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…
Dowiedz się więcej