Inverted poses in yoga - the essence of the practice of asanas. They completely change the natural gravitational force, massage organs, promote the elimination of toxins, slow down aging and refresh the mind and body. These include adho mukha schwanasana, that is, the pose “dog face down”. “Adho” means down, “mukha” - face, “shvana” - dog. The “dog face down” pose in yoga is an inverted pose resting on the arms. Difficulty: medium.
How does she look anatomically
The figure below shows which muscles work.
The deltoid muscle of the arms, the broadest one, is the back, the gluteus maximus, the biceps femoris, and also the calf. But that is not all. Here, the rectus anterior thigh muscle and the anterior dentate, which holds the ribs, are not marked. They should be prepared so that the dog's pose, face down, does not cause discomfort.
Warm up
From the sitting position (dandasana pose), we will gradually exhale into Paschimottanasana (Paschimottanasana). It will help to easily and evenly, as your physical abilities, make the already mentioned muscles more elastic. Bending the back is very intense. But do not bring it to pain.
Performing an asana should be appropriate for your strength. Paschima means west in Sanskrit, and Uttana means intense stretching. Paschimottanasana stretches the back of your body, mainly the spine, thigh, and back of the legs. If you are faced with the stiffness of your hip biceps and are not able to fully stretch them forward, then do not suffer. You can use a thick blanket and sit on its edge to relieve tension in your back and legs. It will support the pelvic area and spine in a straight position. To begin with, you should exhale and bend to your feet. The shoulders and neck are relaxed. At the initial stage, you can stay in this position for about 15 to 30 seconds. Breathing is free, but on a slow breath, you should calmly return to your original sitting position.
The next step is the initial pose.
Balasana - the pose of the child - also prepares the body for the direct performance of the desired asana (the dog’s pose, face down).
Balasana will completely relax the body, remove all clamps. This asana will ease tension in the lower back, stretch the spine, massage the abdominal organs, relieve leg fatigue, and improve blood circulation.
Transitional pose
The photo shows how the transition continues. As you can see, the focus is focused on three points: on the toes, knees and wrists with palms.
Strap
Then bend your knees and pull the pelvis towards the heels. The neck should be held parallel to the spine. Very important: spread your fingers apart and press the pads on the floor, as shown in the photo below.
This initial phase of the bar will serve as a transition in order to correctly get the dog's pose, face down.
Next action
Leaning on your hands, take a step or two forward. Did you feel the tendons stretched under your knees? You can stop and help yourself with a chair. See the photo.
Someone is doing better, but not quite.
New stage
Head and neck are relaxed. The head is between the hands. The legs are stretched as far as possible, and the feet are firmly on the floor, and the bones of the seat are raised to the ceiling. This difficult situation for a beginner can be alleviated by focusing on the back of the chair.
Then the buttocks are not the main holder of the body, but the back is straight and legs too. There is no significant emphasis on the hands, the wrists do not experience a heavy load. With the help of fixtures, the novice can gradually perform this inverted pose. Later, a person from a pose
lying on his stomach (similar to the beginning of the cobra pose “bujangasana”) will calmly, without tension, straightening his legs and arms, pull the pelvic bones up. Gradually straightening up, finish the exercise while standing (tadasana).
For advanced - classic version
So, the dog’s pose is face down. How to do it by all the rules? Sitting in a balasana or, as it is also called, adho mukha virasana, you should tuck your toes, raise your heels and knees from the floor. Then extend your arms at your elbows and legs at your knees. The fingers are divorced, directed forward and well pressed to the floor. Put your palms on the floor and push off from it. Hands and torso should become one line. Relax your neck, the head is between the arms without tension. Stretching your legs and stretching the back of your thigh, lift your ischial bones up toward the ceiling. The body resembles the inverted Latin letter Λ.
Hands, torso and legs are completely straight. Belly, neck and head are completely relaxed. You are still standing on your toes. The emphasis “hill”, the dog’s pose with its muzzle down, does not fundamentally differ from adho mukha svanasana. Slowly lower yourself on your heels and bring your head closer to the floor. Breathe measuredly. If you are no longer in a uniform position, then raise your heels again and do not lower your head below the level of your hands. Stay in the asana for 30 seconds - one minute. As you exhale, lower yourself into the child’s pose and rest, relax. Here's how to do a dog pose face down. If you are not tired, then with a sigh, go up to tadasana.
Dog pose snout down: good
Common positive effects:
- Eliminates fatigue and returns energy.
- Strengthens the ankles and improves the shape of the legs.
- It improves the functioning of the brain, increasing the supply of blood to the head and face.
- Enhances back mobility, removes pain in the lumbar region.
Therapeutic effect: Asana is useful in diseases such as bronchitis, menstrual disorders, disorders of the prostate gland, uterine displacement, kidney disease, colitis, leg deformity, stoop, heel spurs, shortness of breath.
The dog looking up, or Urdva ("raised") mukha shvanasana
This position is reminiscent of a sipping dog with its head raised up, because it received this name. If the task is to distribute the extension throughout the back, then you should use the chest more and less - the lumbar and cervical areas. This arm-leaning backward is a pose of medium difficulty.
Lie on your stomach, arms should lie along the body, connect your legs and heels together, turn your head to the side. Place your hands directly under your shoulders. Beginners often hunch. It is not right. Press firmly on the palm of your hand and lift up, even if it seems that there is no strength. In fact, this option is easier than twisted. All attention is on the gluteal muscles. Starting the exercise, squeeze them. Expand your chest by lifting your sternum up. Do not crush the ribs with your hands. Keep your knees and calves tense. Stretch up, not push off the floor. Weight should be distributed on the wrists and legs. Relax them, and energy will begin to rise through the channels from the bottom up, passing along the spine.
The hips are slightly pulled back, as if you were about to crawl under the fence.
What to look for
The knees should remain straight so that the muscles of the back of the thighs pull the back of the pelvis down, strengthening the buttocks. The lower back should not feel a pinch. Beginners can lower their knees to the floor.
Breath
The pose of a dog looking down is an "expiratory pose." Its opposite was the pose of a dog looking up, which is clearly associated with the expansion of the chest when inhaling. Holding the posture for several breathing cycles allows the exhalation to increase the extension of the chest, while the inhalation contributes to the stability of the lumbar and cervical.
The general results of the pose:
- Improves and rejuvenates the spine.
- Eliminates pain in the lumbar region.
- Improves blood circulation in the pelvic area.
Therapeutic effects:
- This pose is useful for dislocation or prolapse of the spinal disc, lumbago or lumbosacral radiculitis, stoop.
- It helps with bronchial asthma, kidney disease, arthritis of the shoulder joints, scoliosis, infertility.
Now we have examined how to correctly perform the “dog face up” (and down too), and discussed whether these asanas are useful.
Yoga Reviews
As a rule, they are all enthusiastic. People who have practiced asanas for at least six months can no longer do without them. First comes the development of simpler material, but as flexibility develops, the exercises become more complex and bring incredible feelings of ease of owning the body. It always pulls when it is possible to perform inverted poses. Women are especially shown the pose of beauty - viparita karani.