Yoga Pose:
Dandasana
Important Note
Take special precautions while doing any asana. If you are learning yoga, then take the advice of a knowledgeable person. Do not put any kind of force in the event of pain or unable to do so. Keep in mind that you will be able to succeed only with constant practice.
Brief Introduction Of The Dandasana
Dandasana is an important Yoga posture that can also be performed very easily. It is also referred to as the ‘Staff Pose’ in English, given that the name ‘Dandasana’ is the amalgamation of the Sanskrit terms ‘Danda’ meaning ‘stick’ and ‘asana’ standing for posture. Forward bends and twists happen to be the mainstay of this pose. This is the basic pose for every other seated pose, which includes the twists. This is basically the seated form of the Tadasana or Mountain pose.
How To Do The Dandasana?
The pose can actually be done by sitting, which makes it ideal for all. It can teach you the way to sit properly and can assist you in improving your flexibility. You can perform these steps in order to practice this posture.
- Begin by pressing your sitting bones to the floor. Point the tip of your head to the roof, so as to straighten and elongate your spine.
- Flex the feet and press them out through the heels.
- Next, place your palms over the floor next to the hips. This can help provide your spine with support and let your shoulders relax downwards. Keep the body in a relaxed yet straight position.
- After this, relax the legs and firmly ground the lower half of your body to the surface of the floor.
- Now remain in this posture for around 20 – 30 seconds.
You may change this posture by following these steps:
- Interlock your fingers.
- Stretch your arms out forward, keeping them parallel to the surface of the floor.
- Ensure that your palms face away from you, and your thumbs point down.
- Breathe in now, and raise up the arms until they reach a little behind your ears.
- Relax your shoulders. It can be useful in opening your chest up, and stretch the front section of your abdomen.
The pose is advanced yet simple, and you can make it more intense by making it more challenging to perform. You can refine it even more, so that you can get an automatic alignment and can enter as well as exit this posture with proper control. For the purpose of advanced practice, you have to also better your endurance for this pose. This will ensure that there is no deterioration of your form due to tiredness, which can possibly occur after you perform lots of sun salutations – generally at the closing stages of an intense Yoga session.
- Preparatory and Follow up Poses
Before you perform this asana, you can try out some preparatory poses to make yourself ready – such as Uttanasana and Adho Mukha Svasana. With these poses, your body and mind can be set in the best mood for the practice.
Bharadvajasana I, Purvottanasana and Adho Mukho Avasana are some of the follow up poses that you can perform for this Yoga posture.
Bharadvajasana I, Purvottanasana and Adho Mukho Avasana are some of the follow up poses that you can perform for this Yoga posture.
Benefits Of The Dandasana
There are quite a few therapeutic applications for the asana.
- This is a vital pose, given that it makes you capable of sitting in a proper posture.
- When you practice the pose regularly, it can make your pelvis, lower back and hips flexible and strong. To be able to perform this pose, you have to engage your whole body, so as to attain the perfect balance.
- It can be useful in building up a lot of strength in the abdomen, chest and upper back areas.
- It can help people with sciatica problems. It can strengthen the muscles of the back, as well as improve flexibility.
- The pose helps beat stress and can make the whole mind and body calm down and relax. It can calm down the brain cells, and induce a feeling of relaxation.
- The uterus is the main part of the anatomy that this pose or asana focuses on. It can ensure good health of the organ, and benefit the same in many ways.
- Regular practice of this pose can give you a better sense of balance.
- It can be very useful for improving your spinal health, helping it to be stretched and elongated.
- The asana can stretch your chest and shoulders.
- It can create a sense of awareness for you, when it comes to your body.
- The pose can make your body resistant to hip and back injuries.
- It can help provide you with relief from reproductive organ complications.
- It can stretch your hamstrings a little.
- The pose helps improve your body’s alignment.
- Practicing this asana regularly can improve the way your digestive system functions.
- It can also help connect you to the three great bandhas.
Precautions To Be Taken While Doing The Dandasana
- This posture might appear to be easy, although some say that it involves plenty of intensity. Thus, it is quite tough to perform, and is not as convenient as it looks like. When you put this pose to practice, you can actually find it to be challenging enough. Thus, pregnant women and those in feeble health should consult a doctor and certified yoga teacher before practicing it.
- You need to avoid the practice of this asana in case you are suffering from a lower back or wrist injury, given that these parts of the body are put under strain during this pose.
- Also, never strain yourself top much to go beyond limits while trying to perform this pose. Always get in touch with an expert, licensed yoga instructor before starting this pose. This will help you know whether or not you will face any challenge as you perform this posture.
Conclusion
This pose is simple and easy to perform for most people out there. Beginners can make it simpler and easier by attempting to male their elbows more secure. This can be done by propping them up over a sticky, rolled up mat. You may even place 1 – 3 sandbags of 10 pound weight across the upper part of your thighs, at the crease of the hip, so as to ground the thighs in the best possible way.
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