Caturaṅga Daṇḍāsana - Four-Limbed Staff Pose (Facing Wall)

Chaturanga Dandasana.JPG
 
 

(chaht-tour-ANG-ah don-DAHS-anna)
caturanga = four limbs: catur = four, anga = limb, danda = staff, referring to the spine, the central “staff” or support of the body

  1. Stand facing a wall with the toes up the skirt, ensuring that your feet are parallel to each other and that the toes neither turn in nor out.

  2. Place both hands onto the wall on the finger tips (cupped) at shoulder height.

  3. Look straight ahead with the head upright.

  4. Create a dragging action (as in Vrksasana at wall) and draw the shoulder blades down and chest up.

  5. Ensure that you do not push your chest forwards and your bottom out, or your tummy forwards with your waist of collapsed.

  6. Stand up from your hips.

  7. Where confident and comfortable, look up the wall to emulate the classic pose done on the floor, and use the action to create a deeper lift in the chest and a deeper action down in the shoulder blades.

  8. Let the diaphragm move more freely.