Plank and caturaṅga daṇḍāsana, the four-limbed staff

3 min read · Updated October 16, 2026 · sources checked October 16, 2026

Sanskrit: चतुरङ्गदण्डासनCaturaṅga Daṇḍāsana
Meaning of the name: Four-limbed staff pose: catur, four, aṅga, limb, daṇḍa, staff, and āsana, posture; the plank is often called phalakāsana, from phalaka, board
Level: Intermediate
Family: Arm balance and strength
In the texts: Modern postures, absent from the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and the Gheranda Samhita

In short

In plank pose the body is held straight as a board on the hands and toes, wrists under the shoulders. Caturaṅga daṇḍāsana, the four-limbed staff, lowers from the plank with the elbows bent close to the ribs until the upper arms are parallel to the floor, shoulders no lower than the elbows. Beginners keep the knees down.

A daṇḍa is a staff, a rod, the stick a renunciant carries. In the four-limbed staff the whole body becomes that staff, held a few centimetres above the floor on four supports: two hands, two feet. Together with the plank that precedes it, it is the strength moment of the sun salutation, and the posture in which many shoulders get hurt in fast classes. Done slowly, with the right alignment, it builds the strength that the crow and the inversions will need.

Steps

From hands and knees, place the hands under the shoulders, fingers spread, middle fingers pointing forward.
Step the feet back one at a time, toes tucked, legs straight. This is the plank: one line from the head to the heels.
Engage the belly and the thighs; the hips neither sag nor lift. Press the floor away so that the shoulder blades spread. Hold three to five breaths.
For caturaṅga, shift the body forward slightly, so that the shoulders move just ahead of the wrists.
Exhaling, bend the elbows straight back, hugging them to the ribs, and lower slowly until the upper arms are parallel to the floor, no lower.
Hold one or two breaths, the body still straight as a staff, the gaze slightly forward.
Lower all the way to the floor, or, in the sun salutation, move on into the cobra or upward-facing dog on the next inhalation.

Alignment

The elbows stay above the wrists and close to the ribs; they do not open out to the sides.
The shoulders never drop lower than the elbows.
The body moves as one block: no sagging belly, no lifted hips.
The neck continues the line of the spine.

Variations

Knees-down plank and caturaṅga (gentle version): lower the knees to the floor and keep a straight line from head to knees. The best way to build the strength.
Half caturaṅga: lower only a few centimetres, then press back up.
Plank on the forearms: forearms on the floor, elbows under the shoulders; spares the wrists.
Inclined plank: hands on a bench, a chair seat or a wall; ideal for seniors and for wrist problems.
Side plank (vasiṣṭhāsana, intermediate): turned onto one hand and the side of one foot.

Contraindications

Shoulder injury (rotator cuff, instability): use the forearm or inclined plank, or skip caturaṅga.
Wrist pain or carpal tunnel syndrome: forearm plank or hands on a wall.
Pregnancy: from the second trimester, prefer the inclined plank or knees-down version, as advised by your midwife or doctor; avoid strain on the abdominal wall.
High blood pressure: do not hold the breath; keep holds short.
Recent abdominal surgery or hernia: avoid until cleared.

In the texts

Plank and caturaṅga are modern postures. No classical hatha text describes them; the arm balances of the Hatha Yoga Pradipika are the peacock (mayūrāsana, 1.32) and the cock (kukkuṭāsana, 1.25), which rest on the arms in a quite different way. A prone position close to the floor appears in the Rajah of Aundh's sun salutation (The Ten-Point Way to Health, London, 1938), but there the body touches the floor with forehead, chest, knees and toes, hips raised: it is a prostration, not a plank. Caturaṅga daṇḍāsana as a held posture belongs to twentieth-century teaching, notably the Mysore tradition of Ashtanga Vinyasa, where it links the movements of every sequence. The name phalakāsana, from phalaka, "board, plank", appears to be a recent name, which simply translates the English "plank".

Good to know

Practise in front of a mirror or film yourself from the side once: if the shoulders dip below the elbows, put the knees down. A short, clean caturaṅga is worth ten sinking ones.

Plank comes from downward-facing dog and leads into the cobra in the sun salutation. The strength it builds prepares the crow and the headstand. Rest afterwards in child's pose. All the cards: the asanas chapter.

Questions people ask

Why does chaturanga hurt my shoulders?

Usually because the chest drops lower than the elbows, which pushes the front of the shoulder joint forward under load. Lower only halfway, keep the elbows over the wrists and close to the ribs, or put the knees down.

How long should I hold plank pose?

Start with three to five breaths, keeping a straight line from head to heels. It is better to hold a good plank briefly, several times, than a sagging one for a minute.

Is chaturanga a push-up?

It looks like the lower half of a narrow push-up. The difference lies in the intention: in the sun salutation it is a slow, breath-led transition between plank and the cobra or upward-facing dog.

Sources

Rajah of Aundh (Bhawanrao Pant Pratinidhi), The Ten-Point Way to Health: Surya Namaskars, ed. Louise Morgan, J. M. Dent, London, 1938 (1956 reprint), Internet Archive checked October 16, 2026
Monier-Williams, Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899), entries catur, aṅga, daṇḍa, phalaka, Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries checked October 16, 2026
Svātmārāma, Haṭhayogapradīpikā, Sanskrit text (GRETIL, University of Göttingen) checked October 16, 2026

Practise gently and within your limits. Yoga is learnt best with a qualified teacher; this page does not replace one.