Yoga BLOG

There are asanas that look simple, but are actually much more challenging than you might think. Yoga Dandasana is one of them. The cane pose is one of the sitting postures that serves as the starting point for many asanas. They allow you to relax, have a powerful effect, and offer many other benefits. Below, you'll learn how Yoga Dandasana works, what you can achieve with it, and what you should pay attention to when performing it. Yoga Dandasana - the challenging stick pose Yoga Dandasana - Long Seat or Stick Pose Dandasana, the Cane Pose, is one of the symmetrical asanas. It is the starting position for all seated forward bends. You sit with your legs straight and raised upward. This strengthens the core muscles and stretches the back of your thighs. Essentially, the core muscles refer to all the muscles between the diaphragm and pelvis: the back, abdominal, hip, and pelvic floor muscles. Sitting in Cane Pose means that the entire body is maximally tensed. How is Yoga Dandasana performed? Wear comfortable clothing, sit upright, and stretch both legs forward. Keep your toes slightly splayed. Keep your legs tensed and your thighs pressed into the mat. If your lower back hurts, keep your legs slightly bent. Your pelvis will shift slightly forward. Place your hands behind your body and gently press into the yoga mat . If your pelvis wants to tilt forward, you can also sit on a yoga block or blanket . Tuck your toes toward your shins while pressing your heels into the floor. Straighten your head and spine and imagine that you are a marionette and that someone is gently pulling you upwards using a string attached to your head. While sitting, stretch out. Pull your shoulder blades slightly together and hang your arms loosely at your sides. You can also support yourself with your hands on the floor. Despite your body tension, keep your gaze relaxed. Yoga Dandasana variations for advanced practitioners Once you feel confident performing the pose and can hold it for a few minutes, you can try different variations: Stick pose with legs raised: The legs remain raised while the heels press into the floor. This variation is also suitable for people with lower back problems. Stick pose with raised arms: Stretch your hands up to the sides of your head and gently press the palms of your hands together. Keep your head straight and gaze forward. If you pay close attention to yourself, you'll quickly notice how your body senses change. What are the benefits of Yoga Dandasana? Dandasana is a soothing exercise that helps you find yourself, calm down, and ground yourself in the midst of stressful everyday life. The energies from the earth flow directly into the body. Physically, this asana allows you to stretch and extend the back of your legs and the entire spine, strengthen your core, and tone your gluteal muscles. Practicing this pose will make it easier for you to maintain optimal posture while walking and keep your back straight. Furthermore, the sitting position can stimulate and activate digestion. People who suffer from sciatica report that regularly sitting in Dandasana yoga pose reduces pain. It is also said to be able to cure kidney and abdominal pain. Summary Yoga Dandasana, the most important starting position for seated asanas, can have many mental and physical benefits. You can return to this position whenever you feel your body needs realignment. The exercise can also be performed beautifully outdoors, for example, on a meadow or at the beach. The connection to the earth always reinforces the feeling of inner peace, recharging your batteries, and improving your well-being. In addition, the cane pose has a stretching and strengthening effect. Image © fizkes / 123rf.com

Urdhva Dandasana is a pose that, when performed perfectly, not only looks stunning, but also requires a great deal of coordination, a bit of strength, and, above all, discipline. You may simply lose your balance the first few times you attempt this asana. However, it's worth learning Urdhva Dandasana and having a partner continually correct your perfect posture. This asana can be particularly effective against the typically tense back and neck area of our Western world. Of course, the demands on your back are correspondingly high – you can learn how to achieve the perfect posture here. Urdhva Dandasana - Demand and reward of the upward facing stick pose Dandasana twisted upwards The Stick Pose Dandasana is a pose that is easy to learn, even for beginners. You should first have mastered this asana effortlessly before attempting the Upward-Facing Stick Pose. Not to mention that Dandasana is a basic pose from which you can assume many other asanas. For Dandasana, simply sit centrally on your mat with enough distance between you and all walls, with your legs together and your toes pointing upwards. Reach your hands lightly behind your bottom to the floor, touching and feeling the mat beneath you, with your fingertips pointing forwards. By pressing your hips forward and pulling your toes towards you, you straighten your spine and open your body. The Upward-Facing Stick Pose is essentially a very similar pose, only rotated 180 degrees. Your foundation here is your hands, elbows and head. You start in the same way in the Yoga Headstand Salamba Sirasana , which you should also master without any problems. So practice this asana first to be able to stand steadily. Especially at the beginning, you should first assume Salamba Sirasana and be able to hold the position for a few seconds. From there, lower your legs slowly and with control. The goal is to keep your legs almost parallel to the floor. Be careful not to put too much tension in your toes and keep your legs as close together as possible. This requires a little more concentration and balance, but it makes your execution of Urdhva Dandasana significantly cleaner and more focused. You'll feel the latter immediately. If you're already advanced and have sufficient balance and strength, you can skip Salamba Sirasana on the way to Urdhva Dandasana. Instead of lifting and lowering your legs straight up, immediately bring them into a position parallel to the floor. Use a partner or teacher to adjust your posture until you get a feel for the perfect leg position. Since you'll be lying upside down, it's especially important to proceed slowly and with control to avoid subjecting your cervical spine to any sudden movements. The effect and goals of the upward stick position Like all asanas in which your legs float above your head, Urdhva Dandasana helps improve and stimulate blood flow throughout your body. You can also feel this blood circulation in the head in the form of circulating and stimulating energies, which is often experienced as very stimulating. However, be careful not to overtax your circulation, especially if you're already feeling under the weather. Urdhva Dandasana is a very demanding asana and deeply challenges many muscle groups, especially those that perform supporting and stabilizing functions. You'll quickly feel the strain, especially in your lower back and core, as these muscle groups balance the position of your legs. Your biceps, triceps, and neck are also engaged, as they must stabilize the vertical posture of your back. Overall, Urdhva Dandasana is an exercise that fits perfectly and seamlessly into various yoga sequences and can help strengthen your back and improve your posture in the long term. Image © dimol / 123rf.com