Dig In To Downward Facing Dog
Down Dog, or Adho Mukha Svanasana, is your dog’s favorite asana and it should be yours, too. As the “home base” of any yoga practice, it’s the pose you return to again and again throughout your sequence. But don’t be fooled: it may be fundamental and Rover certainly makes it look easy, but this pose is anything but basic.
In yoga terms, this pose is considered an “inversion,” meaning it puts the body in an upside-down position. As such, it has great benefits for circulation and prepares the body energetically for the “flow” of the yoga practice. Other benefits include strengthening and stretching the entire body and developing balance, all keys for vibrant health, especially as we age.
But like everything else in yoga, Down Dog must be practiced with awareness and precision to realize its full benefits. Below, we’ll take a deeper look at it, “diagramming” the various details that make up this beautiful pose.
Downward-Facing Dog: A Step-By-Step Guide
Step One: Start on your hands and knees, with hands shoulder-width apart and knees aligned directly beneath hips. Spread your fingers and press your palms into your mat. The creases of your wrists should be parallel to the top of your mat and your middle fingers should be parallel to the sides of your mat.
Step Two: Press your fingers and palms of your hands deeply into your mat, feeling connected to the ground as you spin the creases of your elbows inward so that they face each other. Drop your head forward slightly and check that your knees are directly beneath your hips.
Step Three: Breathe in as you lift your head and look forward. Exhale, curl your toes, lift your knees and stretch your hips upward. Ensure that your hands have maintained their position, then drip your head while you relax your neck.
Step Four: Check that your feet are still parallel and that your heels are directly behind the balls of your feet (no splayed and pigeon toed positions). Extend your heels down toward your mat aw you slightly bend your knees, aligning them with your second and third toe.
Step Five: Lift your sit bones as your press your hips back, straitening and lengthening the backs of your legs.
Step Six: One each inhale, lengthen through the spine, stretch your arms and press your fingers and palms into your mat. With each exhale, engage your leg muscles and press them back.
Modifications: If your hamstrings are tight (and they usually are if you are new to yoga) bend your knees to lengthen your spine. Blocks underneath your hands and a strap around the elbows can ensure alignment and relieve stiff shoulders.
