Opening - A Steady Journey with Downward Facing Dog

Opening - A Steady Journey

Let's call it, "Downward Facing Dog Adho Mukha Shvanasana is held by many as a pose that is a joy to perform and affirming to repeat. The variations of the pose also can potentially strengthen our limbs and create stability in our shoulders and pelvis.Variations can also help us readdress any constraints (mental or physical).

May 24th Sunday Morning Yoga for Today Class at EarthTones Center for Healing will address how to bring about a greater range of motion throughout the whole body. In this pose, all of our appendages open up in new ways and achieve the following.

• Unify the connection of legs into the hip space  

•  Draw out the suppleness of wrists, elbows and shoulder joints

• Clear the head and neck to release deeply in the pose 

So, we will begin by identifying what these areas feel like today and where we might address any restrictions. To help, le's call into action your breathing.

1. As many pranayama practices steady and balance the rhythm of your inhalation and exhalation.
2. Consider 5 minutes of controlled breathing at the beginning. Sitting erect is preferred.

Now, lets move your hands around your body and check in with the lines of energy that flow within:

1. draw the hands cupped over your cheeks and eyes, 
2. draw into the back of your occiput,
3. allow the hands to rest crossed at the front base of your neck, and
4. finish by extending out across the room, flexing and extending your wrists. 

For our head! You'll feel great as the energy of the head opens to more movement and liberates it's role in downward facing dog. Allow time to focus on it's full range of motion. The before and after will feel marvelous and it will help in maintaining vital lymph flow.

This pose involves getting in contact with the whole of our arms. So as we condition and build from the wrist up towards the shoulder. Staff pose dandasana with a little support under the pelvis let's us open and circulates synovial fluid. Begin a four part sequence and repeat 3 times;

1. flex elbows and pull away from the center of your body (abduction),
2. hover extended arms over legs with slight tilt (elevation),
3. reach full arms overhead to your comfort (extension), and 
4. return arms, palms down, fingers forward next to hips (depression and lateral rotation).

These poses can also be done using a wall for support.

Relax the wrists so that we can bring the weight onto them to find ideal arm support. Begin in cobra pose so that the upper arms begin to sense outward rotation. Remember we are hoping to open our upper appendages as well as evenly strengthen the following:

1. Shoulders
2. Clavicle
3. Wrists

From a kneeling forward bend, stretch one arm at a time forward bend connect to single arms straight forward, shoulder width apart fully extending the wrist to help initiate the lower arm in medial rotation. 

Two other poses help reenforce the stability we are adopting for the shoulder:

1. Cat and Cow (consider props of padding for knees or wedge for wrist) 
2. Sphinx Pose with neck rotation (consider soft pad or halved blanket under belly or pelvis)

Our standing sequence involves stability of lower limbs: Let's transition into standing poses using:

1. Mountain Pose Tadasana with feet together
2. Forward Bend Uttanasana  with knees bent
3. and leg extension/balance to awaken the ankle positions moving 2-times alternate limbs forward (flexion) and to side (abduction)

In these poses we are trying to employ the benefit of the target pose for flexibility, strengthen and resilience of our:

1. hamstrings
2. hip flexors, and
3. calves

Intrinsic bones and muscles of the feet are essential to enjoy long term benefits of yoga.

A few lymph movements might help as well (calf raises, circulate the ankles with hands on knees and lunges). My favorite creates a movement and compression involving the whole body with breath of fire.

Standing wide and engaging in forward bending at the hip will help sustain the proper alignment of the low back. Try putting your hands on your hips and then fully extending them on your back/hips with clasped hands.

Return to the floor prone and help your body relocate the plantar tendon, the ball of the foot and the spaces between toes. Child's pose and kneeling dog (quarter-dog) are also helpful to fully innervate the feet.

Before your first lift to downward dog, however, extend the arms overhead from Virasna or kneeling.

In my school of yoga. Iyengar Yoga, downward dog and 3-legged dog poses can be entered from a prone position, with the hands beside the chest, setting the distance between hands and feet or cobra bhujangasna.
Downward Dog is a restorative pose for experienced practitioners, but can be hard work for beginners. Let's practice how to approach the poses in various ways:

•  by bending the knees, allowing the heels to lift slightly;
•  by supporting the heels, such as with a rolled-up yoga mat or towel 
• by lowering one forearm to the floor, extending the other hand forward; by placing a block under the forehead 
• and by combinations of these.

We will move into lifting our hips up and expressing length into low back. And, in returning to extended legs we can feel the form of our legs releasing bound muscles form all directions.

Let's move together with variations of downward dog. Enjoy the stretch of the heels down. And, let's look at a variation of hooking the ankle around the opposite side.

And, another effort will help to extend the head (possibly using a block under the brow) and re-engage the shoulder structure: outward upper arm and internal rotation to forearm.

Remember to break from the inverted pose and enjoy alternate movements.

In our final work with the pose is 3-legged dog elevate alternate legs to enjoy the rebalancing of the body. (Kneeling extension is a helpful stage).

Use a ledge, bench or chair and notice the symmetry of your powerful and relaxed upper body. 

The Eagle pose and its variations are calm ways to rehydrate the body, relax the breathing and re-educate the body of the benefits of your practice thus far. Think about it, after flight we can learn the steadiness of our effort as we pull energy back from soaring.

Returning to the floor, we will reflect on the changes using several supine and prone positions:

1. Back lying alternate leg stretch-crossing ankle over knee
2. Full extension of limbe floating on the floor
3. Restful position of reclined tailors (bound angle) pose bhadda konasana
4. Knees relaxed over pelvis to center SI joints
5. Cross knee rotation (including neck)
6. Seated forward bend paschimottanasana.

All the variations of downward dog help to remove fatigue as they help to stimulate the lymphatic system. See from the heels to the calves we have unique opportunity to create lightness, movement and lengthening that is unique to the body. That downward dog strengthen the ankles, counteract stiffness and arthritis in the shoulders, strengthen the abdominal muscles, will help us to embrace life.

Namaste

Footnote: It is my plan to produce a Blog for the Sunday class and Weekly Digital Program to be released on Saturday mornings. You are welcome to view the class on-demand. The Live Class will be held at 9:00 a.m. using Zoom conferencing until the public health guidelines permit meeting live as a group. I am grateful for your understanding as I implement this plan and am appreciative of your Ideas, help, $support, and encouragement.