Bolster Your Upward-Dealing with Canine Pose

Upward-Dealing with Canine Pose (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) is among the key components in Solar Salutations (Surya Namaskara). It’s usually paired with its littermate Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Dealing with Canine Pose), nevertheless it’s a worthy pose in its personal proper. Downward-Dealing with Canine Pose often is the higher recognized of the 2, however on this put up we’ll let its less-famous sibling have its day.

Upward-Dealing with Canine Pose supplies many advantages. Listed below are just a few:

• Strengthens shoulders, arms, palms and wrists
• Counteracts the results of an excessive amount of sitting and bending ahead
• Can relieve decrease again ache
• Energizes the physique and thoughts

Upward-Dealing with Canine Pose is called for a loyal canine that seems within the Mahabarata. In the event you’d wish to know concerning the story behind the pose, take a look at Zo Newell’s article in Yoga Worldwide.

Challenges and Options for Working towards Upward-Dealing with Canine Pose

Urdhva Mukha Svanasana is a difficult pose. It strengthens the shoulders, arms, palms and wrists as a result of it challenges them. There’s an inclination to break down into the shoulders, palms and wrists within the pose. As a way to keep away from relying an excessive amount of on these constructions, it’s essential to interact the remainder of the physique within the pose as nicely. The entire physique must contribute to the carry within the pose. A Normal Yoga Bolster plus a pair Yoga Blocks will be extraordinarily useful in shifting the work within the pose to the decrease physique. This relieves strain in your palms and wrists. I’ll clarify easy methods to use these props within the directions beneath.

The opposite bodily problem in Upward-Dealing with Canine Pose is the tendency to emphasize the low again. In the event you observe the pose together with your head thrown again so that you simply’re trying on the sky, you might be most likely creating additional stress in your again. Conserving your head in a impartial place on this pose helps to assist your low again. That is because of the positioning of a small bone within the prime of the throat, the hyoid bone. Right here’s a put up that explains easy methods to use the hyoid bone to assist the core in Chaturanga Dandasana (4-Limbed Employees Pose). You may apply this data to any pose, however for the susceptible backbends, it’s particularly useful.

Contraindications for Working towards Upward-Dealing with Canine Pose

Earlier than we dive into working towards the pose, I’d wish to share some conditions wherein it could be greatest to keep away from working towards Urdhva Mukha Svanasana:

• Accidents to your palms, wrists, shoulders or low again
• Second and third trimesters of being pregnant
• Latest belly surgical procedure
• You probably have a headache, skip working towards this pose.

Methods to Apply Urdhva Mukha Svanasana with a Yoga Bolster

1. Collect your props: Yoga Mat, two Yoga Blocks, Normal Yoga Bolster.
2. Place your bolster crosswise in your mat about ⅔ of the best way towards the “head” finish of your mat. Place your blocks, shoulders-width aside, of their lowest setting, straight in entrance of your bolster.
3. Begin in Downward-Dealing with Canine Pose together with your palms in your blocks. Chances are you’ll discover that inserting your palms on blocks shifts your weight again into your ft a bit greater than normal.
4. Shift your complete physique ahead and decrease your hips onto your bolster. The hipbones must be resting on fringe of the bolster.
5. Interact your legs by isometrically lifting them up towards the ceiling. Press your ft down into the ground.
6. Press down into your palms to carry the chest, preserving your elbows bent. Preserve your head degree, trying straight forward.
7. Take 5 to 10 deep breaths. Then shift again into Downward-Dealing with Canine Pose together with your palms in your blocks.
8. If you’re prepared, launch your knees down onto the ground and relaxation in Balasana (Little one’s Pose). You may relaxation your forearms and brow in your bolster for additional consolation.

About Charlotte Bell

Charlotte Bell found yoga in 1982 and started instructing in 1986. Charlotte is the creator of Aware Yoga, Aware Life: A Information for On a regular basis Apply and Yoga for Meditators, each printed by Rodmell Press. Her third guide is titled Hip-Wholesome Asana: The Yoga Practitioner’s Information to Defending the Hips and Avoiding SI Joint Ache (Shambhala Publications). She writes a month-to-month column for CATALYST Journal and serves as editor for Yoga U On-line. Charlotte is a founding board member for GreenTREE Yoga, a non-profit that brings yoga to underserved populations. A lifelong musician, Charlotte performs oboe and English horn within the Salt Lake Symphony and folks sextet Crimson Rock Rondo, whose DVD gained two Emmy awards in 2010.