STAFF POSE
Dandasana can be considered a seated variant of tadasana. IT SERVES as a barometer for the other seated poses, a place of return in which to assess the changes in the body and mind that are created by the preceding asana. The chest opens forward and up as in Tadasana. The hips flex to ninety degrees, and the lower back arches slightly. Initially, the tendency is to round the lower back and slump forward. This is generally due to some level of tightness in the muscles around the hips, including the hamstrings. To better understand why tight hamstrings would cause the lower back to round, look at the origin of the hamstrings from the ischial tuberosities of the pelvis. Tight hamstrings pull on these structures, causing the pelvis to tuck under (retrovert). This position of the pelvis then affects the lumbar spine, causing it to round. This is an example of coupled movement between the femur and pelvis and between the pelvis and vertebral column. Create length in the hamstrings in other poses, and then note how it becomes easier to align the vertebral column over the pelvis and sit up straight in Dandasana.
BASIC JOINT POSITIONS
There can be a tendency to slump in Dandasana. You can address this by bending the knees to release the hamstrings. Notice how this frees you to extend the lower back. Engage the muscles surrounding the lumbar spine to maintain this position. Press the hands down and lift the chest. Then straighten the knees. If your back muscles feel tight, use forward bends such as Paschimottanasana to prepare for Dandasana.
STEP 1 Flex the hips by engaging the psoas muscles. A cue for this action is to press the hands onto the thighs, squeeze the legs together, and attempt to lift them off the ground. This allows you to feel the psoas contracting. Two muscles wrap around and support the lumbar spine—the psoas major and the quadratus lumborum. The psoas major acts to draw the lumbar spine forward. This action takes place in concert with the quadratus lumborum due to a neurological connection between the two muscles, so that they are stimulated simultaneously to support the lumbar spine. The pelvis tilts forward as the lumbar spine extends and lifts. The anterior tilt of the pelvis combines with the flexion of the femurs, illustrating coupled movement between adjacent joints. The pectineus and adductors longus and brevis synergize flexing the femurs while drawing them together.
STEP 2 Straighten the knees by engaging the quadriceps. The sartorius and rectus femoris cross the hips, synergizing the quadriceps to extend the knees. Engage the tensor fascia lata, gluteus minimus, and anterior fibers of the gluteus medius to internally rotate the thighs. Adjust the rotation of the legs so that the kneecaps face directly upward and do not roll out to the side. A cue for engaging these muscles is to press the heels into the mat and attempt to drag them apart. Note how this action turns the thighs inward.
STEP 3 Several actions conspire to lift the back in Dandasana. The erector spinae and quadratus lumborum act directly on the vertebral column, extending it. Slightly arch the back to engage these muscles. Press the hands into the floor by contracting the triceps to extend the elbows. Then rotate the shoulders outward. This activates the infraspinatus and teres minor muscles of the rotator cuff. Press the mounds at the base of the index fingers into the floor to engage the pronators teres and quadratus of the forearms. The actions of the arms and shoulders will indirectly lift the spine and synergize the back muscles.
STEP 4 Draw the chest forward and up. Several muscles, including the latissimus dorsi, posterior deltoids, and rhomboids, work together to perform this action. The latissimus dorsi originates along the midline of the back, from the lumbopelvic area to the mid-thorax, and inserts on the upper humerus. We usually think of this muscle as drawing the humerus from a flexed to an extended position, as with a chin-up. This is known as open chain contraction of the muscle, wherein the insertion on the humerus moves but the origin remains relatively stationary. We can fix the hands on the mat so that the arms—the insertions of the latissimus dorsi—cannot move. Then, if we attempt to scrub the hands backwards on the mat, the latissimus dorsi contracts and moves its origin, lifting the back and expanding the chest. The posterior deltoids synergize this effect. Contract the rhomboids as well to draw the shoulder blades toward the midline. Stabilize them in place to prepare for the next step in the pose.
STEP 5 Contract the pectoralis minor to lift and open the ribcage. To engage this muscle, first fix the shoulder blades in place by activating the rhomboids (Step 4). Maintain the scapulae drawn back toward the midline, and then attempt to roll the shoulders forward. The pectoralis minor originates from the coracoid process of the scapula (the beak-like bone on the front of the shoulder blade). Since the rhomboids are preventing the scapulae from moving, the origin of the pectoralis minor remains stationary. The contraction of this muscle is transmitted to its insertion on the ribcage, lifting and expanding the chest. A similar process takes place with the pectoralis major. Finally, contract the serratus anterior to expand the chest out to the sides. As with the pectoralis minor, the origin of the serratus anterior is held in place by keeping the scapulae drawn back. Consequently, when we engage this muscle, the ribcage lifts and the chest expands.
STEP 6 Engage the peroneus longus and brevis muscles on the outsides of the lower legs to evert the soles of the feet. Draw the toes toward the head by activating the toe extensors. This begins to lift the arches. Engage the tibialis posterior to further lift the foot arch and stabilize the ankle. This muscle bridges the tibia and fibula, crosses the ankle, and inserts onto the inner surface of the midfoot. Visualize this muscle contracting to invert the feet and oppose the action of the peronei.