Practice

Downward Facing Dog, Adho Mukha Svanasana

If youʼve practiced yoga, youʼve practiced Downward Facing Dog! Downdog is one of the first poses that we learn, and remains in our practice, whether practiced as part of the Sun Salutation or as a stand-alone pose.

Downward Facing Dog, named after the stretch that is common amongst dogs, has many physical benefits. The primary benefit is the elongation of the spine. This is supported by the strength and the length of the arms and the legs, and the rotation of the arms and the pelvis.

To make it easier to learn the pose, letʼs break it down into steps:

Step 1 - Measuring for the Pose: To set up for the pose, you must first measure the correct distance between your hands and your feet. To do this, move onto your hands and knees, and turn your toes under, so that your heels are high. Now, sit your buttocks as close to your heels as possible and lengthen forward through your belly, your spine, your arms and your hands, resting your head on the floor (unless that produces strain). Lift your elbows, crawl your fingers forward and spread your fingers apart.

Step 2 – Setting up for the Pose: Now rock forward onto your hands and knees (keeping your hands where they are) and, moving your shoulders above your wrists, look to see that your hands are shoulder width apart (adjust if necessary). With the wrist creases parallel to the front of your mat, spread your fingers apart. Have your middle fingers tracking forward and all your other fingers spread away from the middle finger. Next, “externally” rotate your upper arms and shoulders. This is done by rolling your biceps out and your triceps in. If done correctly, the “eye” of the elbows (the elbow creases) will turn to face forward.

Step 3 – Moving up into the Pose: You are now ready to move up into Downward Facing Dog. Take a full breath in and, exhaling, lift your knees off the floor and take your hips up high. Now, pressing your hands down, draw your hips as high and as far away from your hands as possible. Breathe. Keeping your hips and heels high, press your thighbones back (toward the hamstrings), and descend your heels onto or toward the floor. See that your feet are hip width apart and parallel.

If youʼd like to, you can “walk the dog” before descending your heels, to isolate the calf muscles and stretch them out a bit first. To do this, from the heels high position, inhale, and with the exhalation bend your left knee and descend your right heel, inhale lift that heel and exhale bend the right knee and descend your left heel. Repeat this a couple of times to each side, being sure to keep your hips drawn high and away from your hands, and the leg that youʼre descending straight. After “walking the dog” lift both heels high and then descend both heels onto or toward the floor.

Step 4 – Refining your Pose: So, now youʼve got the shape of the pose, letʼs refine it with specific actions, intended to deepen your awareness of the pose and enhance the benefits.

Hands and Arms - Taking awareness to your hands, press the entire palm down, and press every knuckle of every finger down all the way to the fingertips, and especially the root of your thumbs and index fingers. Away from this action, externally rotate your upper arms (see Step 2), the eye of your elbows will now face one another. Now lift the three joints of your arms (wrists, elbows & shoulder joints), up away from the floor, and reach through the bones of your arms, rather than hanging from the joints.

Spine & Legs – Draw your hips away from your arms, lengthening your spine. Press your inner thighs back, lengthen your tailbone and gently draw your belly toward your spine. Itʼs important that you reach through your spine vs. hanging from your spine.

Pressing your thighbones back into the hamstrings, take your awareness to the belly of the hamstrings (the middle of the backs of your thighs), and lengthen and broaden through this area. As you draw your inner thighs back, simultaneously draw your outer calves back and squeeze them in toward the midline. Now, keeping your hips high, draw your heels back and down toward the floor. You might try lengthening the tops of your feet from your toes to your ankles, and lengthening the undersides of your feet from your heels to your toes. Try sending more weight toward your heels and less toward your toes, and be sure to keep your arches lifting.

Engaging the muscles of your arms and legs, and reaching through your bones, enliven your pose with exuberance, and gratitude for this perfect moment, just the way it is.