|
The Yoga pose Downward Facing Dog is akin to a dog who after waking up flexes its muscles in the back by raising its rear as high as is possible.
The Yoga gurus have used the dog's way to exercise in the Downward Facing Dog pose. It is a comparatively restful pose. It is known in Sanskrit as the Adho Mukha Svanasana. The three Sanskrit words, namely adho means hanging low, mukha means mouth, and svan means dog.
Although the adho mukha svanasana is a resting position, it still exercises the muscles in the back, the shoulders, and your upper arms. It helps to better reach the blood to your head and helps test the balancing mechanism in your ears. It also relaxes the muscles in your belly.
The pose helps build strength in your upper body. It stretches your back, straightens the muscles in your thighs, legs, and arms, and at the same time opens out your chest. It helps rejuvenate your brain and the upper nervous system. It helps your concentration, memory power, eyesight, balance, and hearing.
How to perform Adho Mukha Svanasana?
To perform the Downward Facing Dog pose, you need to bend forward from a standing position so that your palms are touching the ground. Then you need to slide your palms forward on the ground to about 70 per cent of the farthest extent in front that you can take them. All the while, you need to ensure that your heels are completely touching the ground.
Then you need to raise your lower back up to the highest position possible. Remember your legs, back, and arms need to be as straight as possible, with no bends at your knees and your elbows. Then you need to hang your head low with your eyes looking at the ground behind you, but your ears away from your shoulder blades, and breathe, hold, and release.
The net effect will be that your body forms an inverted V like the dog, with your raised lower back being its vertex. In the adho mukha svanasana, your entire body, except your palms and the soles of your heels, is not touching the ground. The pose is held for about 1 to 3 minutes after which you can release by bending forward your knees.
An important thing to note about the Downward Facing Dog pose is that it should not be attempted by persons who have a bad back. It is to be avoided by hypertensive patients, by individuals who have injured either their forearms or back muscles or those beset by exoskeletal difficulties.
|