Squat on the floor or be seated in any meditative posture such as Siddhasana or Padmasana with spine erect.

Support your torso on the Yoga Danda by resting your armpit on the U-shaped horizontal member of the staff. The Danda is to be placed under the side that has the open nostril. For example, if the flow is free on the right nostril, support your right armpit on the Yoga danda. After a few minutes, you will feel the flow of breath easier through the left nostril. Once this flow through the left nostril is achieved, the stick may be removed.
 

The Yoga Danda offers a convenient way to alter breath flow between nostrils. This is especially useful in gaining the maximum out of Pranayama techniques, especially those requiring alternate nostril breathing, such as Nadi Shodhana Pranayama.

In fact, there is a whole branch of Yoga, called Svara Yoga that employs regulation of flow between nostrils to achieve optimum energy flows in our body with great results.

In all, this is a handy tool to be had by a sincere yoga practitioner who wishes to harness the energy balancing power of yoga.
 

Some practitioners of Japa Meditation on mala beads rest the hands on the knees while turning the beads, so that the mala is allowed to rest on the floor. Others, bend their arm so that their hand is placed towards the heart while bead turning but this can be tiresome.

Often, many practitioners of japa meditation, prefer to support their forearm on the Yoga Danda, so that they can practice japa without discomfort.

In this case, the danda is placed in front of the seated body and the hand supported on it. The mala is allowed to fall freely from this raised position that facilitates turning of the beads for japa.