| The Dog pose or the Adho mukha Svanasana, when | | | | the abdominal muscles towards the spine. Gently |
| performed looks very much like a dog whose | | | | contract the buttocks and tuck the tail bone inwards. |
| forelimbs and head are in a rested position while the | | | | Press the floor with the hands and also lift the back |
| hind limbs are pointed upwards. In Sanskrit "Svana" | | | | upwards towards the roof by rounding the spine |
| means dog, "adho" means downward and "mukha" | | | | upwards. |
| means face, hence the name Downward facing dog | | | | Move the head inwards. If possible place the crown of |
| pose. | | | | the head on the floor. If you are not able to place the |
| Step by Step | | | | crown on the floor, then leave the head hanging |
| The hands should be placed directly beneath the | | | | inwards. Gaze should be fixed between the knees. |
| shoulders on the floor and the knees directly beneath | | | | The next step is the straightening of the elbows and |
| the hips. The fingers should be spread out with the | | | | the extending of the back. The legs should be straight |
| middle finger pointing straight ahead. One should make | | | | if you are able, that is the knees are without any bend. |
| sure that the back is horizontal and straight. | | | | Take a deep breath while turning your hip into a Dog |
| One should take care not to drop the shoulders during | | | | tilt. Slowly, release the grip of the hips and reverse the |
| this asana position. Create a flow of energy through | | | | dog tilt. The spine should be curved to resemble a |
| each of the arms to the respective shoulders to | | | | smoothly arched backend. Then reverse so that your |
| maintain the position. Repeat this several times to get | | | | body resembles an unside down V. Now Hold in the |
| a proper feel of the position. Once you are ready to | | | | upside down V position. At first this will be difficult but |
| start, inhale deeply. Breathe out along with turning the | | | | after long practice this upside down V will turn into a |
| hips into a cat tilt. This should be done gently by pulling | | | | resting postion. |