more down dog

 down dog preparation

the main difficulty for beginners with this pose is lack of upper body strength

This is such a hard pose for so many. For many reasons, such as hand and joint damage - shoulder, elbow, wrist. But mostly because the pose requires some upper body strength, particularly through the arms. Now, this pose is very good for creating that strength, and for beginners who find it hard, I suggest going up with bent knees, on an exhale, then coming straight back down on an inhale. Even just doing this once occasionally, will really start the arm strength developing. 

being able to lengthen and extend through your back is also helpful in this pose

Lengthening the back is also helpful. Use this stretch to prepare. Rest your hands on a surface, and elongate through your arms and back. Pull up your knees to tighten the fronts of your thighs, which will release your hamstrings (upper back leg muscles). The first time that a newcomer does this, it can be quite unpleasant. So start with one breath, and work your way up to about twenty seconds. Whenever you can, move into doing this with your palms flat against a wall, fingers pointing up. Push into the wall to make your arms and wrists stronger.

To make it easier, just bend the knees and also in the next variation if you need to: put your hands on a bench/wall/whatever, and lengthen your back as before, but - walk your feet in towards your face a bit so that you make a number 7 with your body. I love these number  7s, as I have had scoliosis my whole life and always, absolutely always, need to keep my back lengthened. I do this nearly every day before postures.

half downdog

The third preparation, and also a beginners version of down dog, is the last picture below. The back is straight, ears between the arms, thighs vertical, and you are on your knees. If you are doing vinyasa flowing moves, and aren't able to hold down dog (for whatever reason), either relax back into child  or do this version. 

Doing push ups against a wall, is excellent to develop hand, arm and shoulder strength. Start with arms wide, work up to hands being shoulder width apart and in this version you are keeping the elbows hugged into the body as you dip into the push up. When this gets easy, progress to using a bench. Try to work up to ten to twenty, regularly.

holding downdog in vinyasa, power yoga, or flow yoga

There are so many ways to do these three. Some hints for being able to get into the pose with the breath, and using the breath to be able to hold the pose, have been covered in this link.

using "bandhas" or locks

But with vinyasa, power, or flow yoga, down dog is an excellent pose in which to do a modified maha bandha where three locks are applied. 

These locks are not unique to ashtanga, vinyasa, power, and flow yoga. But the method of doing them, is. Basically:

• a pseudo-contraction of the throat is caused by slightly constrcting the glottis so that the breath makes a soft sound, and deepens. 
• the abdomen below the navel, is ever so slightly pulled pulled in and up
• there is a small constriction in the perineum

These three together, create an internal heat which not only works on the physical body making it more supple and acting as a "purifier", but it also works very strongly on our pranic, or life-force sheath. 

However, for beginners, this is hard to maintain throughout a series of moving and holding poses. What can be done, instead, is to do these three locks together, whilst holding down dog pose. Usually for five deep breaths. 

To make it more doable: do the throat constriction; and image that you are zipping up tight jeans, which will have the effect of easily engaging the abdominal and perenium locks. 

If you are doing this version, in which one does pc (politically correct) posture, then doing the cleansing breaths in the above link, is not suitable. 

** link here to my lifestyle blog

** or here for core activation with bandhas

** click here for yoga secrets using the breath with poses including down dog