The 7 Health Benefits of Downward Dog
Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) is one of the most commonly practiced poses in yoga and has numerous benefits for the body and mind. It is a pose of strength and flexibility that teaches you how to understand perfect body alignment. It is a foundational pose for all types of yoga classes. It can also be a wonderful resting pose once you begin to practice regularly. This posture helps with opening the shoulders, chest, heart and lungs and lengthening the entire body.
Health Benefits:
1. It strengthens and opens the chest. By keeping the shoulders rolled back and with an external rotation, you will automatically create more space in your chest and shoulders unblocking the Anahata or Heart Chakra. 2. It increases circulation in the pelvic region. It also helps women relieve menstrual cramps or pain. In this pose, you are able to relax your abdomen, creating more space to take longer and deeper breaths. 3. It strengthens the arms and legs. This pose requires just as much arm strength as it does core and prepares you for many arm balances. 4. It opens the back of the legs and helps to elongate the spine. In this pose you are stretching the back of the legs pulling them back as you push away from the ground. You are stretching the spine head to toe, lengthening the backbone and creating more space in your spine. 5. It improves your digestion. By drawing your navel in towards your spine, you are able to gently stimulate the kidneys, liver and sleep, aiding in the digestion process. 6. It calms the brain and helps relieve stress and mild depression. Since this pose is an inversion where you have your head below your heart, it brings blood flow to the brain and helps you to focus your mind. It will also help you release any tension in your neck. 7. It stretches the shoulders, hamstrings, calves, hands and fingers. Your entire body is actively lengthening and stretching in this posture. If you have tight hamstrings, you can keep your knees bent and feel the stretch in the back of your thighs.
How to Practice: Start in a table top position, with hands on the floor. Stack your hips over your knees and make sure your knees are hip-distance apart. Then, with your hands shoulder-width apart, stack your shoulders over your wrists. If you have hyperextended elbows or knees, you can keep a slight micro-bend to prevent any damage to the joints.
Make sure your wrists parallel with the mat, and press firmly on all corners of the hand, spreading your fingers wide and making sure the middle finger is pointing towards the front for perfect alignment. Bring your spine to a straight and neutral position, keeping it long with your chest open. Toes should be pointing towards the front of the mat. Engage your lower abdomen and bring your hips up toward the ceiling. Drop your gaze between the toes, melting your heart and your forehead towards the ground. Relax and lengthen your neck to decompress and release tension. Pull your belly button into towards the spine, to lengthen your hamstrings. If you are comfortable with this pose, you can bring your heels down touching the floor. For beginners, your heels will eventually reach the floor as you get deeper into the practice. It is important to connect to your breathing here, inhaling to lengthen and exhaling to deepen into the pose. To come out of this pose lift up heels, place your knees on the mat and press your hips back towards your heels for Balasana or Child’s Pose. Keep your forehead on the ground and hands beside you with palms facing up.
Author Bio: Yogi Vishnu panigrahi is a passionate Yogi, Yoga Teacher and a Traveler in India. He provides yoga teacher training in Rishikesh, India. He loves writing and reading the books related to yoga, health, nature and the Himalayas. For more information about him visit his website,200yogattc