Downward-Facing Dog | Yoga Pose
ADJUSTMENTS | BENEFITS | CONTRAINDICATIONS | MANTRA | MUDRA | PREP POSES | SANSKRIT | STEPS | TIPS
Adho mukha svanasana (AH-doh MOO-kah shvah-NAHS-anna), also known as downward-facing dog pose, is a mild inversion that calms the nervous system and helps relieve stress. During downward-dog, focus on the details of your inhale and exhale to hone your attention. Notice your breath before entering the pose, during the pose, and after leaving the pose.
ADJUSTMENTS/MODIFICATIONS:
- Ease pressure on your wrists by placing a wedge under your palms or performing the pose on your forearms (dolphin pose).
- Elevate your hands on blocks or on the seat of a chair to take weight off of your hands, wrists, and shoulders.
- Place your palms on a wall and walk your feet back for a standing variation of downward-facing dog with more control.
CONTRAINDICATIONS AND CAUTIONS:
Before trying any inversion, check with a doctor before performing the pose if you have any of the following conditions:
- Wrist problems like carpal tunnel syndrome or arthritis
- High blood pressure
- Eye or inner ear infection
- Late-term pregnancy
TIPS:
This pose stretches the hamstrings, calves, spine, and muscles in the back. Go slowly and listen to your body’s limits.
STEP-BY-STEP:
- Start on your hands and knees in a table top position with your hands and knees shoulder width apart. Your hands should be slightly in front of your shoulders. Spread your fingers wide on your mat with your middle fingers facing forward. Firmly press your palms flat on your mat.
- Curl your toes under. Exhale slowly as you lift your knees off of the floor and send your hips skyward. Press your chest back toward your thighs.
- Move toward straightening your legs and lowering your heels, but don’t lock out your knees or try to force it.
- Tilt your sitting bones up high and rotate your inner thighs slightly in and up, aware of your low ribs’ tendency to jut out as you find length here. Draw the ribs gently back in by toning your belly.
- Press the pads of your fingers and your full palm into the floor. Straighten but don’t lock out your arms. Engage your upper arm muscles to draw your elbows slightly in and pull your shoulders out of your ears.
- Keep your neck neutral (ears aligned with biceps) with your your gaze looking slightly back toward your feet.
PREPARATORY POSES:
- Plank pose | Phalakasana
- Standing forward bend | Uttanasana
FOLLOW-UP POSES:
- Standing forward bend | Uttanasana
- Mountain pose | Tadasana
- Sirsasana | Headstand
SANSKRIT:
- Adho = downward
- Mukha = face
- Svana = dog
- Asana = pose
PHILOSOPHY & ORIGIN:
Adho mukha svanasana is practiced as a free-standing posture or as part of a vinyasa sequence and is used as a resting point for stretching the back of the legs and the shoulders.
PHYSICAL BENEFITS:
- Stretches your hamstrings, calves, arches, and hands
- Strengthens your arms, shoulders, and back
- Improves mobility of your digestive system
- Relieves back pain, headaches, insomnia, and fatigue
ENERGETIC BENEFITS:
- Elongates and releases tension from your spine
- Helps relieve the symptoms of menopause
MANTRA:
Om Mani Padme Hum Mantra
As translated by the Dalai Lama, this mantra means “the jewel is in the lotus,” or “praise to the jewel in the lotus.” Many contend the true meaning of this mantra cannot be translated into a simple phrase or sentence, but all of the teachings reiterate that suffering in life is unnecessary, and through peaceful reflection and calculated action, we can avoid the aspects of our lives that cause suffering and embrace those that bring joy and enhance our daily lives. The lotus is often believed to be symbolic of our ability to rise out of darkness and blossom with beauty, and this recognition of how we rise out of dark conditions is invoked through the power of this mantra.
MUDRA: APANA MUDRA
This mudra is also known as the “prayer mudra.”
How to: The tips of the middle finger and ring finger touch the tip of the thumb. The forefinger and little finger are stretched out and straight.
Benefits:
- Helps move prana energy to the periphery of the body
- Regulates the excretory system and helps maintain internal chemical homeostasis
- Aids in waste elimination from the mouth, eyes, ears, nose, throat, etc.
- Helps regulate diabetes
- Helps with constipation and urine obstruction
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Ustrasana: Camel Pose
ADJUSTMENTS | BENEFITS | MANTRA | MUDRA | PREP POSES | SANSKRIT | STEPS
Ustrasana (oosh-TRAHS-anna), offers a long list of benefits for both the physical and subtle bodies. Thanks to its many different variations and modifications, there are plenty of ways for individuals of all levels to appreciate the chest-opening and chakra-opening effects of camel pose.
Philosophy + Origin
Camel pose is named because the shape resembles the hump on a camel’s back, however there are other ways to consider the name when approaching the posture. Camels are known for their slow, steady, almost methodical way of moving. Rather than trying to race into the posture, moving slowly and methodically will help you find its benefits safely. Camels use their humps as food reserves, like well-packed bags ready to be used when needed. This type of physical preparation, a part of the camel’s natural adaptation for survival, is essential for this pose as well. Take your time to gather and practice the skills and knowledge necessary to take a back-bending journey to ensure that you come in and out of the posture with ease and poise.
