Adho:Downward – Mukha:Facing – Svana:Dog- Asana:Posture

This posture is also known as downward facing dog. This is an iconic posture and one of the most effective postures to develop a nice balance between strength and flexibility of the major muscles of the body.

Instructions:

  • Kneel down and spread the fingers on the front edge of the mat so that the pinky fingers touch the longer edges. The tips of the middle fingers should touch the shorter edges and the thumbs should point toward each other
  • Tuck the toes under and press them firmly
  • Reach the buttocks to the heels and on an exhale, lift the buttocks and knees simultaneously
  • Straighten the legs at the knees and reach the heels down
  • Move the inner heels out and elongate the outer calf muscles down
  • Inner ankles should lift up and try to move the outer ankles toward each other without moving the feet
  • Thigh bones should hit back to the hamstrings
  • Press the feet down from both sides of the sacrum and move the frontal ribs into the body
  • Shoulders should rotate externally and triceps should hit firmly into the upper arm bones
  • Open up the space between the interphalangeal joints of the hands and press them vertically down
  • Breathe through back of the spine and let the skin on back ribs be active
  • Smile and stay aware of the posture

Variations :

  • Heels can be placed on the wall with or without blocks to bring awareness onto the buttocks. It cause the pose to be more inverted and activates the lower abdomen thus lifting the organs of the pelvis. This is a good posture for the reproductive organs.
  • Hands should be kept on blocks to shift the weight to the heels
  • Heels can be placed on the block with feet lifted to activate the tibialis anterior muscle
  • A belt can be used on the elbows for those with hyper mobile elbows
  • A belt can be used on the ankles to bring inner ankles up
  • Us a rope on the hip points to elongate the spine 
  • Use support under the head for hypertension and heart issues

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