Chaturanga Dandasana is sometimes overlooked by teachers and students alike in fast moving Vinyasa type classes even though there’s usually MANY of them. Often there will be a short run-down at the beginning of the class and an option of doing it on the knees is presented if we don’t have the strength for the full expression. Of course NO ONE wants to be the only person modifying, so often students just push through it at the sake of misalignment and this may eventually lead to injury.

I feel like these days we are all in a hurry, to get to the next activity or pose. We’re trying to get our flow and sweat on it’s hard to be mindful when we’re rushing. Also let’s not just assume that all yoga instructors are knowledgeable about bodies. Often they/we learn in a specific way and don’t question it’s validity but rather continue doing it exactly the same. So depending on who you ask or what tradition of Yoga you practice, you may be met with a different “ideal Chaturanga”, however it may not be the ideal for you and your body.

In its full expression Chaturanga, aka staff pose, is quite difficult and requires a strong upper body and core. There are many things that can go wrong here, especially when you are tired and moving quickly though your vinyasa. Chaturanga isn’t know in the Yoga world as the “shoulder shredder” for no reason. If there’s no stability and right muscles aren’t firing, plus we are repeating this action 20/30 times a class, 3/4 times a week, the future of our shoulders isn’t looking too good. (I’m not writing this to scare you, I just know from experience and want to save you guys the trouble and pain of dealing with a rotator cuff injury, it’s really not fun!)  Don’t get me wrong here I’m not trying to say that Chaturanga as a pose is “bad” and that you should stop doing it.  There’s nothing wrong with the pose in and of itself, what is important here is HOW we MOVE in and out of the pose and if it’s right for OUR body. Taking into consideration our age, body type, body proportions, condition, potential injuries etc. 

So are there any one size fits all alignment cues for a safe and happy Chaturanga? I say NO because EVERY BODY is different. We come into the practice with different body shapes, injuries etc so obviously our Chaturanga will also vary. One thing that doesn’t change however is the basic anatomy and biomechanics of the shoulder joint itself.

The shoulder joint is is a ball and socket joint between the scapula and the humerus. It is also one of the most mobile joints in the human body, at the cost of joint stability. Which means it easily goes where we tell it too, but this often doesn’t end well in the long run. 

The myth of the 90 degree elbow

The elbow over wrist 90 degree angle cue defiantly makes Chaturanga more aesthetic but is it helping us to do Chaturanga with good form? Well in order to get the elbow over the wrist we first need to shift the weight of our body forward in plank and are faced with a problem, we lose the activation of Serratus Anterior while the Latissimos Dorsi muscles take over. The lats are huge back muscles butt are they are more of pelvic stabilizers. Not to mention they rotate the shoulder joint INTERNALLY, which is NOT what we want in Chaturanga as it rounds our upper back pointing the head of humorous bone down (top of the shoulder) putting too much pressure on the shoulder joint.

The Serratus Anterior on the other hand, is the superstar of shoulder strength and stability, It holds up our rib cage like two big hands and it is responsible for the protraction (pulling shoulder blades apart) and  depression (shoulder blades going down) of the scapula, together which is responsible for the stability of the shoulder girdle. If the serious isn’t firing properly and we lose this important stability, the head of the arm bone may start to move around in its socket which can eventually lead to wear and tear of the joint. 

So how do we activate it you may ask? Starting in plank, first actively push the mat away lifting your heart towards the ceiling, at the same time drawing your hands back towards your feet( as if you’re shutting a window). Then imagine the huge 9 fingered hands holding your ribs and suctioning your scapula onto your upper back. (You can first try this standing up right using a wall, it can be easier to get a feel for the movement at first) 

Now let’s talk some physics. When our elbow is stacked over our wrist in a 90 degree angle we shift our shoulders way forward. For some people this can be too much to maintain without putting strain on the shoulders. In fact, too much weight is on one side of the center of gravity, it can be a lot for the upper body to hold. THis can be true especially if we are a new student, a weekend student, or an ambitious student doing a million Chaturanga in our practice.

So if this 90 degree elbow angle works for your body, that’s great! Nevermind what you just read keep on practicing =) But let’s also recognise the fact that all our bodies are different and that there’s no one size fits all, so let’s not assume it will be good for everyone. That being said, if you feel major discomfort or pain while lowering into Chaturanga this way, you may want to rethink your movement pattern. Remember that most often the movement itself isn’t bad we need movement to keep our bodies healthy, but it’s the constant  repetition that can, especially when we’re tired, be an issue. SO don’t be scare to  try exploring with your movement or alignment see what works best for YOU.  (You can try putting your hands slightly in front of the elbows, this can help to center the weight more evenly and take some of the pressure out of the shoulder joint.)

Tip: Try recording your practice and check it out after. Sometimes we may not even realize what our bodies are doing until we see it on video.

To hug or not to hug?

Hugging the elbows into the ribs is another popular cue in the world of Chaturanga. The thought behind it makes sense, letting the elbows splay out wide to the sides can put us at risk for destabilising our shoulder joints. However hugging the elbows in too closely to the side body (or sometimes even hanging on them) can do the exact same thing!

