Yoga Poses | Chaturanga Dandasana (4-Limbed Employees Pose)

In the event you discover Chaturanga Dandasana (4-Limbed Employees Pose) to be probably the most difficult a part of your Solar Salutation, you’re not alone. Many individuals flop and pressure by it, hoping their alignment will enhance with time and grim dedication. Sadly, that’s wishful pondering. This fashionable pose requires consideration to element—together with meticulous alignment and strong muscular engagement. Till you grasp the actions of the pose, a trouble-free Chaturanga will stay out of attain.

To scrub up your Chaturanga, spend a while working towards it individually from the movement of the standard rhythmic Solar Salutation, the place this dynamic pose can simply devolve into collapsed hips, a sagging stomach, and splayed elbows. A sloppy Chaturanga shouldn’t be solely awkward, it invitations harm to the decrease again, shoulders, elbows, and wrists.

One approach to observe the pose it to concentrate on holding up your physique’s weight with props. With this assist you may get a way of what the pose is meant to really feel like. It additionally helps set up a template for working towards the pose safely as soon as the assist is eliminated. Consider the props as coaching wheels on your Chaturanga Dandasana. While you’re prepared, reintroduce the standard pose into your observe gracefully and with confidence.

Motion Plan

Concentrate on participating two complementary muscle teams that encompass the scapulae. First, the rhomboids and the center fibers of the trapezius muscle tissues on the higher a part of your again. And secondly, the serratus anterior and pectoralis minor. The previous pull the scapulae towards your backbone; the latter pull the scapulae away out of your backbone. The pectoralis main, the deltoids, the rotator cuff muscle tissues and the latissimus dorsi provide further upper-body assist.

The Finish Recreation

Supporting your physique’s weight with props permits you to concentrate on alignment and muscular engagement—even should you haven’t fairly developed the higher physique energy to carry your self up. Over time, this sequence will reinforce good habits and strengthen your physique, resulting in a safer and extra skillful pose.

In the event you dream of a swish, unsupported Chaturanga Dandasana, incorporate all three variations proven beneath into your private home observe till your physique will get the alignment, energy, and rhythm to sail by the pose.

Earlier than You Start

Training Chaturanga Dandasana requires some preparatory work to warmth the physique. Both stand in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) or sit in Virasana (Hero Pose) and heat up your shoulders with Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose), Garudasana (Eagle Pose), and Viparita Namaskar (Reversed Prayer Pose). To prep the abdominals and hip flexors, take Paripurna Navasana (Full Boat Pose) 3 or 4 instances. Lastly, put together your midback (paraspinal muscle tissues) with 2 or 3 rounds of Salabhasana (Locust Pose).

Step 1: Help Your Chest and Stomach

Why:  The bolster does the heavy lifting so you possibly can align your fingers, arms, and shoulders whilst you interact your scapulae, or shoulder blades. By supporting the burden of your physique, the prop shifts your focus to the alignment of your higher physique and the muscular actions of the posture.

How:  To start, place a bolster lengthwise in the midst of your mat. Lie susceptible on the bolster in order that the highest is an inch or two decrease than your collarbones. The bolster ought to really feel comfy and it ought to assist nearly all of your weight. Press the balls of your ft into the ground and straighten your legs.

Place your fingers alongside your ribs. (You’ll know your fingers are in the precise place when your forearms are vertical.) Elevate the entrance of your shoulders in order that your higher arms are parallel to the ground and your elbows are at 90 levels. Look barely ahead to assist the raise of your shoulders and chest.

Press your fingers firmly into the ground (with out lifting off the bolster), and really feel the engagement on the entrance of your shoulders and chest, and the  again of your arms. Press your fingers down and create a pulling motion, as should you had been pulling the mat towards your heels. This motion engages your facet physique (the latissimus dorsi muscle tissues) in addition to the muscle tissues that join the internal and backside borders of your scapulae to your backbone.

Squeeze your higher arms towards your ribs. Think about you might have a pocket filled with change between your arms and your ribs and also you’re loath to drop it. This may assist you to hearth up the muscle tissues that join the scapulae to the ribs, most notably the serratus anterior.

Lastly, agency your quadriceps and your abdominals, and take 5 to 10 cycles of breath earlier than bringing your knees to the ground and releasing the pose. Really feel the general composition and alignment of Chaturanga Dandasana,

Step 2: Align Your Arms and Shoulders

Why: The strap signifies how far to decrease your self from Plank Pose and promotes correct alignment in your higher physique.

How: Make a loop of roughly shoulder width and wrap it round round your arms simply above your elbows. Shift your physique into Plank Pose along with your fingers barely in entrance of your shoulders. Having your fingers on this place (as a substitute of immediately beneath your shoulders) will hearth up muscle tissues all through your physique, setting the stage for a more healthy pose. Press down into the ground by the bottom of your fingers and the balls of your ft. Help your posture by participating the thigh and stomach muscle tissues. Now you’re prepared for the transition into Chaturanga Dandasana.

Shift from the balls of your ft to the information of your toes. Bend your elbows and decrease your self till the strap helps your backside ribs. As you accomplish that, proceed to shift your higher physique ahead. Think about that the motion of the physique is like an airplane touchdown as a substitute of an elevator descending. The strap will assist you to cease when your elbows are at 90 levels.

Revisit the actions you labored on within the earlier pose. Press firmly into the ground along with your fingers and raise the entrance of your shoulders so that they’re consistent with your elbows. Create a pulling motion along with your fingers as should you’re making an attempt to attract your physique ahead. Really feel how this engages the muscle tissues that line the internal border and backside tip of your scapulae. These actions will pull your scapulae barely down and towards your backbone. Steadiness this motion by squeezing your higher arms towards the facet of your ribs, participating the muscle tissues that line the outer border of your scapulae. With these actions, you’ll strongly tether your scapulae to the again of the rib cage for a secure, aligned pose.

Maintain your thighs agency and your abdominals engaged. Chaturanga Dandasana shouldn’t be a cushty pose through which to breathe, neither is it simple to maintain, however do your finest to carry the pose for 3 to five breaths. Then decrease down and settle into the embrace of Balasana (Baby’s Pose).

Step 3: Lean In and High quality-Tune Your Pose

Why: The chair takes a few of your physique weight, permitting you to fine-tune your method.On this model of the pose, your physique is at a 45-degree angle to the ground as a substitute of parallel to it, which supplies you better leverage to maneuver into the pose and maintain it.

How: To start, place the seat of a sturdy chair towards a wall. Maintain on to the again of the chair along with your fingers shoulder-width aside,  and step again till you might be leaning into the chair along with your arms straight. At this level, your physique will create a 45-degree angle and your arms might be perpendicular to your ribs.  Lengthen your tailbone towards your heels, interact the entrance of your thighs, and draw your navel towards your backbone.

Transfer into Chaturanga Dandasana by shifting additional ahead onto the balls of your ft (don’t attempt to go all the way in which to your tiptoes). Hug your elbows in and slowly bend them to you decrease your self towards the chair. Maintain your chest ahead in order that your elbows keep aligned along with your wrists. Cease when your elbows are bent at 90 levels and your arms are parallel along with your torso. As you probably did within the earlier variations, look barely ahead, raise the fronts of your shoulders, and draw your shoulder blades onto the again of your ribs.

To launch the pose, slowly straighten your arms and return to Plank. Repeat the transition from Plank to Chaturanga Dandasana and again to Plank a number of instances.

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Jason Crandell teaches alignment-based vinyasa yoga workshops and trainer trainings world wide.