DOWNWARD-FACING DOG is the salt of hatha yoga,sprinkled intermittently throughout class from begin-ning to end. Just as pinches of salt enliven a dish, soDownward Dog enlivens your body—from your hipsto your spine to your fingers and toes—making you feelmore vibrant and alive, even spicier. As you discoverthe nuances of the pose, you’ll find it gets deeper andmore flavorful, so you savor it more.

Downward-Facing Dog looks soeasy and so beautiful, but looks canbe deceiving. This pose is actuallyquite complex, and its benefits far-reaching. It both strengthens andstretches your entire body and requiresyou to balance the effort in your arms,torso, and legs so you don’t overburden any one area.Hold it for a few breaths and you’ll see what I mean.

In flow classes, Downward Dog is a lot like homebase—you do it over and over again to neutralize yourspine, to bring it back into its natural alignment. It’salso an inversion, preparing beginners for the feel-ing of going upside down. A pose with so many bene-fits is worth learning in detail. So even if you’ve donemore Down Dogs than you can count, these first two

Arms reaching,hips lifting, spinestretching: Down-

ward Dog creates asymphony of sweet

sensations allthrough your body.

Get Down Dog

Elbow creases rotate to face thumbs

basicsdownward-facing dog

by Jason Crandell

Hands press evenly

Spine is long and decompressed

Armpits areextended

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DON’T tuck your tail andround your lower back.

DON’T strain your neck by looking forward.

DO spread your fingers andpress evenly into the mat.

Sitting bones roll toward the ceiling

Backs of legs extend thoroughly

Heels reach toward the floor

Knees are straight but notlocked or hyperextended

Tops of thighs lift and press back

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hands: Feel where they’re in full contactwith the mat and where they’re not an-chored. Spread your fingers wide and pressfirmly and evenly through your hands intothe mat. By dispersing your weight evenlyacross your hand, your wrists will be morestable and less vulnerable to injury.

With your hands rooted to the mat,tuck your toes under so your heels comeoff the floor. Lift your knees off the matand shift your pelvis up toward the ceilingand back toward the wall behind you,keeping your knees bent. Instead of lift-ing up in a pushup position, press back.Imagine pressing the floor down and awayfrom your pelvis.

For the next few breaths, begin to re-fine the pose, starting with your hands. Ifyour thumb and index fingers are off theground, you’re bearing too much weightin your outer hands. To counter this, tryto create a perfect palm print on the mat:Spread your fingers, reach through yourarms, and press down with both hands.

Now try to straighten your elbows. Thiscan feel demanding either because youhave tight shoulders or you lack strength,so be compassionate and patient as youtry this. Next, rotate your arms externally(away from your ears) until your elbowcreases face your thumbs. Feel the broad-ness of your upper back and the charge inyour arms and shoulders.

With your arms awake and aligned, shiftyour chest toward your legs. Feel your

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versions will help you rediscover it, refineit, and feel it in all its glory.

When you first try Down Dog, you mayfeel tight in areas you never knew existed.Your lower back might round and your elbows may bend and bow. But with dailypractice, you’ll love the sensation of un-furling your body into the pose, feelinglong and lithe like a dog stretching aftera good nap.

BEND YOUR KNEES

In the first version of the pose (above), youbend your knees, which removes the ham-strings from the equation and allows youto fully extend through your upper body. P

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Develops suppleness and strengthin the arms and shoulders

Elongates the spine

Creates greater flexibility in thehamstrings and calves

Helps calm the nervous system

ContraindicationsHamstring injury

Wrist problems

Spinal disk injury

With your knees straight you might feelbunched and crunched. With your kneesbent you’ll find a long, juicy stretchthrough your spine, shoulders, and arms.

To start, lie face-down on your mat andplace your hands on the floor by yourshoulders. Keeping your hands and feetwhere they are, shift onto your hands andknees. Your knees should be as far apart asyour hips, and your hands as far apart asyour shoulders. This is the correct place-ment for your hands and feet in these twoversions of the pose.

Your hands and feet are the foundationof the pose, so they should be solid andgrounded. Bring your awareness to your

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Y sutra schoolYoga Sutra 1.1Now, the teachings of yoga.Atha yoga anushasanam

So reads the first stanza (sutra) ofPatanjali’s 2,000-year-old yoga guide-book, the Yoga Sutra. It’s quite possiblyone of the most famous opening linesin all of Hindu spiritual literature, butmost eager students, intent on gettingto the juicier parts of the teachings, sailpast the first word, “now” (in Sanskritatha, pronounced ah-tah) without asecond thought.

