{"id":6532,"date":"2018-10-23T08:50:00","date_gmt":"2018-10-23T08:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trifocusfitnessacademy.co.za\/?p=6532"},"modified":"2022-08-17T09:30:43","modified_gmt":"2022-08-17T07:30:43","slug":"downward-dog-staple-yoga-pose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trifocusfitnessacademy.co.za\/yoga-blog\/downward-dog-staple-yoga-pose\/","title":{"rendered":"The Reason Why Downward Dog is a Staple Yoga Pose"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever been to a Yoga class before, each sequence that you practise will \u2013 most probably \u2013 contain one or two transitions into downward dog. What this means is that when you move from one position into another, you\u2019ll use downward dog as your halfway point between pose one and pose two. But why is this so? Read on and we\u2019ll tell you.<\/p>\n

Downward Dog works all the right places<\/strong><\/h2>\n

This Yoga position \u2013 or asana <\/em>\u2013 works and stretches multiple parts of the body. It stretches your entire back and opens your shoulders. In Downward Dog, your legs \u2013 in particular your calves and hamstrings \u2013 as well as your ankles, arms and wrists are strengthened. Today, as many of us spend most of our days hunched over our computers, this is a great pose to correct your posture as it forces you to counteract the position of your shoulders being hunched over.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll feel extremely energised<\/strong><\/h2>\n

All inverted poses \u2013 where your head is above your heart as it is with downward dog \u2013 leave you feeling energised. In addition, if you\u2019re feeling stressed or anxious, haul out your Yoga mat and get into Downward Dog for a minute or two. You\u2019ll come out of it feeling like you can tackle the world again!<\/p>\n

Downward Dog helps to strengthen bones<\/strong><\/h2>\n

We all know that to stave off the onset of osteoporosis in older age, we need to do weight-bearing exercises on a regular basis. For example, weight-lifting. (Want to find out what other weight-bearing exercises there are out there? Follow this link<\/a> to discover what these are.) The good news for those who don\u2019t like pumping iron is that Downward Dog is a form of weight-bearing exercise that will help keep you healthy in later life.<\/p>\n

How to do Downward Dog<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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  • Start on your mat and get onto all fours. Have your hands slightly in front of your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips. Spread out your finders with your middle finger facing forwards. Tuck your toes under.<\/li>\n
  • Exhale and life your knees away from the floor. At first, keep your knees slightly bent and your hips lifted away from the floor. At first, keep your knees slightly bent and the heels lifted away from the floor.<\/li>\n
  • Lengthen your tailbone away from the back of your pelvis and press it lightly towards your pubis. Against this resistance, lift your sitting bones towards the ceiling.<\/li>\n
  • Exhale and push the tops of your thighs back and stretch your heels onto or towards the floor. Straighten your keens but don\u2019t lock them. Keep your outer thighs firm and roll the upper thighs slightly inward. Draw your chest into your thighs.<\/li>\n
  • Keep your outer arms firm and press the bases of your index fingers actively into the floor. From these two points, lift along your inner arms from the wrists to the tops of your shoulders. Make sure that your inner elbows face each other.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Watch this video to see how the pose is performed:<\/p>\n