Move Of The Month

The exercise move for this month is taken from the discipline of yoga. The downward dog is an important asana to master and is a key posture from which many sequences begin. It will stretch the backs of the legs, open out the chest, massage the abdominal muscles and increase circulation to the head and face.

Downward facing dog is normally done after the cobra within the sun salutations but can sometimes just be used as a transition move to get back into a standing position from being on the floor. Within a yoga class downward facing dog will be continually revisited and once strength gains have been made it becomes a recovery position and you might find yourself being left in downward dog for quite a few breath cycles.

Once in downward dog always work to keep your arms and back in one straight line. The crown of the head should be down towards the floor looking in through the legs to the back wall. Draw your shoulders down your back away from your ears so that your neck and back are long and flat and that you’re sitting bones are lifted towards the ceiling. The body should be in an inverted ‘V’ position with the posterior at the highest point. The legs should be opened to about hip width and you should be pushing through your heels, feeling a stretch along the back of the legs. Do not allow your belly to dome - keep it pulled in as you breathe in strongly through the nose. Finally allow your palms to spread to distribute weight evenly across all our 10 fingers and even though the aim is to remain straight in both our arms and legs we should never allow our elbows or our knees to lock.

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