Bounce Magazine April 2018

WELLBEING
SEPTEMBER 2016 | ISSUE #47 | BEAUTY, HEALTH & WELLBEING
APRIL 2018 | ISSUE #66
FOUR-LIMBED
STAFF POSE
(chaht-tour-ANG-ah don -DAHS-anna)
Benefits
Strengthens the arms and wrists
Tones the abdomen
Cautions:
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Pregnancy
How to try the pose:
1. Perform Downward Facing Dog Pose, then
Plank Pose.
Firm your shoulder blades against your back
ribs and press your tailbone toward your
pubis.
2. With an exhalation slowly lower your torso
and legs to a few inches above and parallel to
the floor.
There’s a tendency in this pose for the lower
back to sway toward the floor and the tailbone
to poke up toward the ceiling.
Throughout your stay in this position, keep
the tailbone firmly in place and the legs very
active and turned slightly inward. Draw the
pubis toward the navel.
3. Keep the space between the shoulder
blades broad. Don’t let the elbows splay out
to the sides; hold them in by the sides of the
torso and push them back toward the heels.
Press the bases of the index fingers firmly to
the floor. Lift the top of the sternum and your
head to look forward.
4. Chaturanga Dandasana is one of the
positions in the Sun Salutation sequence. You
can also practice this pose individually for
anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds. Release with
an exhalation.
Either lay yourself lightly down onto the
floor or push strongly back to Adho Mukha
Svanasana, lifting through the top thighs and
the tailbone.
Beginner’s Tip:
The completed form of Chaturanga
Dandasana is quite difficult to perform at first,
until your arms, back, and legs are strong
enough to support you. From Plank Pose,
begin by lowering your knees to the floor
and then, with an exhalation, lower your
sternum to within an inch or two above
the floor.
Partnering:
A partner can help you learn to anchor the
pelvis in this pose and lengthen the spine.
With thanks to www.yogajournal.com/poses.
Please take care in all poses, if unsure please
attend a class or ask for a private lesson.
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