Four-Limbed Staff Pose (Chaturanga Dandasana)

Pronunciation and meaning

Chaturanga Dandasana: chuh-tur-UNG-uh dun-DAHS-uh-nuh. Chaturanga has four syllables with the stress on the third, and Dandasana stresses DAHS.

Chatur means four, anga means limb, danda means staff and asana means posture. It is a low plank: the body stays straight as a staff while the hands and feet, the four limbs, hold it just above the floor.

How to do Four-Limbed Staff Pose

1. Start in Plank Pose with your wrists under your shoulders, fingers spread, and one straight line from the crown of your head to your heels.
2. Rock forward onto the balls of your feet so your shoulders move a little ahead of your wrists. Draw the belly in gently and press the floor away.
3. As you exhale, bend both elbows straight back, keeping them close to your ribs, and lower the whole body as one piece.
4. Stop when your elbows are bent to about ninety degrees and your shoulders are level with them. Staying higher is fine; dipping lower is not.
5. Hold for one breath at first, chest broad, gaze on the floor just ahead of your hands.
6. On the next inhale, move into Upward-Facing Dog or Cobra, or lower all the way to the floor and rest.

Make it easier

• Lower your knees to the mat before you bend the elbows, keeping a straight line from the knees to the head. This is a full version of the pose, not a lesser one.
• Set a block lengthwise under your chest as a target, and stop when the chest touches it.
• Lower slowly all the way to your belly instead of holding halfway, then press back up to hands and knees.

Pregnancy and after birth

Pregnancy. Adapt. Chaturanga works the belly hard, so many teachers suggest the knees down version or moving through hands and knees instead as the pregnancy progresses. Check with your OB or midwife.

After birth. Adapt. After your doctor or midwife has cleared you, begin with the knees down and a short range. If you see a ridge or doming along the middle of the belly, go back to an easier version and mention it to a pelvic floor physiotherapist.

Pregnancy and postpartum notes are kept by Joahnna Lee, who is certified in prenatal and postnatal yoga.

Common mistakes

• Dipping the shoulders below the elbows, which puts a heavy load on the front of the shoulder.
• Letting the elbows flare out to the sides like a wide push up.
• Sagging through the hips or piking them up, so the body stops moving as one line.

Chaturanga is the low plank that links one pose to the next in a flowing class. It shows up in every round of Sun Salutation A, between Plank and Upward-Facing Dog, so it is repeated far more often than most poses.

That repetition is the reason to learn it slowly, since small habits add up. Building the shape from a steady Plank Pose with the body in one line is the surest start.

Who should take the knees down version?

Anyone who is new to it, coming back after a break, or noticing the front of the shoulders after class. Knees down keeps the same alignment with less load. Many experienced students still use it in a long Vinyasa style class.

What helps after a lot of chaturangas?

Gentle work for the chest and the front of the shoulders feels good to many people. A few minutes from the shoulder stretches routine or a slow Child’s Pose after class is a kind way to finish.