If you've practiced Yoga before, you're familiar with the most popular pose: Downward Dog. The photo above is of my dear Cocker Spaniel, Toby, doing his daily doga. Afterall, a lot of Yoga poses (or asanas), have been inspired and created by the earliest of yogi's, through careful study of animal behavior and further, by mimicking their natural movements so that they can reach peace by connecting to nature and the world around them.
So, with Toby as my inspiration, I'd like to take you through this wonderful pose:
*Come to all fours, (hands and knees)
*Spread fingertips wide, grounding hands into the floor. Tuck the toes and pull the hips up and back
*Send the sit bones back, away from the hands
*Pressing into the knuckles and fingertips, shift weight back into the heels, alleviating tension and weight off the wrists
*If the heels reach the floor, lift the toes, draw the kneecaps up; this really engages all the leg muscles
*Release the head and neck, relax the facial muscles, and BREATHE.
Benefits of Downward Dog:
Relieves fatigue, pain and stiffness in the legs and heels, increases energy, strengthens ankles, tones the legs, removes neck and shoulder tension, and rejuvenates blood flow.
Lastly, thank you, wondrous and magical Animal Kingdom, for lending inspiration to the age-old tradition of Yoga, which has been preserved for thousands of years...
So, with Toby as my inspiration, I'd like to take you through this wonderful pose:
*Come to all fours, (hands and knees)
*Spread fingertips wide, grounding hands into the floor. Tuck the toes and pull the hips up and back
*Send the sit bones back, away from the hands
*Pressing into the knuckles and fingertips, shift weight back into the heels, alleviating tension and weight off the wrists
*If the heels reach the floor, lift the toes, draw the kneecaps up; this really engages all the leg muscles
*Release the head and neck, relax the facial muscles, and BREATHE.
Benefits of Downward Dog:
Relieves fatigue, pain and stiffness in the legs and heels, increases energy, strengthens ankles, tones the legs, removes neck and shoulder tension, and rejuvenates blood flow.
Lastly, thank you, wondrous and magical Animal Kingdom, for lending inspiration to the age-old tradition of Yoga, which has been preserved for thousands of years...
RSS Feed
