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How to do Downward Facing Dog Pose? |
One of the most taught and practiced yoga pose is the downward facing dog pose. It is also known as Adho Mukha Svanasana downward dog or down dog pose. It is a great strength giving pose that is very helpful in relieving back pain. Being one of the most common and important yoga poses, you definitely need to learn how to go about it. Here are the steps to carry out the downward facing dog pose-
Step 1- Get into the starting position and start with the downward dog pose with the help of your knees and hands. Your arms must be aligned with you shoulders and your knees must be in straight line with your hips.
Step 2- Curl the toes on the inside and raise your hips while keeping your legs straight.
Step 3- After your feet are in the right position, push against the mat with your hands so that you are able to form a perfect inverted V position with your body.
Step 4- Stretch out your hamstrings and keep your feet firmly grounded so that you are able to stretch to the maximum.
Step 5- As done with your legs, do the same with your hands. Spread out your fingers while keeping them firmly grounded and stretch out you hands and ground down from the forearms in to the fingertips.
Step 6- Rotate the upper arms in the outward direction to broaden the collarbones. Move your shoulder blades towards your hips while keeping the head hanging lose.
Step 7- Since this is a resting pose, make use of quadriceps to take away the weight from hands.
Step 8- Hold the downward dog pose till you count five breaths or for five minutes, whichever you find comfortable. Release yourself from the pose and come back to the starting position.
Try to maintain a flat back by not letting the ribs sink towards the floor. You could also use a block to lend support to your head.
While practicing the downward facing dog pose, keep your head facing downwards. Do not stretch out your muscles in the neck while you perform this pose as it could lead to strain. Pay attention to your breath. Breathing properly is of prime importance here.
Downward facing dog yoga pose grants strength and stretch to whole of your body and is very helpful in lengthening the muscles. Therefore, practicing this yoga pose regularly would help you get rid of body pain for sure. |
