Downward Dog 101

You have probably heard about it - it has always been a mystery to you (or not??!!!). WHAT is a downward facing dog???
Wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s back up (back up sound effect that rewind thing). 

Hi and Welcome to your Journey into Yoga! I’m Avery Rich and am so happy to have you along for the ride :)

Downward dog is one of those yoga postures that most of us learn early on - it also typically appears in most yoga classes  This is a posture that stretches and lengthens almost every part of your body! But wait…there’s more! Downward dog is an inversion - meaning that in the pose, your head is below your heart.  When we move into inversions in yoga, we are changing the flow in our internal bodies.  Oxygen as well as blood is given the ability to move in the opposite direction that it normally does allowing a rejuvenation of the body.  Yogis also believe that not only is the physical body affected by inversion poses but also the emotional body as well - when we turn upside down we are giving ourselves the ability to have new and fresh perspective! 
Sometimes, when we move into inversion postures, this fresh perspective and new flow helps us to move past difficult situations, seeing them with fresh eyes and new thought processes.  And as with most yoga poses, it can really help alleviate stress.

One of the things about downward dog that I think you should know about is that tight hamstrings can get in the way.  So if you do have tight hamstrings, feel very free to keep a slight bend in the legs while doing this pose.  You may not know if your hamstrings are tight until you actually get in the pose - but remember a slight bend in the knees is always available to you!

For today’s pose, it may be helpful to do this one on an actual yoga mat - anything that slips or slides isn’t preferable for our down dog.  Now let’s get into it! Lets begin on our hands and knees - this will be reminiscent of when we worked with cat/cows last time.  Check in with your alignment - your hands, palms flat should be about shoulder distance apart with some space between your fingers - as in Cat/cow, you want you knees slightly apart as well, approximately hip distance but a reminder, it doesn’t have to be exact.  Now that we have our alignment down, we will begin by curling our toes under, readying the body for what’s coming next.  You may start to feel a stretch in the bottom of the feet when you curl the toes under, and that’s a good thing! Now, pressing into the feet and the palms, lift your hips up and back! as you move into this lift you may feel that the hips cannot lift because of tight hamstrings - if that’s your case, then out a slight bend in your knees and this will help remove that obstacle! The goal is to have your hips lifting up to the sky, with either the legs straight or a slight bend in the knees.  Ta da - you have arrived at downward facing dog or adha muka svanasana! Some options in the pose - you are welcome to remain still and just marinate in the pose.  Or if interested, you can bring some movement into the pose, by alternating lifting and lowering one heel at a time in the pose - we call this walking the dog!  The heels aren’t the only things that you may feel need circulating - perhaps lifting and lowering the head and neck would feel good too? Make this posture your own - move if you need to or remain still.

With all of my chattering, it time to release your knees and release from this pose altogether - you can pose in hands or knees or return to a seated position and let your body and mins settle from this inversion pose.  As usual, if you are inclined to move into a shavasana, whether it be short or long, feel free. otherwise I will close off our time together with  wonderful thoughts for the rest of your day and week ahead - and I look forward to continuing our Journey into yoga next time.  Namaste!