Thank you to the Bryan YMCA yogis who show varying prop usage for this rebalancing pose.
one or two blocks are used so your forehead can rest. your stance may vary but still feel length in your spine.
21-Day Yoga Challenge to Release, Restore & Rebalance
Day 15: Supported Adho Mukha Svanasana ~ Downward Facing Dog
Adho Mukha Svanasana or Downward Facing Dog is a staple in many yoga classes. In sun salutations, it is the basis from which the other postures flow into and from. It is a pose to help your body and mind rebalance as well. With the use of a chair, the pose becomes more accessible and restorative. Even if you practice Adho Mukha Svanasana in the more traditional approach, I encourage to try the modification of a chair with a block for the forehead and notice.
How To: Have the chair seat face you and place palms flat on the chair seat or wrap your hands around the side edges of the chair. (The latter version provides more space for the shoulders.) Engage the core to support the spine, but do not grip the core. Walk your feet away from the chair until your back is stretched long. Heels may or may not come to the floor. Do not force them.
Knees lift, quadriceps contract and draw toward hamstrings. Play with bending the knees, contract the quadriceps and then straighten the legs. This helps deepen the flection in your hips and elongate your spine.
Place your forehead to a block or folded blanket and take several breaths — offering your inhale, a pause of your breath, and extended exhale.
Tips: If your wrists are not comfortable, you can practice this pose with bent elbows and forearms on the mat and a blanket for the head. Retreat from the pose by bending the knees, drawing the hips back to child’s pose.
Be mindful of your shoulders. If they sink or collapse in the pose, it can be detrimental to your shoulder health. Remember to engage the core, draw shoulder blades down and broad to avoid this common trouble.
Benefits: Downward Facing Dog is an inversion because the head is below the heart. As such, it provides invigorating energy to the brain and will combat the fatigue you may experience during the holidays. With the back long, it is a stretch that lengthens the spine while stretching the hamstrings.
Calming the control center…
The use of a block or blanket gives this pose the added restorative feature by providing small pressure to the forehead which accesses the vagus nerve – often referred to as the “air-traffic controller” of our bodies — which regulates the digestive, respiratory and nervous systems. The pressure combined with an elongated exhale breath practice adds to the restorative nature of this offering.
