studio YouTube channel (insert link here). There is this thing called the carrying angle, this determines the optimal placement for your hands in plank (Phalakasana), low plank (Chaturanga Dandasana), downwards facing dog (Adho Mukha Shvanasana) and a few others too! To find your carrying angle, stand up and bring your arms by your sides. Keep the elbows tight to the sides of the body and turn your palms forward. The distance between your hands and your side is your carrying angle. From there bend your elbows, keeping the elbows in contact with the side body, turn the palms forward and that’s where your hands should go!

I spent much of my teaching believing hands should be in line with the shoulders, like in handstand but for these bent arm movements it’s much more beneficial for natural movement if you give the space your body needs, found in the carrying angle. Yoga is all about learning. In the wise words of one of my teachers; always is always wrong and never is never right.

Index to middle finger forward (or somewhere in between), body moves as one unit- which means when you lower the whole body comes down together. Not knees then belly then chest then head! You can always do the modified version to build strength or even to warm up, lower the knees but still keep the body as one unit. Shoulders will move forward of the wrists and unless lowering the whole way down to the earth aim to keep the elbows at 90 degrees (right angle).

Feet hips distance apart, inner thighs active (think squeezing a block between the thighs) and length from crown of head to heels.

If it’s all too much strength, start by practicing the lower, really slowly, many times. Until you get the strength to push back up, keep practicing the eccentric (lower). It’s a PRACTICE so keep on practicing. 

Enjoy 😉