Dandasana


Dandasana or Staff Pose is a seated asana in modern yoga as exercise.

Etymology and origins

The name comes from the Sanskrit words दण्ड daṇḍa meaning "stick" or "staff", and आसन āsana meaning "posture".
The pose is not found in the medieval hatha yoga texts. The 19th century Sritattvanidhi uses the name Dandasana for a different pose, the body held straight, supported by a rope. The yoga scholar Norman Sjoman notes, however, that the traditional Indian Vyayama gymnastic exercises include a set of movements called "dands", similar to Surya Namaskar and to the vinyasas used in modern yoga.

Description

The asana is entered from a seated position with the legs extended forward. The palms or the fingertips should be rested on the ground either side of the body. The upper-body should be extending upward through the crown of the head, and the back should be completely perpendicular to the ground. If this is not possible, a block may be placed underneath the sitting bones. The legs should be squeezing together, and the toes should be pointing inwards toward the body. It may even be possible to create space between the heels and the ground by activating the leg muscles.