Yoga Exercise - Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

In the Downward Facing Dog Pose, you build up strength in the upper arms and you give space and opening in the back, neck, chest, hips and shoulders. If you let your ankles sink nicely to the floor in this Asana, you stretch the calves at the same time. In Yoga, this pose is often used as an exercise in between other exercises, but it is in fact an exercise in itself.

	STEP 1: Come onto the floor on your hands and knees. Stretch the elbows and relax the upper back between the shoulder blades, which gives you the feeling that the arms fall into the shoulder blades.
	STEP 2: Exhale and lift your knees and draw your back backwards from the pelvis, so that your arms and back form one line.
	STEP 3: Stretch your legs in such a way that you get the feeling that someone behind you is pulling your legs and hips backwards from the top of your upper legs. Let your head hang down in a relaxed sort of way.
	STEP 4: When you have placed your back and your legs correctly, stretch out your arms. This results in a stretching from two sides of the back: a stretching from the pelvis and a stretching from the arms. When the back and the chest are placed correctly, you will notice that you can quietly breathe in and out through the belly. You should not let your chest hang downwards or make your back extremely sunken. In this Asana, the back should be lengthened along its entire length. Take your time to work out the stretching further and further.

Many people experience the Downward Facing Dog Pose as a moment of rest between difficult Yoga exercises. However, when you are doing this, try to remain focused, both physically and mentally, and continue working out the technique further to get the maximum benefit from this exercise and from Yoga in general.

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