If we glue the elbows to the ribs during our lower into Chaturanga there is a chance we may start to round at the upper back as well as rotate the upper arm bone internally. The muscle responsible for this adduction (pulling the elbows in) is one we’ve already talked about earlier, the one and only Latissimos Dorsi, an internal rotator of the humorous bone (upper arm bone) which is the exact  movement we are trying to avoid. Since the “lats” are so big and strong once activated they  override all the smaller shoulder stabilizing muscles.

So the biomechanics of our body also tell us that by bringing the arms our slightly to the sides we have a better chance at letting the right muscles do their job. We can also count on the help of another big strong muscle called pectorals major (a large chest muscle).  Allowing the pectorals to take on some of our body weight (like in a regular push-up) may help us feel more stable and in time build strength to then work toward a more traditional Chaturanga (if that’s what you’re aiming for). 

Tip: Try turning the fingers in a little while lowering down to Chaturanga, this can help you turn on the serratus anterior as well as other smaller scapular muscles.

Too many Chaturangas?

Too much of anything is never a good idea, no matter if it’s chocolate cake , tequila shots or chaturangas. When we repeat the same movement over and over our bodies will eventually get tired (obviously, even if we are super strong) and while tired our form suffers, but we have to take into consideration that form should follow function. If we are being mindful and present during practice we can stop and ask ourselves, what is the purpose of this pose and how does it feel? Instead of dwelling on perfect alignment and “aesthetics” , how can I move more intelligently, modifying when tired to still get all the benefits of the posture without hurting myself?

Similar goes if we are newer to the practice who don’t yet have the necessary strength and after doing a couple “ideal Chaturangas” our form goes out the window but we push through it because everyone else is doing it . Would it be better then to lower all the way down with rounded upper back, shoulders (or other parts of the body start to compensate for the lack of strength) or would it be better to not lower so low  right away, instead slowly building the strength necessary to do a full Chaturanga later in time? 

Reminder, there is nothing wrong with modyfying (this or any other pose for that matter) Chaturanga and it doesn’t make you worse than. The first Yama in the Sutras of Patanjali is Ahimsa, meaning nonviolence, so where better to start than with practicing Ahimsa towards ourselves?

The Scapula

Ideally we want the scapula to be in “neutral” while lowering to Chaturanga, this gives us optimal stability as well as resistance against gravity. The biomechanics tell us that they will want to retract (come towards the spine), but our job is to actively resist this by trying to separate them (protraction) in result finding that sweet neutral spot in the middle. Another thing you can try doing is actively depressing the scapula down the back making them even more stable, here the infamous cue “shoulders away from ears” actually has a lot of merit behind it. 

If the scapula is aren’t  in the “right” position, it can often lead to other muscles having to work way harder or differently than they are designed to. So if we aren’t strong enough or don’t yet have the proper neuromuscular pattern to hold them fairly flush on the back, it can be a sign to take a step back and try a modification that will better server OUR body. For some people learning this scapular movement may come naturally while others will have to “consciously choose” to engage them. But like most things in life it takes time, practice  and body awareness, so try not to rush it as you may be setting yourself up for injury.

So let’s remember that bringing the knees down, or any other type of modification, doesn’t make it less than but it makes it more than! This way we are not only being kind to our bodies but we’re also investing in a future filled with stronger and “better” Chaturangas! By building up the strength gradually we’re creating new healthy neuromuscular patterns that will be better for our bodies in the long run.

Tip: Give some of these variations a go!

Last Thoughts

I know you may be feeling a bit overwhelmed right now, reading through some of these things, I know I sure was when I first started looking into the subject! There was a time not too long ago where I truly believed there was only one right way to do a Chaturanga, I know crazy right! But don’t feel bad if this is all news to you, these aren’t usually things you hear during class or learn on your 200 hour YTT. I was completely oblivious until I picked up a couple of injuries along the way, and now that I’m a teacher the last thing I want is for one of my students to go through what I had gone through.

Pain is a signal and pushing through it is usually not the best solution. Instead let’s try to listen to our bodies, what is it trying to tell us? Is it caused by not enough strengthening, improper muscle activation and/or instability of joints or maybe is it too much repetition of the same movement? The options are endless really. Maybe if we try a different variation it won’t hurt, so lets give ourselves the freedom to experiment and move differently so we can FEEL GOOD in it. Also lets not forget a thing called human variation, every BODY is different and moves differently. SO there can never be a thing called “perfect alignment”. This idea kills individuality and has a tendency of making people fragile and dependant on teachers, physios and doctors etc (but that’s a whole other topic).Yoga asana practice is a tool for spiritual awakening, we are not training for the Olympics and the goal of Yoga isn’t to do Chaturanga perfectly but to AWAKEN to the fact that we are so much more than just these bodies, Yoga is coming back into union with our body, spirit, the higher “Self” and with this all encompassing oneness of being, the universal consciousness (or if you wish to call it God).

References:

https://www.physio-pedia.com/Biomechanics_of_the_Shoulder

https://pamudell.com/need-know-chaturanga/

https://yoga4men.com/the-perfect-chaturanga-for-maximum-shoulder-stability-and-strength/

https://www.yoganatomy.com/alignment-in-chaturanga/

https://www.yogaclub.us/attachments/Chaturanga%20by%20Yoga%20Tune%20Up.pdf