Adho Mukha Svanasana | Downward Facing Dog Pose - Yogaassans

Adho = Downward

Mukha = Face

Svana = Dog

Asana = Pose

Adho Mukh Svanasana is derived from four sanskrit word 'Adho' means 'Downward' ,'Mukha' means 'Face' ,'Svana' means 'Dog' and 'Asana' means 'Pose'.This is the reason we also say it Downward facing dog pose. In Adho Mukh Svanasana we take a shape like Inverted V or Hut. This pose is not only to calms or relax our mind,it also stretches or strengthens the spine,legs,shoulders,wrist,thighs and knees. This pose is the fully body workout pose. Adho Mukh Svanasana is the one of the basic pose that practice in Surya Namaskar sequence.

CONTENTS:

• Introduction.
• How to do Downward Facing Dog Pose.
• Benefits of Downward Facing Dog Pose.
• Precautions of Downward Facing Dog Pose.
• Tips for Beginners.
• Variations and Modifications.
• When to do it.
• Preparatory Poses.

How to do Downward Facing Dog Pose:

• Firstly,sit in a vajrasana or diamond pose.
• Now,bring your hands underneath to your shoulders and trying to take your legs little backward.
• Then,bring your knees underneath your hips. and a angle of 90 degree.
• Now,your hands pressing into the floor with your weight on four points of your palms.
• Now,tuck your toes and slowly lift you up.
• When you lift yourself up, your focus is to lift your hips back and up and trying to lengthning your spine.
• Now,trying to keep your heels up and your hips higher off to the sky and your stomach suck inside.
• Drop your head down between your arms and relax your head.
• Make sure that your knees and spine are straight and trying to place your heels to the ground or a floor an takes a shape like inverted v or hut position.
• Hold the posture as much as you comfortable.

Release the posture:

• To release the firstly lift your heels up, bend your knees and place it on the floor or a mat in a angle of 90 degree.This is a table top position. 
• Now, point your toes back,push your hips down on the heels and slowly come down to the childs pose.
• Then,lift up your body and comes into the position of Vajrasana or Diamond pose.
• This is the one cycle of Downward facing dog or Adho Mukh Svanasana.
• Repeat the posture 4-5 tomes to takes a effective results.

Benefits of Downward Facing Dog:

1. This pose strengthens our shoulders,wrist,spine,thighs and knees.

2. It is helpful to improves the blood circulation in our body.

3. It improves our digestive system.

4. It is one of the best posse to loss weight.

5. It relax and calms our mind.

6. It also helps to tone muscles.

7. It lengthens the spine and legs and also strengthens it.

8. It is also helps to solve the problem of gas or acidity.

9. Helpful to reduce belly fat.

10. It improves the capacity of lungs.

11. It is also benefitial for gym persons because this pose strengthens our whole body that helps the gym person to avoid injury.

12. It improves the functioning of liver or kidney.

13. It helps to improves our nervous system.

14. It helps the relieve the symptoms of menopause.

15. This pose also helps to relieve back pain,insomnia or headache.

Precautions:

• Women in pregnency should not practice this pose.
• Person suffer from high blood pressure problem avoid this pose.
• People with weak eye capillaries should not practice this posture.
• Diarrhea problem person avoid this pose.
• Person suffer from any spine injury or pain avoids this posture.
• If you are suffer from any shoulder or knee injury avoid his pose.
• Peoples suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome avoid this posture.
• If  person take any type of medicine practice this posture to consult our doctor.

Tips for Beginners:

• As a Beginner,if a have a difficulty to balance your body,support your heels with the wall.
• If you are not straight your knee in beginning , bend your knees to practice this pose.
• As a beginners,lengthens your spine or legs according to your capacity don't forced yourself to lift up more.
• Practice this posture under the guidance of a certified yoga instructor to avoid injuries.
• Practice it daily in morning with empty stomach to take effective results.
• Make sure that your knees are under your hips and your shoulders are underneath your shoulders and your palms on the floor.
• You will also use a chair to practice this posture.Place your hands on the chair to make this pose easy.

Variations or Modifications:

• For a variation,lifting up onto the balls of your feet to lengthens the spine and lowering your heels down to maintain that length.
• Bend your knees,if you wants to more strengthening your knees and thighs.
• You will also bend yore elbows,if you strengthens the shoulders.
• To deepen the posture you will go to the three legged dog variation, lift up your one leg inline to the hips and hold for few seconds. In a same way repeat he other side.

When to do it:

We know that early morning is the best time to practice yoga. There is no any rule to practice it,you will practice it anytime in day.But practice it early morning without eating anything to take a effective results from this asana. Make Sure that should take a meal before 5 hours because between this time you can digest you food and you have a enough energy to practice this posture.

Preparatory Pose:

Vajrasana or Diamond Pose.
Dhanurasana or Bow pose.
Balasana or Childs pose.