Yoga pose | Musasana | Studying one Yoga Pose Month

Dandasana (Staff Pose): Fun Adjustment

Okay, I LOVE this adjustment and so do my students.  (We do it with partners so everyone can do it.)  BUT I am absolutely amazed at just how dorky I  look in these photos.  BUT since it is such a fabulous adjustment, I am going to show you the photos anyway! :-)  (Disclaimer:  My fabulous photographer did NOT take these photos! :-) )

This is really for Paschimottanasana, but it can also help students feel better in Dandasana as well.  One of the challenges of Dandasana is using core muscles to get upright, not the superficial hip flexors.  Many students grip the top of their thighs to keep the pose in integrity.  This adjustment grounds the femurs so you can relax the superficial muscles and begin to learn how to use the deeper core muscles. 

In this first photo, I have made a large loop with the strap and placed my hands in the strap.  You want the strap to hit just outside the hips.

Then you take your legs over the strap and extend them.  They will naturally press the thighs firmly down.  Your student will say, "ahhhh...."

 

Dandasana (Staff Pose): Getting Into the Legs II

Here is another way to get into the legs.  Sitting on blocks helps you first feel the sit bones and then the heals.  When you feel both, you really can get the action in the legs better.  I do find this adjustment is better on hard blocks.

Dandasana (Staff Pose): Getting Into the Legs

Truly getting energy into the legs is tricky in Dandasana.  Unless you are open enough in the hamstrings and strong enough in your core to get on top of your hamstrings, it is hard to engage the legs well.  These two adjustments are more subtle ways to get yourself or your students more awaken in the action fo the legs.  The top one is waking up the well spring point and is a much more energetic adjustment.  The second photo is a bit more active, but still subtle.  I find my students are surprised that such a subtle adjustment can make such a difference in how they feel.  Play with each one and let me know how it goes.

Dandasana (Staff Pose): Getting Upright

LOVE THIS!  (And students do, too.)  It feels so good to get you upright in a more effortless pose.  Get your sit bones tucked "under" the block. 

Dandasana (Staff Pose): Getting a Strong Pose

This is such a cool way of feeling the strength you want to have in the legs in Dandasana (Staff Pose).  Place a rolled mat between your legs and the wall.  Stand strong on the feet and keep the legs strong as they press back to the wall.  (Be careful with hyper-extending knees.)

Dandasana (Staff Pose): Adjusting the Back

      

Getting people truly on top of their sit bones in this pose is one of the greatest challenges in this pose.  Here is a fun partner exercise to help people get higher on their sit bones.  Have the parter sit behind the student and gently push up and in with their feet.  Let the student use the foot to help her learn to lift and lengthen.

Dandasana (Staff Pose): Super Simple Adjustment

Using a strap across your feet is a great way to help you draw your shoulder blades down and lift the heart up.  But the strap can throw off the alignment of your feet.  Using a block across your feet helps keep the feet square even with the strap!

Dandasana (Staff Pose): A Fabulous Quote!

"This is the pose that makes you feel you suck at yoga."
~ Matt Sanford

At the risk of offending you with the language, this quote set me off on a year-long (perhaps more -- you'd have to ask my students :-) ) study of Dandasana (Staff Pose).  I heard Matt say this in a class years ago and I must admit, I was actually relieved to hear it!  I had long been frustrated by this pose, feeling uncomfortable and truly, truly struggling more than I knew I should be.  Join me this month as I discuss and explore some of the things I did to create more ease in this pose.  My you, too, find ease in this pose!

Study Points for the Yoga Pose of the Month: Dandasana (Staff Pose)

Yoga pose of the month:  Let's study Dandasana (Staff Pose) this month.  Here are some ideas for you to consider:

1. This pose is so much harder than we think!  Are you sure you are on top of your sit bones?  If you are really on top of your sit bones, your lower back will be in a neutral position and you will feel more ease. Sit in Virasana (Hero Pose) on a block to experience a truly neutral pelvis.  (If you tip your pelvis forward, your lower back will tighten.  If you tip it back your belly will tighten.  Find the middle spot when your pelvis is level and your lower back is in its neutral curve.)  Can you then feel that alignment in Dandasana?  Try bending your knees to find it and then hold it as you extend.
2. Play with how flexed you are at the ankles.  Can you feel balance on the front and backs of the legs?
3. Where should you place your hands?  How does their placement affect your shoulder alignment?
4. What muscles are you using to hold the pose?  For the most effortless position, you need to use your deeper, core muscles.  Can you find those muscles?  Or are you using superficial muscles that fatigue easily (like the front of your hips and the surface muscles of the back.)
5. To sit on a prop or not...Practice Satya (Truthfulness and integrity) in the pose.  If you have always used a blanket but don't need it, let it go.  If you desperately wish you didn't need it but truly are not aligned without it, it is time to be where you need to be.

If you are a teacher, challenge yourself to teach this pose in each class this month.  Add this component:  Can you find something new to teach (and learn)?