Chaturanga To Updog Transition

Chaturanga to Updog is something that features highly in many yoga practices. There are many thoughts on the best way to place your body and I think you will have to find what works for you. As I travel around I see so many students too far forward in their updog, stressing the low back and shoulders.
Here are some ideas that you might find improve your experience of the transition. They are not necessarily that easy straight away, you need to be quite strong at the bottom of chaturanga. Have a go and if you don't get it straight away, just do it again :)
------------------
👩🏼‍🎓 LEARN
★ Stu's 2023 Yoga Anatomy book! Yoga Anatomy Made Simple
Learn more about anatomy in the context of yoga:
www.amazon.co.uk/Yoga-Anatomy...
► Study online with one of our online courses:
www.loveyogaanatomy.com/on-li...
------------------
📱CONNECT
- Instagram / stu_girling
- Articles, Courses & more loveyogaanatomy.com

[@gazellep]

Stu, back again after two years, still feeling the gratitude 💜 for those of us that for one or another reason don't have the possibility of going to a class and have to learn yoga on their own, your videos are golden 🙏🏼 grateful 🙏🏼

[@debraleong5519]

Thank you so much!!!! i practice chat this way after years of doing it with arms at 90 degrees and it's so much better for me. But, everyone is unique. Peace and good health to you my friend. Always enjoy your work. You've done so much to share yoga with the world and I'm so grateful. Namaste

[@ValentinaBuzzoni89]

You are easily talking through that chaturanga isometric hold! Omg amazing!

[@clray123]

If he was talking through a planche, now that would be amazing.

[@gazellep]

Thank you so much for your generosity Stu 🙏🏼

[@JosephineMilo]

I alweys admired to my teachers doing switch with tou fingers(I use to call it). Thank you a lot, I never seen that explanation before. Namaste

[@mrspastur]

Awesome! Thank you! 😊

[@sherylgupta3198]

So very helpful - thank you!

[@mikkinmusic1886]

Thanks Stu!!

[@zoggaming88]

Maybe I have fragile elbows, but I get elbow inflamation as soon as don't align my elbows with my wrist during chaturanga (put them back like you showed). It took my a while to understand it was the source of my elbow pain. Since I keep everything at 90° adn shift my weight forward I don't have any issue/pain, but it"s more challenging on strengh side of things.

[@Max-im8ie]

I'd always wondered about this! I noticed that, with proper form in chaturanga, it felt uncomfortable to move directly into up-dog. (Thought it was just me, actually!) I came across the "shunting-back" method through experimentation, but I'll continue to do it with confidence now :D

[@Loveyogaanatomy]

Great, experimentation to suit your own body is exactly what more people should be doing. Glad you liked the video :)

[@SoniaSantanaSilva]

Thank you so much! Is there any video regarding jumping back from sitting down position to downward dog?

[@AmeliaCalvert]

Hi, Thanks for this, really helpful. I have been looking for videos on chaturanga for people with long arms, long legs and a short torso (me!) for a while but to no avail. I really struggle to transition into up dog from chaturanga and can't quite figure out the mechanics of why it is so hard, ie how to do it differently that doesn't feel I am loading so strongly through my shoulders. It feels like my arms are too long and my torso too short to make it work! End up lowering my knees. Feel I need to take more weight through the legs and core etc like in your video. Will try some of your suggestions and any others ideas would be welcome :-)

[@kara7197]

Thanks for the video, very informative! I'm afraid though that my wrists would hurt a lot if I don't keep the elbows on top of them. I'll try some adjustments with the feet, I can roll on my feet but I think stepping out of them gives me more control on the position I want to end up with, without altering the alignment on my upper body. Even if stepping out one foot at a time feels a bit like the flow is interrupted, I still think it's what works best for me.

[@Loveyogaanatomy]

Normally most people's wrists hurt more if you take them more in front of the wrists not behind, But absolutely go with what feels the best for you.

[@2454605]

I think you need to shift forward a bit more before starting to bend elbows. This will then allow your elbows to be stacked over your wrists in the chaturanga position; thereby giving more strength in the descent.

[@rishisharma5860]

Hiii, want join you.

[@playdead1892]

Very helpful but the audio is terrible😬

[@Loveyogaanatomy]

it was an almost empty room so was a bit of an echo. but the volume should be ok??

[@playdead1892]

love yoga anatomy yup. Looking forward to the next video!