Answer To Your Fitness Questions" />The Beauty Of Chaturanga Dandasana!
July 9, 2008
The benefits are wonderful if done correctly: It does build healthy shoulders, tones the abs, prepares the students for arm-balances, back bends, and inversions, and strengthens the arms and the legs. Plus, it develops core stability! But there are a few contraindications such as wrist injury or shoulder injury. But the good news is that anybody can do it when they learn proper alignment! So right here and now decide to set yourself up carefully and you will see that doing this pose is not just about the strength of the upper body, but is about learning to distribute throughout the entire body the power. Particularly the core, the spine, the legs and feet.
I see many students practice this pose as if it were a pectoral push up with the arms splaying out, which will put a lot of pressure on the shoulders. Hence, a misalignment! Ouch! The elbows must hug into your ribcage (sides), making sure the head of the arm bone (humerus) is in line with the elbow, and the sternum is lifted or light.
Now let’s take a look at how you can begin to execute a well-aligned chaturanga:
I always ask my students to put their knees down on the floor and watch that their elbows glued to the ribs. Then notice just how deep you are going as you descend towards the floor, always catching yourself before you do too deep and drop the shoulders below the elbows.
Next share all of the effort throughout the body, recruit the lower body and the upper body will thank you. All have an active role.
Remember you will always start with weak upper body strength, unless you are a guy who comes by this naturally, and must protect the shoulders while developing that new strength. See that your hands are directly below the shoulders and your heels directly over the toes when in plank. Draw your navel in engaging the core muscles, lifting your sternum more forward and press back into your heels. You will begin to feel length and strength throughout this position. Notice your tailbone next, and grow it long towards your heels! This is a real key to the core strength. Keep looking forward so as not to pull the shoulders more forward and also lift the belly, no sagging anyone!!
When we imprint a pose, do it with the precise alignment! Do not lift the buttocks up nor drop your shoulders toward the floor or let your elbows splay out, and worst of all allow your shoulders to hunch next to your ears. Take time to align and realign until the imprint is there and the strength is there.
One thing I notice is when you bring your legs into the pose, your shoulders are much happier and you save them from terrible injury or overuse injury!
You gotta love Yoga, Namaste everyone!
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