A is for....Adho Mukha Svasana

Adho Mukha Svasana/Downward facing dog
(adda- mooka shavasana)

Good for: the whole body! Stetches every muscle in the body, increases circulation, and tones & strengthens the arms and legs. Great for releasing tension in the back and shoulders.

Frequency of practice: this is a really basic one and forms part of the flowing vinyasa movements in my sun cycles. I practice this one every day.

Comments about Dog Down:
This is a great posture, and a great one to start with. Dog down looks quite easy, but in actual fact- as with many postures- it does take a while to perfect! The single most important thing is to keep your back straight, other considerations are to: have your tailbone pointing upward towards the ceiling, keep your legs working by placing your awareness on your feet, which are FLAT on the ground, and don't forget to draw your kneecaps up.

What Dog-Down has taught me
Yoga is all about awareness, and each posture has something to teach us. In every single posture you try, you'll find that it speaks to you (most people call this pain!) However, pain is a bit non-specific and usually an excuse not to do something. In my class our tutor has always been insistent upon the term 'awareness'. This means that we're not seeing pain as bad, but understanding that it's telling us something about our physical strengths and weaknesses. In case you're wondering how often the Paramedics get called out to our classes, I'll clarify that occassionally the 'awareness' is that we need to stop, and then try a modified version that best suits our capabilities! Dog down has been hugely instrumental in my understanding of my physiology. I was getting a big dip in my lower back which indicates a very flexible back, which is good, but also has it's downsides. The curve showed that because my lower back is so flexible, I was inadvertantly using it to compensate for lack of strength in the legs. So, now I know this what has changed? I purposely use my flexible back to compensate...only joking!!! No, over time, I've learnt to push into my legs and keep my focus there to prevent too much curve. This has worked, as you can see from the photo. You might notice that my head is touching the floor, whereas usually it's just facing forward...that's optional :)