But wait! One distinct characteristicof the sutra is brevity, so the word athais there for good reason. It’s there tograb your attention: I’m ready to teach,Patanjali is saying, so listen up. But athaalso signals the value of what you’re

about to dive into. These daysyou can flip through the

Yoga Sutra whenever youplease, and then return itto the shelf, but long agoit took a long period of

preparation just to gainaccess to it. The study of

classical yoga was seriousbusiness that required commitment.At some point the teacher determinedthat—atha, “now”—the novice wasqualified enough for instruction. It musthave been an exhilarating momentwhen students left behind their every-day identities to assume a new role as spiritual aspirants.

For modern yogis, atha whispers asubtle reminder that all yoga teachingemerges from and leads us back to thetimeless, ever-present now. Before youbegin your next practice, say it silentlyand see if it draws you into the present.If you’re really lucky, you might feel, inthe words of Patanjali, that the “layersand imperfections concealing truth” are“washed away,” and your authentic selfis revealed.

be here nowYou’re often asked to chant Sanskrit inclass, but there’s nothing wrong withchanting in English if the words evokemeaning for you. Sit with your spinestraight, close your eyes, and slow yourbreathing. With each exhalation, say theword “now” to yourself, drawing out the “w.” Feel how the present moment becomes suspended even as timepasses and transforms into anothermoment of now. R I C H A R D R O S E N

armpit area lengthen and your chest open.As you continue to reach your arms, yourpelvis will lift further up and shift back,and your spine will lengthen, unravel, anddecompress.

Last but not least, release the tensionin your neck; let your head hang naturallybetween your arms. After three to fivebreaths, exhale and bring your knees tothe floor. Rest in Balasana (Child’s Pose)for a few breaths before coming into ver-sion 2 of the pose.

MAKE LIKE AN “A”

When you practice Downward Dog inclass, you might feel as if everyone hastheir heels on the ground except you. Inthis version you don’t have to worry aboutthat at all—in fact, you in-tentionally keep yourheels lifted. This willgive you more play inyour pelvis so you canbegin to understand itsalignment in the pose.

Come back to the firstversion of the pose. This time, lift yourheels as far away from the floor as you can.Straighten your knees, engage the musclesin your thighs, and lift your pelvis towardthe ceiling. Your pelvis will shift forwardas you do this and your body will looklike a capital “A.”

From this position, roll your sittingbones up toward the ceiling. Observe howthis rotation of your pelvis lifts your heelsfurther from the floor. Also, notice howthe top of your sacrum tilts forward andinto your back. Unless you are very mobilein your spine, this is a healthy position foryour lower back. Without these funda-mental shifts, you might end up lookinglike a sad, hesitant dog—back rounded,buttocks curled under. This is dangerousand can lead to injuries in your lower backor hamstrings.

So, with your pelvis tilted forward in itsproper alignment, firm the very tops ofyour thighs and lift them toward your hipcreases. Draw your thighbones up intoyour pelvis, and roll your sitting bones evenhigher, forming a taller, more acutely an-gled “A” shape. To keep your legs straight,don’t jam or force your knees back; use the

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strength of your thighs to lift them. Feelhow the strength of your legs supports thelift of your pelvis.

Now, one more time, press the tops ofyour thighs (not your knees) back towardthe wall behind you. As you do this, yourpelvis will move away from your hands,which will take some of the burden offyour arms. Stay here for three to fivesmooth rounds of breath.

DO THE FULL DOG

The challenge in the full expression ofDownward Dog is to fully extend yourupper body and the backs of your legswhile keeping from rounding your lowerback. If your shoulders hunch forward oryour lower back bulges toward the ceiling,continue to practice versions 1 and 2 for afew more weeks. Also, add Supta Padan-gusthasana (Reclining Hand-to-Big-ToePose) to your practice, which will openyour hamstrings and calves safely.

Come into the full pose by movingthrough versions 1 and 2 first. Rotate yourupper arms away from your ears until yourelbow creases face their respective thumbs.Keeping your heels lifted, press your handsevenly into the mat and straighten yourarms. Draw your kneecaps up and takeyour thighs back to take some of the weightoff your arms. Inch your pelvis furtherup and back and feel how the sides of yourbody lengthen. Roll your sitting bonesup so your lower back arches into its nat-ural curve.

Now that your body is fully engaged andworking to create space, slowly reach yourheels toward the mat. Imagine your heelsfilled with lead. Breathe deeply and allowthe intensity of the stretch to peel awayall those layers of tension from the backof your legs. Release your neck and softenyour gaze.

Stay for three to five smooth, evenbreaths in this version of Downward Dog,then release into Child’s Pose. Notice anysensations throughout your body, recog-nizing that this feeling of space, harmony,and ease is your body’s true nature. !

Jason Crandell teaches in San Francisco andaround the country. You can contact him atwww.jasonyoga.com.

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