We know that specific positions and exercises of yoga have specific beneficial impacts on the mind and body. The Downward Dog position, also known as Adho Mukh Svanasana is one of the more popular positions not just because it is easy enough even for beginners to perform, but also because it has several very specific benefits that accrue to the yoga practitioner who performs the pose regularly.
How to perform the Downward Dog Position
The downward dog or downward facing dog position gets its name from the way in which the body is positioned during this aasan. To get started, stand in an upright position and bring your hands up in the Namaste position. Now while exhaling, extend your arms towards the floor and lower your upper body to form an inverted V. The hands and feet must be flat on the ground. It may be difficult to place the feet flat on the ground in the beginning. One can then remain on the toes. The buttocks should be the highest point of the body. Hold the position while looking towards the navel and exhale.
It is also possible to perform the aasan by beginning with the child pose: legs folded beneath you, arms outstretched to rest on the ground in front and the forehead touching the ground. You then lift your hips off the ground and elevate them while keeping the hands and the feet planted on the ground.
Benefits of Adho Mukh Svanasana
This yoga position helps you identify imbalance in your body so you can correct and improve balance. The spine is stretched fully and evenly in this pose and you will also feel the stretch along the thighs, hips and along the calf and ankles. The fact that it improves flexibility goes without saying but this position also improves strength because of the way in which the muscles need to work to support the body in this position. As your body becomes more attuned to the practice of yoga, your posture improves as you become more mindful of your physical being.
The position clears your head quite literally. As the blood flows to the head and the face, the facial skin could assume a natural glow because of enhanced blood flow. This improved blood flow is also thought to have other benefits: it helps with digestion and energizes the person from within. As the muscles of the spine stretch, people with chronic back and neck pain may benefit from the downward facing dog position.
This yoga position can also strengthen the joints and may possibly improve bone density to lower risk of osteoporosis. This is a core strengthening exercise too, all of which makes this pose highly beneficial to older people.
There are some medical conditions where this yoga position is not indicated. People with high blood pressure, eye problems such as glaucoma or detached retina should not do this exercise. When a person has injured their shoulder, it is best not to perform the aasan for a while.