You Don't Have To Hate Chaturanga

Most people hate chaturanga because it is hard. Being hard it tends to frustrate people. Then they avoid it as much as possible. Never do it = Never get better at it = Always hate it.

More important than a little ego trouble is the fact that with all the vinyasa people do - a poorly aligned chaturanga dandasana will eventually lead to rotator cuff injuries. These are common among the yoga population and terribly unnecessary. Today I'm going to share with you some easy ways to work on improving your chaturanga so you too can have injury free, strong, defined shoulders and triceps.
(plus some leg and core strength to boot!)

Here's a decent chaturanga dandasana.  Shoulders back, triceps parallel to floor, wrists mostly below elbows, elbows close to side body, low belly lifted, tailbone tucked, reaching back through legs/heels.   

Start from the floor. You can perfect your alignment before you bear any weight so it's safer while you build up the strength to come at it from up high. Then look at your body as 3 separate pieces to break it down.

Lie down on your belly.

Upper Body:

Place your hands on the floor shoulder width apart - wrists below your elbows.
Use your fingers and knuckles. The whole hand should press into the floor.
Ideally elbows are close to your side, but it's more important to keep shoulders back.
If you have to choose - let your elbows splay a bit and keep shoulders back.
Lift your chest/shoulders up so your shoulders are as high as your elbows.

Now your upper body is in chaturanga.

Keep this going.

Lower Body:

Tuck your toes under.

Reach strong through your legs and back through your heels.

Do it harder so your thighs lift from the floor.

Keep it - you're almost there.

Middle Body:

Now activate your lower abdominals - Tuck the lower belly in and up away from the floor.

Lengthen your tailbone towards your heels.

You're in chaturanga!
Hold for a few breaths or do a couple chaturanga pushups to build strength and stamina.

It helps to see it in action, so here's my short silent video!

Chaturanga from the Floor Up from April Armistead on Vimeo.

Beginner's Tip: Use a Strap

Using a strap helps keep the arms aligned and the chest supported. 

If you choose to use the strap - make a loose loop and place both arms through the middle of it. Set up your chaturanga from plank pose. This may be difficult because of the loose strap, but mess with it and figure out how to make it work for you. A partner is helpful to tell you when you've got it.

This shirt and strap combo was a poor choice. The strap disappears in the pic, but I was too lazy to take another one. You'll just have to take my word for it - I made a loose loop and strung my arms through the middle of it. It's the excess length hanging down in the middle.  It should be slightly more loose than you think so there's room for it to hang a bit and cradle your chest. Otherwise it just forces your arms forward which defeats the purpose. 

The strap can be higher on your arms, but if you have breasts - you might want it just above your elbows so the strap supports your ribcage more than squashes things.



Questions? Comments? Please do.


In general, this exercise is for anyone, but please don't try any of it without speaking to your Dr. first if you have any medical/physical problems. Seek Peace At Your Own Risk!