Australian_Yoga_Journal_October_2017

66

october 2017

yogajournal.com.au

66

ADHO MUKHA SVANASANA

Downward-Facing Dog Pose

This is one of yoga’s feel-good poses: It’s an all-over stretch that opens the back of your legs,

lengthens your spine, and can even relieve lower-back pain. Down Dog can be challenging to hold

for long stretches of time at first. But when you practice it regularly, it will quickly begin to feel like a

resting pose, even as it helps you build the arm and shoulder strength you need to move on to more

challenging inversions.

HOW TO From Tadasana (Mountain Pose), fold forward, bending your knees if your hamstrings

feel tight. Then, step back into Plank Pose and look down at your hands, making sure they’re

shoulder-width apart with your fingers turned slightly outward, which will help externally rotate your

shoulders and engage your triceps. From here, begin to lift your hips, pulling them up and back into

Downward-Facing Dog Pose.

Stretch your bottom

ribs away from your hips,

which will help you find

more space in the sides

of your torso and prevent

you from rounding

your back.

Internally rotate

your inner thighs toward

the space behind you.

This action will help you

prep for all inversions because

it activates your pelvic floor—

a crucial set of muscles that

enables you to balance when

you’re upside down.