Down Dog

Down Dog
Originally uploaded by Allen81

Lets talk about yoga.
Specifically, lets talk about the posture called down dog. If you have ever taken a yoga class or watched a yoga DVD, you have seen down dog because it seems like every yoga teacher on the planet thinks that this is the "base" pose for yoga. I tend to disagree with this theory because it is a difficult pose to do, much less master and it's very challenging for beginners. This leads to frustration and can make someone just check out of yoga for good when a student hears "now your heels should be touching the floor." Wait, what? Are you kidding? I can't do this yoga stuff! Argh! Then the mat and video they purchased is sitting around with dust bunnies gathering because they have been told by someone that they are not doing it right.

Let me set the record straight if I may...
Your heels do not have to touch the floor in down dog. Actually, your legs do not even need to be straight. As a beginner, you can practice down dog at the wall, with a chair and then move to the mat. The trick to this pose is to get a light feeling in your hands and take the pressure off of your wrists. How do you do this you ask? By lengthening your spine and lifting your hips!

If you can not picture what I am talking about, just watch your dog stretch in the morning. They do down dog and up dog several times a day - and there is hardly any weight on their paws. All the energy is going into their hips and spine.

Also, for those of you who know me and my pooches, that picture (believe it or not) is NOT Blue Girl! It was the first picture that came up on flicker when I typed in down dog...how funny! :) I love the universe!