Chaturanga Dandasana (Four-Limbed Staff Pose) is the low hover you pass through between Plank and Upward Dog in a vinyasa. It is a controlled half push-up held in one rigid line, and the shoulder is the joint at stake: elbows stay by your sides, you stop at about a 90-degree elbow bend or higher, and your shoulders never drop below your elbows. Upper-limb pain is the most common pain yoga causes, so build it with knees down first and add the full version only when your alignment holds.
Start in a strong plank
Start in Plank on the balls of your feet, pressing your hands firmly into the floor, especially the mounds at the base of your index fingers.
the floor pushed away under your whole hand.
Make your body one rigid line from the crown of your head to your heels. Draw your kneecaps up, reach back through your heels, and engage your abs and glutes so your middle doesn't sag.
a long body reaching both ways, heels back and crown forward.
Shift forward until your shoulders are slightly ahead of your wrists. This lets your elbows end up stacked over your wrists as you lower instead of drifting back behind them.
weight moving toward your hands while the line stays straight.
Lower with elbows by your sides
On an exhale, bend your elbows and lower slowly, keeping your body rigid like a plank. Draw your elbows in against your sides, pointing straight back. Don't let them splay out.
elbows brushing your ribs, the whole body lowering as one piece.
Keep your elbows directly over your wrists, forearms vertical. Keep pressing your hands down as you go.
forearms upright like pillars under you.
Stop at elbow height
Stop when your elbows reach about 90 degrees and your shoulders are level with your elbows. Stopping higher is fine. Never let your shoulders drop below your elbows or bend past 90 degrees: going lower pulls your elbows behind your body and puts the shoulder at more risk.
a hover you could press straight back up to Plank from.
Gaze at the floor about 6 inches in front of you, keep your chest broad, and stay centred. Keep reaching through your heels, sternum and crown, and don't shift to one side.
collarbones wide, weight even between both hands.
To exit, exhale and lower all the way to your belly, or press back up to Plank. If you can't hold the line, lower to the floor rather than sinking into your shoulders.
Feel it
Rigid and compact, like a plank lowered a few inches. Your elbows hug your sides, your forearms stand upright, your chest stays broad, and your legs and abs are working as hard as your arms. You should feel stable enough to press back up at any point. Lower is not better: stop where your form still holds. You should never feel sharp shoulder, wrist or low-back pain; if you do, come out and use the knees-down version. If you have a rotator cuff injury, shoulder weakness or arthritis, wrist pain or arthritis, or carpal tunnel syndrome, skip or modify this pose, and tell your teacher about any arm or shoulder injury before class.
Fix-its
- Your shoulders dip below your elbows Stop higher, at or above a 90-degree elbow bend. Lay a thick rolled blanket lengthwise under your body and use only enough support to stay afloat, or drop your knees.
- Your elbows splay out to the sides Point them straight back along your ribs. Practise with a strap looped around your upper arms at shoulder width to hold them in.
- Your elbows drift behind your wrists Before you bend, shift forward from Plank until your shoulders are slightly ahead of your wrists, then lower with forearms vertical.
- Your hips sag or your chest drops first Engage your abs and glutes, draw your kneecaps up and reach back through your heels so you lower as one rigid line.
- Your shoulder blades wing out and your chest sinks Press the floor away and spread your shoulder blades apart, keeping your collarbones broad. Build that action with the strap drill below.
Drill
- Wall Chaturanga: stand facing a wall, hands on it slightly below shoulder height, and bend your elbows straight back alongside your ribs. This takes most of the load off your shoulders.
- Knees-down Chaturanga: lower your knees to the mat, keep your core engaged and use the same arm alignment, lowering only as far as your shoulders stay level with or above your elbows.
- Strap Chaturanga: loop a strap around your upper arms at shoulder width so your elbows can't splay, then lower slowly from Plank or from your knees.
- Strap press-up (from ACE): lie face down with a strap around your back at armpit level, ends under your fingers and hands under your shoulders. Press up from your knees while spreading your shoulder blades against the strap, and keep that action as you lower again. Move to full Plank only when you can hold the alignment.
- Supported hover: with a thick rolled blanket lengthwise under you, lower from Plank and hover just above it, using it only as much as you need.
Sources
- Yoga Journal — Four-Limbed Staff Pose (Chaturanga Dandasana), with Natasha Rizopoulos and Ray Long, MD (2025)
- Jason Crandell, with input from shoulder surgeon Paul Roache, MD — The Expert's Guide to Chaturanga, Part I
- ACE ProSource — Elizabeth Kovar, MA: Yoga Straps for Scapular Strength (2013)
- Yoga International — Leah Sugerman: Rethink Your Chaturanga Alignment: 6 Practice Tips
- University of Sydney — Yoga more risky for causing musculoskeletal pain than you might think (Pappas & Campo, 2017)
Last checked 2026-10-26.