Downward-Facing Dog Pose (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

Video Duration:
  1. Set up on all -fours with hands about 3 inches ahead of shoulders and shoulder-distance apart
  2. Align the wrist creases so they are parallel to the front edge of the mat and root down evenly through the whole of each hand
  3. Press down firmly with the fingertips to pull the forearms towards the front of the room –keep the knuckles grounded as you do this
  4. Spin the biceps forward while firming the triceps into the midline –OR –
  5. Roll the inner upper arms towards the wall in front of you while engaging the outer upper arms
  6. Inhale tuck the toes under; exhale press the hips back and up
  7. Glance back at the feet to make sure they are hips distance apart and parallel
  8. Let the head hang freely so there is no tension in the neck; gaze is towards the feet
  9. Allow the shoulder blades to spin out and up away from the spine and towards the outer armpits (upward rotation) in order to maintain the articulation of the bones of the shoulder and spaciousness at the base of the neck
  10. Maintain the hand and arm actions from all-fours to open the shoulders without over-stretching or sinking through the armpits
  11. If the lower back feels rounded, bend the knees in order to send the sitting bones straight back and up
  12. With each exhale root down firmly with the hands; with each subsequent inhale send the hips back and up
  13. Hold for anywhere from a few breaths to a few minutes then release

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