Get back to the basics with Dandasana, Staff Pose

June 21, 8:39 PMYoga ExaminerJordann Rawls

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Noticing your unique arm-to-core ratio can be easily seen in Dan-
dasana, Staff Pose. If your arms don't quite fall flat to the ground
(shown above) or longer arms are bent, utilize blocks to level the
playing field. Photo courtesy of www.yogaofthefuture.com.

While this pose seems like a cinch, Dandasana, or Staff Pose, is more than just sitting pretty.

In a beginning practice, focus should be placed on the legthening of the legs and a straight spine, using a wall for assistance in obtaining a straight back. A new yogi may also notice the connection between tight hamstrings and a curved back. If you find yourself with a hunched-over spine, grab a block (or folded blanket) and place underneath the sit bones to help assist in a higher sit, taking pressure off the upper back.

For advanced yogis, staff pose can not only bring you back to the basics, but it can be used to challenge an already familiar practice. When in Dandasana, the legs are taken out of "working order" and put at ease. While this may be an invitation to relax, bring the best out of Staff Pose by focusing on taking your bandhas and maintaining your locks for ten, deep breaths.

Pose Positives

- Strengthens thighs, core and back muscles

- Lengthens spine and hamstring muscles

- Helps with poor posture and encourages back strength

Step by Step by Yoga Journal

1. Sit on the floor with your legs together and extended in front of your torso. If your torso is leaning back, it may be because tight hamstrings are dragging the sitting bones toward the knees and the back of the pelvis toward the floor. It may be helpful to sit on a blanket or a bolster to lift the pelvis.

2. A simple way to check alignment is to sit with your back against a wall. The sacrum and the shoulder blades should touch the wall, but not lower back or the back of the head. Put a small rolled-up towel between the wall and the lower back.

3. Sit towards the front of the sitting bones, and adjust the pubis and tail bone equidistant from the floor. Without hardening the belly, firm the thighs, press them down against the floor (or your support), rotate them slightly toward each other, and draw the inner groins toward the sacrum. Flex your ankles, pressing out through your heels.

4. To lengthen your front torso perpendicular to the floor, think of energy streaming upward from the pubis to the sternum, then down the back from the shoulders to the tail bone. Then imagine the tail lengthening into the floor.

5. Imagine your spine as the "staff" at the vertical core of your torso, rooted firmly in the Earth, the support and pivot of all you do. Hold the pose for one minute or longer.