Pose of the dog face down: description, technique and reviews

Inverted poses in yoga are the essence of asan practices. They completely change the natural gravitational force, produce a massage of the organs, promote the elimination of toxins, slow down aging and refresh the mind and body. These include adho mukha svanasana, that is, the pose "dog face down." "Adho" means lowered down, "mukha" - a person, "shvan" - a dog. The pose "dog face down" in yoga is an inverted posture with the support of the hands. Difficulty: medium.

How she looks anatomically

The figure below shows which muscles work. The deltoid arm muscle , the broadest one - the back, the large gluteus, the biceps femora, and the calf. But that is not all. Here, the forward anterior muscle of the femur and the anterior dentate muscle that retains the ribs are not marked. They should be prepared so that the dog's pose with the muzzle down does not cause unpleasant sensations.

Warm up

From the sitting position (dandasana posture), let's go to pashimotanasana (Paschimottanasana) smoothly on exhalation. It will help to make the muscles already mentioned more easily and smoothly, as far as your physical capabilities are concerned. The bending of the back is very intense. But do not bring it to the pain. The performance of the asana must match your strengths. Paschima means west in Sanskrit, and Uttana means intensive stretching. Paschimottanasana stretches the back of your body, mainly the spine, hips and back of your legs. If you face the rigidity of your hamstrings and are not able to fully stretch them forward, do not suffer. You can use a thick blanket and sit on its edge to relieve tension in the back and legs. It will support the pelvic region and the spine in a straight position. For the beginning it is necessary to make an exhalation and to bend to legs. 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 inspiration you should calmly return to the starting position while sitting.

The next stage is the initial posture

Balasana - the pose of the child - also prepares the body for the immediate performance of the desired asana (dog posture with the muzzle down). Balasana will completely relax the body, remove all the clamps. This asana will ease tension in the lower back, stretch the spine, massage the abdominal organs, relieve fatigue in the legs, and improve blood circulation.

Transitional position

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.

Planck

Then unbend your knees and pull the pelvis towards the heels. The neck should be kept parallel to the spine. It is very important: fingers of fingers to spread apart and put pressure on the floor, as shown in the photo below. This initial phase of the bar will serve as a transition in order for the dog's pose to turn right downwards.

Next Action

Leaning on his hands, take a step or two forward. Did they feel the tendons under the knees? You can stop and help yourself with the help of a chair. See the photo. Some get better, but not quite.

New stage

Head and neck relaxed. The head is between the hands. The legs are maximally stretched, 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 a device, a beginner can gradually perform this inverted pose. Later, a man from a post lying on his stomach (similar to the beginning of the Bujangasana cobra posture) will calmly, without tension, straightening his legs and arms, pull up the pelvic bones upward. Gradually straightening, finish the exercise standing (tadasana).

For advanced - the classic version

So, the pose of the dog snouts down. How to do it by all the rules? Sitting in a balasan or, as it is called, adho mukha virasane, you should turn your toes, raise your heels and knees from the floor. Then extend your arms in your elbows and your knees. The fingers of the hands are dilated, pointing forward and well pressed against the floor. Put your hands on the floor and push away from it. Hands and trunk should become one line. Relax the neck, the head without tension is between the hands. Pulling the legs and stretching the back of the thigh, lift the ischium bones up to the ceiling. The body resembles the inverted acute angle of the Latin letter Λ.

Hands, trunk and legs are completely straight. The abdomen, neck and head are completely relaxed. You are still standing on your toes. The emphasis "hill", the dog's pose as a muzzle down, is not fundamentally different from adho mukha svanasana. Slowly drop on your heels and bring your head to the floor. Breathe in a measured manner. 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. Exhaling, descend into the pose of the child and relax, relax. Here's how to correctly position the dog's pose with the muzzle down. If you are not tired, then with a sigh, go up to tadasana.

Pose of the dog face down: benefit

Common positive effects:

• Eliminates fatigue and returns energy.
• Strengthens the ankles and improves the shape of the legs.
• Improves the work of the brain, increasing the supply of the head and face blood.
• Strengthens the mobility of the back, removes pain in the lumbar region.

Therapeutic effect: asana is useful in such diseases as bronchitis, menstrual disorders, disorders of the function of the prostate, displacement of the uterus, kidney disease, colitis, deformity of the legs, stoop, spurs on the heels, dyspnea.

A dog looking up, or Urdva ("raised") mukha svanasana

This position resembles a sipping dog with its head raised, because it received such a name. If the task is to distribute the extension along the entire back, then you should use the thorax more and less - the lumbar and cervical areas. This backward deflection with the support of the hands - a pose of average difficulty.

Lie on your stomach, hands should lie along the body, legs and heels join together, head turned to one side. Hands should be placed directly under the shoulders. Beginners often hump. It is not right. With force, press on the palm of your hand and rise upward, even if it seems that there is no strength. In fact, this option is easier than crooked. All attention is to the gluteus muscles. Starting the exercise, squeeze them. Expand your chest, lifting your sternum up. Do not squeeze the ribs with your hands. Keep your knees and calves strained. Pull up, and do not push off the floor. Weight should be distributed at the wrists and feet. Relax them, and the energy will begin to rise through the channels from the bottom up, passing along the spine.

The hips are slightly drawn back, as if you are going to crawl under the fence.

What to look for

Knees should remain straight, so that the muscles of the back of the thighs pull the back of the pelvis down, strengthening the buttocks. In the lower back, there should be no sensation of clamping. Beginners can lower their knees to the floor.

Breath

The position of the dog looking down is "exhalation pose". Her opposite was the position of the dog looking up, which is clearly associated with the expansion of the chest when inhaled. Holding the pose for several cycles of breathing allows exhalation to strengthen the extension of the thoracic region, while at the same time inspiration contributes to the stability of the lumbar and cervical divisions.

General results of the action of the pose:

• Improves and rejuvenates the spine.
• Eliminates pain in the lumbar region.
• Improves blood circulation in the pelvic area.

Therapeutic consequences:

• This pose is useful in the displacement or prolapse of the vertebral disc, lumbago or lumbosacral radiculitis, stoop.
• It helps with bronchial asthma, kidney disease, arthritis of the shoulder joints, scoliosis, infertility.

Now we have considered how to properly perform "dog muzzle up" (and down too), and discussed whether there is any benefit from these asanas.

Reviews of yoga classes

As a rule, they are all enthusiastic. People who have practiced asanas for at least six months already can not do without them. First comes the development of a simpler material, but as the flexibility develops, exercises become more complex and bring incredible sensations of ease of body ownership. Always and pulls, when there is an opportunity, to perform inverted poses. Women are especially shown the pose of beauty - viparit karani.