Yoga Pose of the Month - Downward Facing Dog, Adho Mukha Svanasana

So welcome back to my Yoga pose of the month! This one is a special one I feel as it's one of the best know postures in Yoga, yet not necessarily taught so much. However, if you look at my last blog all about alignment, when you really use the alignment in this posture the strength and stabilty and energy increases in your body...

So here it is...

Downward facing Dog - Adho Mukha Svanasana
Have you seen a dog stretch? This pose resembles a dog stretching its front legs, which refreshes and enlivines the dog so Yes, that is the same for us, it rejuvenates! The posture also resembles an inverted V - can you see that in the photo? Downward Facing Dog has many functions in yoga - transitional pose, resting pose, strengthening pose and an inversion pose.

Benefits of Downward Facing Dog - Adho Mukha Svanasana:

• Calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression
• Energises the body
• Stretches the shoulders, arms, wrists, hamstrings, calves and spine
• Elongates the whole shoulder area
• Strengthens the arms and legs
• Improves digestion
• Relieves headaches, back pain, insomnia and fatigue
• Improves concentration and focus

How to Practice Downward Facing Dog

1. Come onto the floor on your knees with your body lying over your thighs (childs pose). Extend your arms forward about shoulder distance apart. Spread your palms, and engage every single finger and your palms into the mat - your hands are pointing forward and help balance you.
2. Inhale as you come up onto knees and turn your toes under and exhale as you lift your knees away from the floor and your hips towards the sky. At first keep the knees slightly bent and the feet about hips distance apart and the heels lifted away from the floor. The palms of the hands are balancing you as you push the shoulders away from the wrists, move your chest towards your thighs and externally rotate the shoulders so that the shoulders are away from the ears and the upper back becomes flat as the shoulder blades widen and draw them toward the tailbone. Then draw your core, by bringing the belly button in towards the spine so that the lower back doesn’t arch. Keep the head between the upper arms; don't let it hang, maybe do a "yes" and a "no" to check its relaxed. Now pushing your sitting bones high to the sky lengthen your spine, from your neck to your tailbone. Remember to breathe as you make these adjustments.
3. Once you have reached your maximum extension of the upper body and spine, then focus on your legs, especially the backs of the legs, exhale and start to straighten your knees, but be sure not to lock them, gently push your legs back and stretch your heels onto or down towards the floor (it doesn't matter if the heels don't touch the floor, it all depends on you individual make-up and some people the heels just don't and won't ever touch - that's fine. it depends on how much the connective tissue around the ankles releases). Activate the legs, you will feel the stretch in the backs of the legs and try to activate the fronts of the thighs too.
   Remember to keep the arms strong, active and the shoulders away from the ears and the head and neck relaxed as you gaze at your feet and stay in the posture for 5-15 breathes or longer if you wish.
4. Release on an inhalation and bend the knees bringing them to the floor and the chest to the thighs and bend the arms at the elbows to release into extended arm childs pose and relax.
5. Once you have mastered this posture, you might like to try a variation in this posture by taking one leg high to the sky. To do this; from Downward Facing Dog bring both feet together, ground one foot firmly to the ground and then slowly start to lift the other leg upwards to the sky, keeping both legs active and your arms and upper body also active, this means keep using the breath to keep the standing leg strong, use the front thigh muscles and engage the foot to the ground and the shoulders are strong and supportive and open across the back, continue to breathe deeply. The aim is to have a straight through the whole body from the hands along the body up to the raised foot. then change legs.
   
   Please note do not do this pose if you have carpal tunnel sydrome, late stage of pregnancy. high blood pressure and headaches do with caution.

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Hope you enjoy Downward Facing Dog, and from now on really feel and experience this wonderful posture.

Until next time...

Om shanti
Michelle
http://www.yogarelax.co.uk
http://www.michellecross.co.uk

P.S stay present in your practice and bring that to your daily life....

'Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.'
Ralph Waldo Emerson