Casa Yoga Haarlem
Pose of the week
Its a busy day and you feel bit tired ? Take a small break and practice Downward Dog.
The pose brings back the lost energy, take away stiffnes of the body and back,shoulder pain and improve your digestion. It stretches beautifully your body , boost circulation and combined with deep,easy breathing takes away the stress and tension. Perfect position for small breaks during a busy day or after long day at the office.
How to start :
Stand in front of the yoga mat in Mountain pose(you want to stand tall but relaxed, with your feet at hip width and hanging your arms at your sides, with your palms turned toward your legs) Exhale as you bend down and go to your hands and knees―hands under the shoulder, knees under the hips, and fingers spread and rooted on the mat with the middle fingers pointed straight ahead.
With your next exhalation, tuck your toes under and, leading from the belly, slowly lift the pelvis to form an inverted V with the body. Your feet should remain about hip-width apart. Slowly inhale and on the next exhalation , tray to move your chest towards your thighs as you press the sitting bones and bottom upward, lengthening out the spine. Palms of your hands should press into the floor and heels should press downward towards the mat with your toes facing straight ahead. You should avoid locking the knees. Tray to rotate the shoulders externally so your upper arms will move away from your ears while your head will come closer to the mat. Control your neck, let it hang and relax.
Stay in the position for few deep breaths in and out via the nose .
When you are ready, very slowly float the knees to the mat and go to rest in child’s pose, breathing deeply and slowly .
Here you can find an interesting article about benefitis of the Downward Facing Dog and a great explanation full of tips, for beginners and pluse size yogis from Bodypositiveyoga.com !
http://acutakehealth.com/the-real-reason-downward-facing-dog-in-yoga-is-so-good-for-you
http://bodypositiveyoga.com/downward-facing-dog-a-guide-for-beginners-and-plus-size-yogis/
Enjoy :)