Yoga helps us to improve our physical and mental health and create a balance in our lives. It provides us with strength, makes us flexible and offers inner peace. If you are giving some of your time to yoga daily, you can lead to a better quality of life. Among many asanas, Chaturanga Dandasana takes the lead as a foundational pose that helps you prepare for advanced yoga asanas. This is one of the powerful asanas that engage your multiple muscles and improve your core strength. In this detailed blog post, we will discuss how to practice Chaturanga Dandasana steps safely and the benefits of this asana. Let’s dive into this asana and discover how it can improve your yoga journey.
What is Chaturanga Dandasana?
Chaturanga Dandasana is a very challenging posture. It requires you to balance all your weight on your arms and your toes. It comes from a Sanskrit word where Chatura means Four, Anga means Limbs, Danda means Stick, and Asana means pose or posture. When you attain the final position, your body resembles a stick balanced by the four limbs. This posture is an arm-balancing core-strengthening asana. If you are a beginner, performing a Four-Limbed Staff Pose can be difficult, so you can try performing the plank pose instead. After practicing it, you can slowly transition to Chaturanga Dandasana.
Benefits of Chaturanga Dandasana
From improving core strength to improving posture, this asana plays a vital role in overall development. Here are some of the Chaturanga Dandasana benefits you need to know:
- Strengthens the upper arms, forearms, back and the wrists
- Tones the abdomen and is beneficial for weight loss
- Make your spine and elbows flexible and increase body flexibility
- Enhances overall body strength and helps burn the arm fat
- Balances Manipura Chakra and increase mental awareness
- Prepare you for the advanced yoga asanas like Viprit Naukasana Pose or Dhanurasana
- Reduce stress and boost your confidence
- Aids digestion and improves overall body health
How To Do Chaturanga Dandasana?
Most people assume that Yoga Chaturanga Dandasana is challenging to achieve as compared to Dandasana Yoga. Still, if you practice it regularly and follow the alignment mentioned below, you will easily be able to perform it.
- Take a tabletop position, or come on your fours in such a way that your hands are shoulder-width apart and under your shoulders, with your knees under your hips.
- Now, tuck your toes and come up in a high plank. Avoid letting your back arch.
- Then, exhale and start lowering your body like a plank in such a way that there is a 90-degree angle between your upper arms and forearms.
- Make sure your elbows are close to your ribs.
- Keep your chest and shoulders in line with your elbows; don’t let them touch the ground.
- Hold the asana for 10-30 seconds or till your body allows to.
- Take a deep breath, move to the Urdhva Mukha Svanasana and then sit in Vajrasana.
Contraindications of Chaturanga Dandasana
Even if you know all the Chaturanga Dandasana information, it may not be suitable for you. Keeping in mind the Chaturanga Dandasana contraindications is vital to avoid any unnecessary injuries. Let’s discuss some of them:
- Those with any shoulder, wrist or leg injuries should avoid this pose.
- The Four-Limbed Staff Pose is not recommended for pregnant women.
- If you are suffering from back pain, it’s best to skip this asana.
- In case of slipped discs and other spinal issues, it is not recommended to perform Chaturanga Dandasana.
- Individuals with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome should not attempt this asana.
- If you have high blood pressure or headaches, you should refrain from doing the Chaturanga Dandasana steps.
The Bottom Line
We hope you have got everything we have covered in this article. Yogaasan is always here to explain the benefits of each yoga posture and the correct way to perform it. Whether you are a newbie or a yoga expert, it is necessary to keep all the Chaturanga Dandasana benefits and contraindications in mind. If there is a moment you start feeling uncomfortable, you can either leave the pose or try Chaturanga Dandasana variations to eliminate injuries. Always seek a piece of expert advice before practicing, and always listen to your body.
